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Send us a textNature Finance – Opportunities, Challenges, and What Comes NextIn this episode, we delve into the fast-evolving world of nature finance — with a focus on schemes emerging in England, and insights relevant to the global shift toward blended finance for nature recovery. As governments increasingly look to private investment to complement public funding, what's working, what's not, and where is this movement headed?We explore the key challenges facing nature finance today, from market design to policy uncertainty, and discuss promising innovations that could shape the future of investment in biodiversity and ecosystems.Hosted by: Raphaella MasciaGuests:Professor Alexander Teytelboym Department of Economics, University of Oxford Alexander Teytelboym is a Professor of Economics whose research focuses on market design—including matching markets, auctions, and network economics. He applies economic theory to pressing policy challenges in areas such as environmental protection, energy systems, and refugee resettlement.Dr Sophus zu Ermgassen Department of Biology, University of Oxford Dr Sophus zu Ermgassen is an ecological economist specialising in biodiversity finance, sustainable infrastructure, and nature-positive policy and investment. His research has been featured in The Guardian, BBC Countryfile, Sky News, The Financial Times, and the ENDS Report. He advises the UK government through roles with Natural England's Biodiversity Net Gain Monitoring and Evaluation group, the UK Treasury's Biodiversity Economics working group, and the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits. He has also contributed to UK Parliamentary reports and briefings on biodiversity and just sustainability transitions.Alqayam (Al) Meghji Senior Policy Advisor, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Al Meghji is a Senior Policy Advisor at Defra, bringing together technical engineering expertise and strategic policy insight across water, energy, and land use. His work addresses the intersection of natural resources and climate resilience under demographic and environmental pressures, with a focus on unlocking private investment to complement public funding in nature recovery.Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of Defra, the UK Government, or the University of Oxford.The Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is interested in promoting a wide variety of views and opinions on nature recovery from researchers and practitioners. The views, opinions and positions expressed within this podcast are those of the speakers alone, they do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, or its researchers.The work of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery is made possible thanks to the support of the Leverhulme Trust.

In this week's episode, we orbit around the natural world with Fergus Collins, the creator and host of the award-winning BBC Countryfile Magazine podcast. Fergus shares his deep connection to the Wessex Downs, a landscape steeped in ancient history and home to abundant wildlife.From his passion for slowing down to experience nature, to his stories of hope through re-wilding and conservation, Fergus reminds us that even in times of crisis, the natural world offers moments of awe and inspiration.Here's what's in the episode:• Why Wessex Downs holds a special place in Fergus' heart.• His personal journey from BBC Wildlife to creating an immersive podcast on nature's sounds.• How fishing has become his peaceful place to recharge.• The hopeful impact of wildlife photographer and presenter Hamza Ahmed Yassin.

Tom Heap is widely known for his appearances on BBC Countryfile, The Climate Show and Rare Earth, and he has a passion for the natural world. His latest book, Land Smart, explores how various people in the wider agricultural industry can manage the land differently to create balance between nature and food production. Whether that is regenerative practices or introducing more technology, it is not a one size fits all approach. Message us

It is no secret that farming needs to attract fresh talent, and there are so many opportunities for people to find a career that suits them. This is the case for Jack Scott who, after attending an Open Farm Sunday at Emma Loder-Symonds farm, Nonington farms. Emma's passion is education and allowing people of all ages to experience what it's like on-farm; she wants to highlight food, nature and careers. After meeting Emma, Jack has now pursued his passion for agriculture and set up his own business on a small parcel of Nonington's land. He also won BBC Countryfile's Young Countryside Champion in November 2023 which is testament to his dedication and determination to make a life for himself in the industry.Message us

Chris Baines is one of the UK's leading independent environmentalists and an award-winning writer and broadcaster.A trained horticulturist and landscape architect, he spent some years practising and teaching landscape design but has spent most of his career a professional adviser to Government and other bodies including the National Trust, National Grid and energy regulator Ofgem.Fornerly a presenter of BBC Countryfile, his 1986 film Blue Tits and Bumblebees is often credited with starting the trend towards gardening with nature.Back in 1979 Baines bucked the trend in a chemical-driven gardening decade and created a "rich habitat garden" for Gardeners World. "At that stage, I just remember vividly...Peter [Seabrook] looking at me and saying..'you really think Britain's gardeners are going to be interested in that?' It was a supreme put down, really. And then they were absolutely avalanched with requests for the leaflet that I'd produced about how to create a rich habitat garden."With his best-selling book How to Make a Wildlife Garden continuously in print for almost 40 years, a new expanded edition was published in 2023 as an RHS classic, he reflects on where nature gardening and rewilding is today.His new book RHS Companion to Wildlife Gardening updated edition is out now.With Biodiversity Net Gain now in legislation, Baines shares his concerns: "If the outcome of the new legislation is that more creative partnership with the Wildlife Trust and others managing the investment that's required from the developers, that would be brilliant...If it finishes up with just little patches of trees planted on, in many cases, landscape, which is rather more valuable without its trees for wildlife than it will be with trees on it, then that will be a wasted opportunity. But I'm eternally optimistic."He discusses the pros and cons of bird feeding and the prospects for and importance of local parks in this election year."It's wonderful to have national parks out in the countryside, but actually most people most of the time need access to green space right where they live and work. And we need to take that much more seriously because neglect and lack of safety in those spaces puts people off going there." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alex Frost is the vicar of St Matthew's Church in Burnley, host of the God Cast and author of 'Our Daily Bread, Argos To The Altar A Priest Story' order here https://www.brownsbfs.co.uk/Product/Frost-Father-Alex/Our-daily-bread---from-Argos-to-the-altar/9780008556556 Follow Fr Alex on X @alexdjfrost Phoebe Smith is an adventurer and multi-award-winning travel writer (most recently Sustainable Travel Article of the Year: Travel Media Awards 2023), photographer, presenter and broadcaster (specialising in adventure, sustainable travel, walking, family adventure and wildlife conservation). She has presented segments on TV including BBC Countryfile, BBC Breakfast, C5 Saturday Live, ITV's Britain's Best Walks and BBC Breakfast. She is Sleep Storyteller-in-Residence at Calm where her stories have been listened to over 30 million times and been narrated by Stephen Fry, Joanna Lumley, Cillian Murphy, Jerome Flynn, Bindi Irwin and Danai Gurira to name a few. She is also the author of 10 books with her next one – Wayfarer: Love, Loss and Life on Britain's Ancient Paths – out in March 2024 with Harper Collins. She is also the co-founder of the #WeTwo Foundation, a charity that empowers underprivileged young people through carbon negative expeditions.

