People Need Nature CEO Miles King writes about the Government’s new 25 Year Environment Plan: “Michael Gove – the most energetic and intellectual Environment Secretary we have had for many years – has been busy. Fresh from his performances at the two big annual farming conferences of the year (which I will write about next […]
Winter Solstice
Today – at 428pm precisely is the Winter Solstice. This is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere – last night was the longest night so we can officially celebrate the night’s getting shorter again. Why does this matter though, in this era of instant communication and perpetual electric light? It matters […]
New People Need Nature/Young Poets Network poetry challenge: “Namedropping”
For many thousands of years, before language was written down, poetry was created, recited and passed on from one generation to another – as a way of remembering great events and people, and of belonging. Nature inspired poets then as it does now – and it feels to me like there is a real […]
Autumn Equinox
Happy Autumn Equinox! When does Autumn start? For those unlucky enough to have been looking forward to a lovely summer holiday in England, early August was very Autumnal – with cold weather, heavy rain and leaden skies. Officially Autumn starts today (September 22nd) – on the Autumn Equinox. Equinox means that the day is the […]
Guest Blog: Why Taxpayers need a “housemate agreement with Farmers. By Vicki Hird.
The dreaded ‘red tape’ and interference in farm decisions under the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is why many UK farmers voted ‘leave’. But I aim to justify the uncomfortable but necessary complexity we will need to cope with after Brexit when we have a new contract or agreement between farmers and the taxpayer. […]
Summer Solstice
Here’s a piece by our Chief Exec Miles King: The Romans knew it as Solstitium. We call it the Solstice: from Sol; the Sun, and sistere; which means stopped, stationary. The Sun stops in the sky. And what a sun it is, this Summer. The sun has beat down on us. Temperatures climb. […]
30 Days Wild – Get Involved!!!
We’re reposting this from Dara McAnulty’s blog (with permission). Dara is a 13 year old aspiring naturalist scientist and conservationist. Date: May 21, 2017Author: Young Fermanagh Naturalist 9 Comments When we moved to Fermanagh in 2013, the whole idea was to experience more freedom and fresh air – to slow down and feel more ‘wild’. […]
Lodge Hill: reimagining lost landscapes – Matthew Shaw
On the 16th & 17th June 2016 I joined a group organised by the charity ‘People Need Nature‘ to visit Lodge Hill, Kent. Our group was made up of Naturalists, Scientists, ecologists, writers, poets, visual artists, musicians, and often a mixture of the above. These are all fairly meaningless titles through as what we really […]
Guest blog by George Wheelhouse – Inspired by Nature
My name is George Wheelhouse, and I’m a fine art nature photographer, from Bedfordshire, UK. I recently discovered People Need Nature, and it really resonated with me. During my mid-twenties I’d been working as a software developer for a couple of years, but it’s fair to say I wasn’t very happy with my work/life […]
Guest Blog: Mindful Birdwatching by Joe Harkness @birdtherapy
Mindful Birdwatching I asked on the Bird Therapy Twitter page what people thought connecting to nature really meant. The general consensus was that there are many ways to approach the statement, from ecological approaches to artistic approaches. A notion that was repeated a few times was to feel ‘part’ of nature as I have […]