TV star and naturalist Bill Oddie took time out from a conference to look at local wildlife with youngsters.

The Spring/Autumn Watch presenter was at Forest School in Snaresbrook for the British Naturalists’ Association’s (BNA) annual conference at the weekend.

After delivering a talk entitled ‘Wildlife and the Urban Landscape’ the former Goodies star took a group of Forest students out to look for wildlife in the school grounds.

BNA Chairman, Roger Tabor, said: “In his talk Bill described his childhood as semi feral!

“What he meant by that was that he was always out playing in the streets.

“It was from being outside and discovering a bird’s nest in a hedge that his love of nature began.

“These days parents are terrified of letting their children out.

“Like all of us he wants to get children interested in naturalism.

“Showing them the local wildlife was just as an important part of the conference as all the speeches.”