By: News Archive
The University of East Anglia (UEA) has partnered with The Norfolk Festival of Nature (21 – 22 April) to host a series of events aimed at celebrating the relationship that exists between people and the natural world.
Now in its third year, The Norfolk Festival of Nature brings many of the top wildlife organisations together, including the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the British Trust for Ornithology, Norfolk Museums Service, Wild Days Conservation and many others.
UEA is involved in three events over the two-day festival, which are all open to the public.
The UEA’s Sustainability and Grounds Teams will be hosting campus Tree Trails on Saturday 21 April which are guided walks exploring the various habitats found on the Norwich campus. Walkers will get the opportunity to hear about the thousands of species recorded across the 350-acre University site, including rare dragonflies, wasps, bats and birds. There is also the chance of spotting the resident grebes, kingfishers and otters.
In 2017, UEA received the Green Flag Award, in recognition of making its open spaces more accessible, whilst maintaining a balance between nature and visitors’ enjoyment. Only one of fourteen universities to receive the award, it acknowledges the high environmental standards implemented on campus, as well as the excellent visitor facilities available.
The Festival Debate: Fighting for Nature on Saturday 21 April is chaired by Dr Jos Smith, a poet and lecturer at UEA, whose work explores the creative possibilities of people’s imaginative relationship with landscape and place. The panel will see some of the UK’s most renowned nature writers discuss the role of conservation and nature writing in Britain today.
Writers on the debating panel include; Dr Mark Cocker, an award-winning Norfolk nature writer; Jean McNeil, author of twelve books; Laurence Rose, naturalist and conservationist; Karen Lloyd, non-fiction and poetry writer and James Lowen, nature and travel writer.
Finally, a Nature Writing Workshop on Sunday 22 April for people aged 16 to 25 will explore how looking differently at urban nature, and writing differently about it, can produce surprising and exciting new work.
Dr Jos Smith, who is leading the workshop, said: “Writing well about a place often comes from looking at a place in fresh and interesting ways. This might mean going against the flow, looking up when everyone is looking down, taking time to focus on tiny details amid the hustle and bustle of city life. This might also mean trying new ways of writing, thinking outside the box and experimenting with unconventional styles.”
Sunday 22 April sees four expert speakers take the stage in the Forum, covering the past, present and future of the wildlife and countryside in Norfolk. James Parry, Breckland Society: ‘Edwardian naturalist and photographer, Emma Turner’; David Waterhouse, Norfolk Museums’ Service: ‘Pre-history of Norfolk, when mammoths and hippos roamed the county’; Steve Rowland, RSPB: ‘A gentle and humorous take on moving to, and discovering, the county with his family’ and David North, Norfolk Wildlife Trust: ‘How much wildlife means to people today’.
The Norfolk Festival of Nature takes place on 21 and 22 April 2018, in various locations across Norwich.
Visit www.norfolkfestivalofnature.co.uk for more information and to register for events. Join the Twitter conversation @NFOfNature.
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