Farmer and BBC Countryfile presenter Adam Henson talks about rural mental health and the personal reason behind setting up his new rural mental health podcast 'Keeping on Track' after losing a farming friend to suicide. He not only talks about the importance of the farming community coming together, but the need to reconnect again with consumers; for the country to value and better understand what farmers do to produce food and look after the land and the ongoing pressures they face each day. He said education at an early age was key to understanding the food we eat and what farmers do and strongly advocates for a GCSE in farming and land use.

Farmer and BBC Countryfile presenter Adam Henson talks about rural mental health and the personal reason behind setting up his new rural mental health podcast 'Keeping on Track' after losing a farming friend to suicide. He not only talks about the importance of the farming community coming together, but the need to reconnect again with consumers; for the country to value and better understand what farmers do to produce food and look after the land and the ongoing pressures they face each day. He said education at an early age was key to understanding the food we eat and what farmers do and strongly advocates for a GCSE in farming and land use.

    In this episode Miles is joined by the National Statistician, Sir Ian Diamond, to reflect on what has been a busy and transformative year at the Office for National Statistics.    Transcript    MILES FLETCHER  This is “Statistically Speaking”, the official podcast of the UK Office for National Statistics, I'm Miles Fletcher. This is our 20th episode, in fact, a milestone of sorts, though not a statistically significant one. What is significant is that we're joined, once again, to look back at the highlights from another 12 months here at the ONS by none other than the National Statistician himself, Professor Sir Ian Diamond. Ian, thanks for joining us again. The year started for you with being reappointed as the national statistician. As 2023 developed, how glad did you feel to be back?   SIR IAN DIAMOND  Of course, you know, I was hugely privileged to be invited to continue. It's one of the most exciting things you could ever do and I will continue to do everything in my power to bring great statistics to the service of our nation.   MF  To business then, and this time last year, we sat in this very room talking about the results of Census 2021, which were coming in quite fresh then. And we've seen the fastest growth of the population, you told us, since the baby boom of the early 1960s. Over the course of the year much more data has become available from that census and this time, we've been able to make it available for people in much richer ways, including interactive maps, create your own data set tools. What does that say about the population data generally and the way that people can access and use it now? How significant is that there's that sort of development?   SID  Well I think we need to recognise that the sorts of things that we can do now, with the use of brilliant technology, brilliant data science and brilliant computing is enabling us to understand our population more, to be able to make our data more accessible. 50, 60, 70 years ago, 150 years ago, we would have just produced in about six or seven years after the census, a report with many, many tables and people would have just been able to look at those tables. Now, we're able to produce data which enables people to build their own tables, to ask questions of data. It's too easy to say, tell me something interesting, you know, the population of Dorset is this. Okay, that's fine, but actually he wants to know much more about whether that's high or low. You want to know much more about the structure of the population, what its needs for services are, I could go on and on. And each individual will have different questions to ask of the data, and enabling each individual to ask those questions which are important to them, and therefore for the census to be more used, is I think, an incredibly beautiful thing.   MF  And you can go onto the website there and create a picture...   SID  Anyone can go onto the website, anyone can start to ask whatever questions they want of the data. And to get very clearly, properly statistically disclosed answers which enable them to use those data in whatever way they wish to.   MF  And it's a demonstration of obviously the richness of data that's available now from all kinds of sources, and behind that has been a discussion of, that's gone on here in the ONS and beyond this year, about what the future holds for population statistics and how we can develop those and bring those on. There's been a big consultation going on at the moment. What's the engagement with that consultation been like?   SID  Well the engagement's been great, we've had around 700 responses, and it addresses some fundamental questions. So the census is a really beautiful thing. But at the same time, the census, the last one done the 21st of March 2021, was out of date by the 22nd of March 2021, and more and more out of date as you go on and many of our users say to us, that they want more timely data. Also by its very nature a census is a pretty constrained data set. We in our country have never been prepared to ask for example, income on the census yet this is one of the most demanded questions. We don't ask it because it is believed that it is too sensitive. And so there are many, many, many questions that we simply can't ask because of space. There are many more questions that we simply cannot ask in the granularity that we want to. We've been doing some work recently to reconcile the differences between estimates in the number of Welsh speakers from surveys with estimates on the number of people in the census who report they speak Welsh. Frankly, it would be better if we were able to ask them to get information in a more granular way. And so while the census is an incredibly beautiful thing, we also need to recognise that as time goes on, the technology and the availability of data allowing us to link data becomes much more of a great opportunity that we have been undertaking a lot of research, a lot of research which was asked for by the government in 2013, following the report by Chris Skinner, the late Chris Skinner, Joe Hollis, and Mike Murphy, which is a brilliant report. We said at the moment we need to do another census in 2021. That's what we have done and I believe it to be one of the best coverages there has ever been. And yet we need to assess whether administrative data could be used in future to provide more timely, more flexible and more accessible data and that's what the consultation is about. I will be making a recommendation to the UKSA (UK Statistics Authority) board in the future. In the near future we have to say, and I think it is worth saying that what the consultation says to us is that people are very, very, very much in favour of the direction of travel but at the same time as yet accepting our prototype, unconvinced about the data flows and the sustainability of those data flows to enable us to do it and so, we are looking at how to respond to other very important analyses and we will do so in the near future.   MF  When can the people who contributed to that consultation, roughly when should they expect to hear from us? SID  I think the expectation is we'll publish something by the end of quarter one in 2024.   MF  Surveys have continued to be a very important part of what the ONS does, these very large national surveys, and yet one of the biggest challenges of the has been maintaining coverage and particularly response rates and obviously, particularly with the Labour Force Survey recently that has been a particular issue for the ONS hasn't it. Where do things stand now as we move into modernising the traditional Labour Force Survey and moving to a new model because it's an issue statistics bodies around the world have been dealing with, it's harder to get people to complete surveys like they used to.     