Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust will be supporting The Alban Film Week, with a screening of a family-friendly film, Migration. The Alban Film Week celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the St Albans Film Festival with a mix of screenings and special events being held at St Albans Cathedral.

The wildlife charity will partner with the Cathedral and Film Festival for the screening of Migration on Friday 1 November. An animation, the film tells the story of a family of ducks, who leave the safety of their New England pond to go on the holiday of a lifetime to Jamaica, experiencing some highs and lows along the way. The film will be shown in the half-term school holidays, and the Trust hopes it will attract a new generation of younger nature lovers, who are much needed by the natural world when the State of Nature Report 2023 highlights that one in six species in Great Britain is at risk of extinction.

The Trust have forged a relationship with the Cathedral in their joint interest of the Peregrine Falcons that have bred at the Cathedral since 2022. To celebrate this, the huge Peregrine puppets, which made their debut in the Alban Pilgrimage earlier this year, will be at the Cathedral's West End entrance to greet film-goers. To add to the experience, the charity is encouraging attendees to dress up as their favourite animal and will award a prize for what is judged to be the best outfit on the day! Excited children will be kept amused before the film starts with an on-screen nature quiz and there will be information booklets and giveaways available, as well as opportunities for families to take up Family Membership of the Trust.   

Hayley Lewis, Marketing and Communications Manager at Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust says,

“We are thrilled to be working with the team at St Albans Cathedral and St Albans Film Festival to support this event. Migration is a fun-packed caper about a family of Mallards who migrate south for the first time. If film-goers are feeling inspired after the film, they could take a walk down the hill from the Cathedral to the lake in Verulamium Park, to see if they can spot any Mallards in real life!

“You’re never too young to start learning about the importance of nature and the role it plays in all of our lives. This is a pivotal decade for our natural world, with so many species in Britain threatened with extinction. Now, more than ever, it's important for people of all ages to come together and make a difference – and here at the Trust, we’ve got plenty of ways for you to get involved!"

Jo Kelly-Moore, Dean of St Albans Cathedral says,

"We are delighted to be in partnership with the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust for the screening of Migration in the Cathedral as part of the St Albans Film Festival.  We hope that people of all ages will come and enjoy this family-friendly film which offers an opportunity not only to enjoy a delightful story, but also to reflect on our stewardship of the earth and the reminder that our choices make a difference. May we inspire the next generation to cherish and protect the beauty of God's creation, embracing our shared responsibility as guardians of the natural world."

For more information on the event and to book tickets, visit https://www.stalbanscathedral.org/Event/migration.