Summer at CAT: Packed programme of family events

There’s so much planned for the summer at the Centre for Alternative Technology near Machynlleth as the centre marks 50 years.

The team at CAT are laying on quite the spread of fun family events this summer so come and join us to help celebrate all things green!

This year marks the Centre for Alternative Technology’s 50-year anniversary, and we would love you to join us on 19 August for a special family-friendly open day celebrating this incredible milestone.  

Meet the woodland team under our new Bodger’s Hut and try your hand at a range of exciting practical activities using traditional woodland crafts and woodcraft tools!

Discover how to build a pollinator friendly habitat in your garden or outdoor space with CAT’s gardeners.

Join our Summer Nature Count and help collect real life wildlife data from CAT’s ponds, meadows, gardens and woodlands and be part of our exploring of who calls the CAT site home in the summer!

Join the woodland ranger on their early morning bird survey along the CAT’s Quarry Trail or through CAT’s Heart Wood.

This activity is aimed towards anyone who would like to learn more about bird recognition, their ecology, and their fascinating language.

Lay the foundations to your wildlife gardening knowledge and explore what you can do in your own garden to help nature flourish on this exciting day out in the CAT gardens.

This introductory day offers a wide variety of tips for gardening for nature, packed full of practical activities and knowledge to help wildlife thrive in your garden at home.

Get your hands dirty learning how the earth beneath your feet can be used to build eco friendly buildings.

CAT’s Gardens Ranger will be on-hand to discuss all manner of gardening related topics. Whether you have questions about composting or want ideas for container-gardening, CAT’s experts will be able to point you in the right direction and even show working examples around the gardens.

Get started with green woodworking and discover the art and science of shrink pot carving. Spend a day in a beautiful setting learning how to carve a wooden shrink pot from start to finish.

Spend a day in nature discovering the ancient art of spoon carving. This course is a great way to get started with woodworking, covering choosing materials, using tools safely, carving techniques, and drying and finishing.

To find out when these events, of which there are multiple of each, are happening, check out the calendar on CAT's website.

All holiday events are FREE with your entry ticket. Dogs are welcome. The site opens from 10am and closes at 5pm.

CAT is a great place for children, with plenty to see and do. With an eco-adventure playground, a shop full of eco goodies and hearty lunches in CAT’s vegetarian café, CAT has everything you need for a great day out.