SID  I think it's a fair point that response rates globally are a challenge and response rates globally, not only in national statistics issues, but in the private sector organisations that also collect data, are a challenge. So we need to recognise that. A part of that is that historically, one could find people at home, knock on doors, have that conversation with people, and perhaps post pandemic people are less willing to have a conversation at the house. Also, people are very busy. They work in multiple occupations. They are not always in, they live in housing accommodation which is more and more difficult to access. This there is no kind of single magic bullet here that we could press all we would have. The first thing to say Miles is that we recognise that and that's why we worked with our colleagues at His Majesty's Treasury to provide a project to go to what we call a transformed Labour Force Survey. And I think that that's a hugely exciting project for a number of reasons. One, the labour force survey which has been around for a long time, the questionnaire had become a little bit unwieldy. And also we wanted to enable people to have much more flexibility at the time of which they answered the question. We are in the field with the pilots for that service. We've been pretty good. There are good response rates. There are also some challenges around getting the questions right. These aren't challenges that stress me, that's why you do a pilot, but at the end of the day we're hoping to be able to transform into that new Labour Force Survey early in 2024, in the first half of 2024. We're working very closely in doing that with our major stakeholders and the Bank of England, His Majesty's Treasury and the Office for Budgetry Responsibility (OBR), is you take a joint decision on when people feel comfortable that we have had enough dual running to enable us to move forward. The other question that I'd have to raise around surveys more generally, is on inflation, which we have all been subjected to in many, many areas in the last couple of years, inflation in survey collection has increased massively and so in the last year we've had to make real judgments about how we maintain quality. And in the next few years, we will really be needing to think through exactly how we conduct our surveys and the cost of doing so.   MF  Yes. Of all the people who should be aware of inflation are the people who report it, and certainly the impacts of those relatively high rates of inflation have impacted us as much as anybody else. The challenges not withstanding of running surveys, the interest of government bodies in getting that information directly from people does continue to underline the unique value of surveys. Some people say Oh, well, they surely they can get this information from other sources I've even seen it suggested that social media could provide the answers, but there is a unique value isn't there and actually getting a statistically representative sample of people and speaking to them directly.   SID  It depends Miles, I think it absolutely depends on what the question is you're trying to answer. If you're trying to get some answers to a question where the answer can be obtained through administrative data sources, then you don't need a survey. Surveys are difficult to conduct and difficult to pilot and plan and extremely expensive to undertake. So you should only do a survey if you can't get the information from somewhere else. Therefore, you know, I do think that we need to be very, very careful in thinking through when we need to do surveys. Does that mean to say we don't need to do surveys? Absolutely not. There are reasons why you need to do surveys. It may be that you need to really spend some time identifying whether someone really is eligible for hte questions you're going to ask or you may want attitudes. I don't know how to get someone's attitude without asking them. And so there are reasons why you would want to do a survey, but I would argue that you should only do a survey when you cannot get the data from elsewhere. And you also mentioned social media. Social media is an incredibly interesting and important source of data. Now, I wouldn't necessarily say it was statistically representative, but we absolutely have to be flexible in what we call data. We have to be sure of the quality of those data and we have to be sure that we are really aware of what the population is that are represented by those data. So we are using many, many, many types of data now that we would not have used 50 years ago, we simply couldn't have used things like telephony data, things like card data, things like data from satellites to address questions which those data are the best way of providing answers.    MF  And there are some fantastic examples of that around the ONS. If you look at how we've changed prices over the last couple of years, again, the measurement of inflation, bringing in new data sources most recently from the US car industry, from the rail industry as well and it all means that the estimates of inflation are now based on many hundreds of thousands of price points, where it used to be just a few things.   SID  It doesn't matter what the numbers are, frankly, it matters that you've got a good coverage it matters that you have the most appropriate method and that your data are as accurate as possible. And I do think it is incredibly important. We use a wider range of data sources. I think it's incredibly exciting what those data sources are, but we should only do so being unbelievably careful about what the metadata are that go with them, what the coverage is, why we are using them and whether or not they represent an improvement over what we could do before.   MF  Okay, so we've seen in the area of prices, the measurement of inflation, there's new innovative data sources coming from outside, coming from industry. What sort of an improvement does that represent in how we measure inflation, when it's such an important time for cost of living?    SID  Well, I think it helps because we have more accurate data. We have more timely data, we have data that are real. So on rail prices, we know what people pay as opposed to what the price as advertised necessarily is and I think that is important. And so being able to properly understand what the consumer is doing, therefore, what inflation is, is to me, incredibly important. I would say that all this effort that we're putting in would not necessarily just be about prices. Here it is about do we understand more about what is going on in the economy, and there are many more questions that we can ask from those data when you've got them, and simply from some of the fixed price point data that we have previously.   MF  Now one massive change we've seen lately, and this is another area we've managed to improve coverage, is of course the private rental sector. It's become much more important as we've seen house prices coming under pressure and mortgages under pressure by high interest rates and so forth. It's revealed a very interesting picture of long-term change, and also in more contemporary terms, what's actually going on with the economy right now.    SID  Oh 100%   MF  Talking about areas where we've been able to form a new view of what's really been going on. An area that attracts a particular commentary during the course of the year is expenditure on research and development. Regarded as a very important area of activity if you're talking about productivity, future economic growth...we substantially upgraded our estimates of R&D. What was the story behind that? Why was that necessary?    SID  Well it was incredibly important because we looked very carefully at our data, we look very carefully at our samples, we looked at our coverage and we decided that we needed properly to to bring in a much wider range of business. And we were reflecting very much those businesses from a very wide range of areas who were able and available to claim R&D tax credits, and therefore to be able to get a decent sample, and the critical thing here is not only were we making good estimates, but we were able to understand much more about what, particularly for smaller tech and creative industry companies, was R&D. And I think that is something that we need to recognise particularly in those smaller companies where there's a much greater flexibility about what people would call R&D.   MF  It's a reflection perhaps that startups are the sort of firms that do R&D these days, and less so the sort of industrial behemoths with huge R&D departments. But there was an interesting change nonetheless, and obviously considerable improvement in measuring that very important area. This all I guess comes under the umbrella of future proofing practices and systems and this all came under a refreshed data strategy that we launched during the course of the year. One of the fundamental principles underlying that, where is it taking us?   SID  I think, I mean, just where I've been coming from, are to do a much more holistic view of what data are and how we really use data which are most appropriate to answer the questions that we have, and we recognise that the economy and indeed society are changing very quickly, and therefore we need appropriate data to be able to answer those questions. For example, if you look at employment, there are many, many people in our society who have three, four, even five jobs, we need data which enable us to find out what the distribution of the number of jobs people have is, what they're spending their time doing, and how that impacts on our understanding of the labour force.   MF  Worth perhaps recognising some of the particular areas where new data has also been able to shed new light and particularly think of the payments industry which obviously digital payments happen very quickly. They provide almost a daily update on the state of consumer spending. With it obviously the state of the of the of the wider economy. We've managed to strike up partnerships with a huge cross section of the payments sector. What is the particular value of that? And what do we say to perhaps other data providers who might wish to enter into similar arrangements?   