Ecology and Ecosystems - A Beginner's Guide - West Bridgford Library - Adult Learning

West Bridgford Library, West Bridgford

Date	25 November - 16 December 2025
Sessions	Tuesdays: 2pm - 4pm
No. sessions	3
Venue	West Bridgford Library, West Bridgford View venue details
For ages	19+
Group size	5 - 15
Cost	FREE - £24

About this course

Step into the wild world of nature and discover how everything is connected!

This short course will reveal the systems that keep our world alive.

You’ll explore the fascinating relationships between organisms and their environments, learn how ecosystems function, and gain practical insights into how we can protect them.

No prior knowledge needed—just your curiosity and a love for the natural world!

What will be covered on the course?

What is an ecosystem and how are ecosystems structured and inter-related?
Examples of Ecosystems we can see in the UK and in other countries across the world
How ecosystems can be disrupted both by natural events and by human actions
Why protecting ecosystems is important.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Explain the basic principles of ecology and the structure of ecosystems.

2. Identify key components of ecosystems, including producers, consumers, decomposers, and their roles in energy flow and nutrient cycles.

3. Evaluate human impacts on ecosystems and explore simple actions to support environmental sustainability.

What you may need for the course:

A notepad and pen.

Booking your place and fee information

If you receive certain benefits you will be offered the course for free, however if you have a financial barrier which may prevent you from enrolling on the course, please visit our funding page for further information.

Residency in England

To book and enrol on one of our courses, you must be living in England permanently and live outside of the devolved areas listed below or live within the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) devolved area (Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire).

Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Greater London
Greater Manchester
Liverpool City Region
Newcastle Upon Tyne, North Tyneside and Northumberland
Tees Valley
West of England
West Midlands
West Yorkshire

Residency Eligibility – other criteria

If you are living in the UK on a visa we will require evidence of this in order to be funded for the course, you can upload this evidence when you apply for the course. (completion of a questionnaire will be required).

Some exceptions may apply for example

Your visa expiry date must be beyond the end of your course
Asylum seekers must have lived in the UK for 6 months or longer while their claim is being considered by the Home Office
You are receiving local authority support under section 23C or section 23CA of the Children Act 1989 or the Care Act 2014

Any learner who is not funded full cost fees would apply to these courses.