SID  Well I think we'd say we do everything ethically, and with complete privacy, but at the same time in the public good. And that is, to me, incredibly important. And so understanding what the consumer is spending money on understanding what the consumer is not spending money on, and the transitions, is incredibly important to enable policy which impacts very positively on all of our fellow citizens. So we are very proud of those partnerships. We value them greatly. We don't take them for granted. And those data, entirely ethically provided, with great security but at the same time enabling us to understand what is going on at an early stage in the economy is incredibly important.   MF  And of course it's worth restating, as mentioned already, that of course all of these data are anonymized and aggregated, and no individual would ever be able to identify themselves or be identified from that fast payments data which of course is helping to inform economics policy.   MF  Providing data to the people who do make policy and around government and to make sure that policies are really informed by evidence of course that is the major purpose behind the new Integrated Data Service, which was accredited this year under the Digital Economy Act. And that's enabling data to be shared around government in a way that simply wasn't possible before.   SID  80 datasets available now and indeed, that number going up more or less by the day. And one of the most important things here is that there are very few challenges which government face which simply can be addressed by data from one department. Therefore, what we need to be able to do is to link data from different sources to enable us in a very granular way to be able to answer questions about topics for which the answer requires data from many sources. And the Integrated Data Service allows us to do that. It allows us to do at a pace and allows us to do it in a way which brings a wide variety of analysts to the party. And I think that, you know, this year major milestone in getting Digital Economy Act accreditation. And we will be looking to streamline the process of using it over the next year, as well as seeing more and more and more projects on it having successful results.   MF  And sharing between departments at the national level is important, but also it's been a long-term aim of the ONS to improve its coverage at local levels. And again, there's another important initiative kicked off this year, and that's the launch of ONS Local.   SID  Yes and I'd say that the two are linked. It doesn't matter whether you are at a national level or whether you are at a regional level, linked data are important, but we are very pleased working with funding from our colleagues at the Department of Housing, Levelling Up and Communities to have been able to place ONS staff in regions. So we're not talking about teams of people in Manchester or teams of people in Exeter, but we are talking about interlocuters in the southwest, northwest for example, who can really work with the leaders there to ensure that we've got local data for local leaders to make local decisions and that's incredibly important because the questions that people wish to ask are different in different parts of the country and therefore we need to recognise that so it is a good initiative, which I hope will bear fruit in 2024.   MF  And the importance of data in government has been underlined by a big initiative, which takes in everybody, not just statisticians and analysts, but everybody in the civil service, has been engaged in what's called the One Big Thing campaign to spend time learning about data that's important to the use of data. How has that initiative been going? The ONS has been a central part of that. How's it been going? How important is it?   SID  It is critical. We do not need every public servant to be able to be a brilliant statistician, but we need every public servant to be data literate. We need every public servant to be able to understand data and the best policy comes about when analysts and policymakers and potential beneficiaries work together. And that requires that you can have that data literate conversation. And so I think One Big Thing is a great thing.   MF  In fact that the need for people to better understand data became evident early this year, of course, when our GDP revisions were quite dramatically revised in the early part of the autumn as the estimates for the big peak pandemic years, 2021 and 22. There was quite a reaction from some parts of the media and beyond, who reported that our original figures were, because they had revised so dramatically, were simply wrong. I mean, that's not the case. revisions of course have always been integral part of the process. Indeed the OSR, the statistics regulator, found as part of its review our approach to be, and their words were appropriate and well managed, however, it also found the ONS could communicate better the uncertainty in those early estimates of GDP and that's a learning point for the future.   MF  We saw particular attention recently for the natural capital outputs, measures of the natural environment, and they attracted a degree of media interest we haven't seen so far, helped by the fact we're able to bring it to life with an analysis of time spent in nature and so forth, and you spoke to BBC Countryfile about that particular work. What's your overriding thoughts on that release?  Are we moving to the point where these kinds of measures are getting more exposure? Are they being recognised for their value?   SID  I thought the national Natural Capital stuff was brilliant. I've always thought, as I said last year, that we should put alongside GDP measures of the environment and measures of well-being, but you need a concise picture and that's where we're moving in the future.    MF  As we speak, we're heading into the bleak midwinter of 2023. The nation is doing all it can to avoid a seasonal bout of flu and the other viruses that traditionally do the rounds at this time of year. And that's seen a revival of our surveillance effort. The Winter Coronavirus Infection Study (WCIS). Tell us about that. What's the purpose of it and what's happening?   SID  Yeah, working very much for our colleagues at the UK Health Security Agency who asked us whether we would be prepared to stand back up some of the work we do on surveillance of winter flus, COVID and other issues. and we're of course pleased and proud to be asked. We're using a different strategy to the one we were using in the past, this is very much simply a mail out of tests enabling people to take a test and then to make estimates, and at the moment the good news is that the estimates of positivity are relatively low, but the bottom line is we need to recognise that without some good hard data on those levels it's pretty impossible for government to plan, and so I think it's a really exciting initiative. It's a smaller survey than one in the past. It's a survey which will make national estimates rather than many regional estimates, but it's one that we think is extremely exciting, and builds on some of the work we've done in the past.   MF  And now of course everyone knows how to self-administer a COVID test and that ability makes it much easier to run these big.   SID  Oh 100%. I do think we need to recognise the way in which the world moves on. And certainly, when we first set up the COVID infection survey in 2020. We were not aware of the extent to which people could self-administer, we learned pretty quickly that's why we were able to transition to self-testing, but I think we are in a world where we can do this at pace and provide estimates very, very quickly.   MF  Well, thank you very much for joining us. Great to have you with us again at the end of the year. You could choose just three words to sum up your 2023   SID  Exciting, full of change and high-quality statistics.   MF  And looking ahead to 2024, which pieces of work are you looking forward to most?    SID  The economy is changing quickly, society is changing quickly. We will continue to change and to be ever more effective. We've talked about some of the things we're bringing on board and looking forward to a brand-new website to improve our communication. And I think it's going to be a very exciting time.   MF  Professor Sir Ian Diamond, thanks very much for joining us.   That's it for another episode of Statistically Speaking, you can subscribe to future episodes of this podcast on Spotify, Apple podcasts and all the other major podcast platforms and also follow us on X, previously known as Twitter, via the @ONSFocus feed. I'm Miles Fletcher, and from myself, our producer Steve Milne, and everyone here at the ONS, we wish you seasonally adjusted greetings, goodbye.   ENDS 

“That coming together, gathering foods and gathering medicines is deeply healing and satisfying and an enjoyable way to experience life. And it's simple and it's free.”Robin Harford established his wild food foraging school in 2008, and his foraging courses are listed at the top of BBC Countryfile's ‘Best foraging courses in the UK'. He is the creator of eatweeds.co.uk. Michelin chef Richard Corrigen recommended the site for inclusion in The Times' Top 50 Websites For Food and Drink. Robin refers to himself as an ethnobotanical researcher who is interested in the relationship between plans and people which has resulted in his extensive travel around the world to document and record wild food plants' traditional and local uses in indigenous cultures. His work has taken him to Africa, India, SE Asia, Europe and the USA. His work has been recommended in BBC Good Food magazine, Sainsbury's magazine, The Guardian, The Times, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, etc. He is a member of the Society for Ethnobotany and the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland.Robin talks on:Best practice gathering guidance- abundance and sustainability principlesThe relationship of plants and people in different culturesHis foraging courses which focus on the sensory method of plant identificationThe media's coverage of foraging and lack of ecological understandingThe Special Client Project - plant ambassadors and community-based teaching.His personal transformation through foraging and gathering plants for mental health and addiction recovery.Find out more about what Robin does at eatweeds.co.ukFind out more about Herbal Reality on Instagram @herbal.reality or visit www.herbalreality.com Herbcast is produced by Decibelle Creative: @decibelle_creative / www.decibellecreative.com

This week, join Ross and David as they discuss what schools can and are doing to develop kind citizens. It features an interview with Alan Marshall, David's Dad, who undertook national service in the military in the early 1950s. The recording of this episode coincided with the 200th sovereign's parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst - the UK's military leadership college and whose maxim is 'Serve to lead' - as well as the launch of BBC Countryfile's 'Wild Britain' campaign, which aims to encourage one million acts of kindness towards the environment this year. Please do email us with examples from your school: therestiseducation@gmail.com

In episode 156, I speak with Haroon Mota, who is an eight-time London marathon finisher Haroon is one of the many Muslim athletes who will be preparing for a marathon while observing Ramadan. He is currently preparing to take on the Boston and London Marathon this month. We spoke in episode 77, however in this episode he shares his top tips for training during Ramadan.  Haroon champions diversity in exercise and fitness as part of his work at Active Inclusion Network – and that includes encouraging more Muslims to take part in events like the London Marathon. He's also the founder of the Muslim Hikers community, who were recently featured on BBC Countryfile, and like myself works with the London Marathon Events' Inclusion Advisory Group to ensure their events are as inclusive as possible. Thank you to Soar Running (www.soarrunning.com) who supported this episode. You can get 15% off your purchases at Soar Running until the end of May 2023 by using code: MARCUS15  Here's a shareable link also.   https://www.soarrunning.com/discount/MARCUS15   Thank you to my patreons who support the show. If you value the content you can become a patreon by clicking the following link. www.patreon.com/ARunnersLife Show link mentions  https://www.instagram.com/haroonmota/ https://muslimhikers.com/ https://www.tcslondonmarathon.com/training/training-during-ramadan/all-you-need-to-know --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/marcus-brown9/support

The transcript for this episode can be found here: https://www.promptedbynature.co.uk/podcast-transcripts Action point: donate if you can, to the Turkey/Syria Earthquake fund appeal through the DEC (www.dec.org.uk) if you're in the UK or through the charities working in your country to help. Please ensure they are legitimate, reputable charities before donating. Before I tell you about today's conversation, I wanted to remind you that my Substack newsletter is now available via the Substack app or in your inbox when you sign up. You can sign up for a free or paid subscription - £5pm or £40pa (a saving of £1.70 on the monthly price). All information about what is included in each option is over on my Substack page https://promptedbynature.substack.com/ and in the show notes for the this episode. I hope you'll join me for more prompts, workbooks, e-zines and nature-inspired creativity and community. Back to the episode! Today, I'm thrilled to release my conversation with the lovely Caro Giles, whose book, Twelve Moons is now available and published by HarperNorth. Caro Giles is a writer based in Northumberland. Her words are inspired by her local landscape, the wide empty beaches and the Cheviot Hills. She writes honestly about what it means to be a woman, a mother and a carer, and about the value in taking the road less travelled. Her writing appears in journals, press and periodicals, including a monthly column in Psychologies. In 2021 she was named BBC Countryfile's New Nature Writer of the Year. In this conversation, we discuss: The story behind the memoir and how Caro came to write Twelve Moons The part a master's played in Caro's work Accountability in your writing practice How she found her unique voice following motherhood and the breakdown of her marriage How her role as a parent-carer has impacted her voice and the way that she approaches her work Caro's personal relationship with the moon How Caro approached the book and her writing process Caro's life as a singer and musician What she's learnt that she wants to pass on Her vision for the future You can find Caro on Twitter and Instagram @carogileswrites and her book Twelve Moons is available via the Prompted by Nature bookshop on bookshop.org or at your local bookshop. Accompanying episodes: 2.10a - Marchelle Farrell, My Garden, My Teacher 3.2a - Stella Tomlinson, Priestesshood and Earth-Based Spirituality 4.2a - Rebecca Schiller, Earthed 4.7a - Ben Myers, Writing with the Land As always, I'm over at the website www.promptedbynature.co.uk where you can find information about my upcoming day retreats and writing courses in East Sussex as well as all the links to the bookshop and the Substack newsletter. I'm always on @prompted.by.nature on Instagram. I hope you enjoy the episode. The prompt that accompanies this will be out on Tuesday. Happy listening and I'll speak to you soon! Helen x

Nashy catches up with the wonderful Sophie Pavelle at the Kendal Mountain Festival in Episode 2 of his KMF series.A writer and science communication Sophie is a lover of all wildlife and the great outdoors. She puts a contemporary twist on the natural history genre and shares stories too audiences far and wide.Sophie has been featured in many publications including the Metro, BBC Countryfile, BBC Wildlife and Coast magazines.It was a pleasure to have Sophie on the show to discuss her new book Forget Me Not and to hear all about her beloved Beavers!Hope you enjoy.This Podcast is brought to you by ACE Property - Management and Sales - Edinburgh.Contact Nashy for Podcast Sponsorship opportunities and get you brand / business in the ears of thousands of listeners.Follow Nashy...Insta - @the_getafterit_familyInsta - @getafterit_nashyYouTube - GET AFTER IT with NashyTwitter - @GetAfterItNashyFacebook - GET AFTER IT with NashyFacebook - Dads and Dudes - Private group

Andrew White is a do-er. He's written factual pieces for BBC Countryfile magazine, Rail Britain, written AA Guidebooks, and runs the Walks Around Britain YouTube channel and presents its TV shows.During lockdown, Andrew found that there wasn't much call for long-form walks around the country, when everyone was told to stay inside, so found a new outlet for his creativity. He started coming up with plot-lines for his first novel. He came up with over 30 of them, and 'The Walker Mysteries' were born. The first is 'A New World', which sees DCI Charlotte Walker investigating a local mystery. We talk about how wrote a female character around 20 years younger than him, also why he chose to self-publish, and why he's currently writing 3 books at once.Also you can hear how technology really helps him as a dyslexic writer, how he spreads his creative energy across different things, and how far in the future he's thinking with these stories.Support the show at patreon.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sunny sunshine vibes with Tom Pattinson who is exploring the summertime garden and our living history…We're out and about with Tom Cadwallender's who has a sad update on avian flu… and another exciting episode in his ‘great places to see birds' series…Tom Heap from BBC Countryfile's reflecting on ways to save the planet and why what we do really matters…Plus some top tips for the garden from Tom P…Support the show

In this episode, Martin Butler (M1MRB) is joined by Martin Rothwell (M0SGL), Frank Howell (K4FMH), Bill Barnes (WC3B) and Leslie Butterfield (G0CIB) to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief and in the episode's feature Gateways On The Air 2022. We would like to thank Yusuf Chadun (M7CZF) and our monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate "Q" RSL to Celebrate The Queen's Platinum Jubilee SOTA on BBC Countryfile 23cm Band and Sat-Nav Coexistence: ITU-R WP4C Studies The Undead Spacecraft Essex Radio Amateur in Queen's Birthday Honours List GB70U: From Guernsey to Space – and Back Again Boston Amateur Radio Club Field Day 2022

GB2RS News Sunday the 5th of June 2022 The news headlines: Amateur radio to be shown on television Thank you to all the Society's volunteers Platinum Jubilee activities underway The hobby of amateur radio, and portable operating in particular, will receive some television coverage today, Sunday the 5th of June. The long-running BBC Countryfile programme airs at 6 pm on the main BBC 1 channel. It will be based from Flat Holm Island in the Bristol Channel, the site of Marconi's first radio transmissions over the sea. Presenters Ellie Harrison and Matt Baker will be with leading Summits on the Air operator Ben Lloyd, GW4BML as he sets up a portable station on the island in order to contact SOTA activators on hill and mountain summits around the UK. Volunteers Week takes place between the 1st and the 7th of June every year. It's a chance for the RSGB to recognise the fantastic contribution volunteers make to the work of the Society. From news readers to the National Radio Centre, the regional teams to committees and everything in between, the RSGB would like to thank the hundreds of people who make a difference in amateur radio every week, not just during Volunteers Week. If you would like to join them, go to rsgb.org/volunteers to see what vacancies are available. The RSGB's Platinum Jubilee activities have started with the GB70 Special Event Stations up and running. The call signs to look for are GB70E in England, GB70M in Scotland, GB70W in Wales, GB70I in Northern Ireland, GB70J on Jersey, GB70U on Guernsey and GB70D on the Isle of Man. You can find out more about these special events at gb70.co.uk. Many amateurs are already using the Regional Secondary Locator, the letter Q. If you would like to join them, the free-of-charge Notice of Variation to your licence that is needed is available via the RSGB website, see rsgb.org/jubilee. If you would rather, you may use the suffix /70 to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. An NoV is not necessary for the /70 addition to your callsign. The RSGB's Tonight@8 will be live on Monday the 6th of June. Professor Ian Morison, G0DMU will give a review of the history of Jodrell Bank, one of the world's premier radio astronomy observatories. From its founding in 1945 through the completion of the Mk I radio telescope in 1957 to the building of the Merlin array in the 1980s and 1990s, Ian will discuss some of its most exciting discoveries. Due to recent poor propagation on the original 3727kHz frequency and increasing local background noise levels on the 80m band generally, the National Radio Centre net has moved to 7130kHz. The net is on air every weekday morning starting at 10.30 am on 7130kHz. The net is open to all licensed radio operators, whether to join in with the chat or just for a signal report.  Belgium's communications regulator has said 50.200MHz and 51.075MHz will be used until the 18th of June during a military exercise in Elzenborn. In Belgium, the amateur radio service has a secondary status in this band with the military services having primary status. Radio amateurs are asked to avoid the use of these frequencies if possible and to listen carefully to whether the frequency is in use if they still wish to use the frequencies concerned. And now for details of rallies and events  Please send your rally and event news as soon as possible to radcom@rsgb.org.uk. We'll publicise your event in RadCom, on GB2RS, and online.  Today, Sunday the 5th of June, the Spalding Radio Rally will be held at Holbeach United Youth FC, Pennyhill Road, Holbeach, Lincolnshire PE12 7PR. Doors open at 10 am, with disabled guests gaining access at 9.30 am. Entry is £3. There will be a car boot area, flea market and trade stands. Catering is available on site. A prize draw/raffle will take place. More from Graham, G8NWC on 0775 461 9701. Next Saturday, the 11th of June, the Rochdale & District ARS Summer Rally will be held at St Vincent de Paul's, Caldershaw Road, off Edenfield Road (A680), Norden, Rochdale OL12 7QR. Doors open at 10.15 am with disabled visitors gaining access at 10 am. Details from Robert, M0NVQ, m0nvq@outlook.com. Next Sunday, the 12th, two rallies are on the calendar. The Mendips Radio Rally is at Farrington Gurney Memorial Hall and Playing Fields, Church Lane, Farrington Gurney, Somerset BS39 6TY. There is free parking available, and doors will be open between 9.30 am and 1 pm. Admission is £3. There will be inside tables and a large field for car boot traders. Hot and cold refreshments will be available. For all enquiries call Luke on 07870 168 197. The Junction 28 Radio Rally will be in Alfreton Leisure Centre, Church St. DE55 7BD. Traders and clubs will be in the indoor hall alongside a bar and café. Admission is £3. More from Alan, M0OLT, secretary@snadarc.com. Now the DX news Harald, DF2WO will be active again as 9X2AW from Rwanda until the 22nd of June. He plans to operate on all bands and satellite QO-100, he will operate FT8, CW, SSB and RTTY. QSL via M0OXO's OQRS. Reiner, DL2AAZ will be active holiday style as TO2AZ from Guadeloupe, NA-102, until the 10th of June. He will operate CW and SSB on the 10 to 40m bands. QSL via home call, direct or bureau. Due to the postponement of the expedition to Rockall until June next year, five team members will conduct pre-expedition training from Goose Rock, EU-005, an uninhabited rocky islet off the coast of Newquay, between Monday the 6th and Thursday the 9th of June. Nobby, G0VJG will be testing his radio equipment and be on the air as G0VJG/P. Now the Special Event news IY4ELE will be on the air today, Sunday the 5th of June. The aim of this event is to highlight the historical value and meaning of the yacht Elettra, the floating laboratory of Marconi. The station will be set up close to the yacht. More information on the amateur activity can be found at arifidenza.it.  GB0LIZ will be on the air today, Sunday the 5th of June, to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. It will be operated by members of Guisborough & District ARC from the Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge, Kirkbymoorside YO627LQ. They will be using as many bands as possible and visitors are welcome. Wales Digital Radio group will be active using GB0JBL until Monday the 6th of June celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee from the Refreshment Rooms in Cymmer, South Wales. GB2JCM will be operated by the James Clerk Maxwell Radio Society to commemorate the anniversary of the mathematician and scientist's birth on the 13th of June. They will operate from the Church at Parton in Dumfries & Galloway where Clerk Maxwell both worshipped and is buried. Should you be interested in joining with the society and taking part in the special event, please come along on the day between 9 am and 5 pm. They can be contacted via QRZ.com. Now the contest news This weekend is a busy one for contests. The ARRL International Digital Contest ends its 48-hour run at 2359UTC today, Sunday the 5th of June. Using digital modes, but no RTTY, on the 1.8 to 50MHz bands where contests are allowed, the exchange is your 4-character locator. The UK Six Metre Group's Summer Contest ends its 24-hour run at 1300UTC today, Sunday the 5th. Using all modes on the 50MHz band, the exchange is signal report, serial number, locator and membership number. Ending its 48-hour run at 2359UTC today, Sunday the 5th is the International Pride Contest. You can enter as a single operator, multi-operator or a single QRP operator. Check out the rules at prideradio.group/contest The RSGB National Field Day ends its 24-hour run at 1500UTC today, Sunday the 5th. Using CW only on the 1.8 to 28MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Today, Sunday the 5th of June, the UK Microwave Group's Low Band Contest runs from 1000 to 1600UTC. Using all modes on the 1.3, 2.3 and 3.4GHz bands, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. On Monday, the 6th, the 80m Club Championships contest runs from 1900 to 2030UTC. Using RTTY and PSK63 only, the exchange is signal report and serial number. Tuesday the 7th sees the 144MHz FM Activity Contest run from 1800 to 1855UTC. It is followed by the all-mode 144MHz UK Activity Contest running from 1900 to 2130UTC. The exchange is the same for both contests, signal report, serial number and locator. The 432MHz FT8 Activity Contest takes place between 1900 and 2100UTC on Wednesday the 8th of June. The exchange is your report and 4-character locator. Thursday the 9th of June sees the 50MHz UK Activity Contest take place between 1900 and 2130UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The weekend of the 11th and 12th of June is another busy one for contests. Saturday the 11th is the day of the RSGB's Jubilee Tournaments. The first is the CW Jubilee Tournament which runs from 0900 to 1010UTC. Using the 3.5, 7 and 14MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number.  This is followed by the Jubilee Tournament which runs between 1400 and 1510UTC on the 144MHz band. Using phone and CW, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator.  Finally, the SSB Jubilee Tournament runs between 1900 and 2010UTC. Using the 3.5, 7 and 14MHz bands where contests are permitted, the exchange is signal report and serial number.  Note that the three Jubilee Tournaments are 70 minutes in length in keeping with the Platinum Jubilee theme. The IARU ATV Contest runs from 1200UTC on Saturday the 11th of June to 1800UTC on the 12th. Using the 432MHz band and up, the exchange is the P number, serial number and locator.  On Sunday the 12th of June, the second 144MHz Backpackers contest runs from 0900 to 1300UTC. Using all modes, the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. Also next Sunday, the 12th, the Practical Wireless 2m QRP contest runs from 0900 to 1600UTC. It is phone only and the exchange is signal report, serial number and locator. The maximum power allowed for this contest is 5W. The UK Six Metre Group's Summer Marathon runs until the 2nd of August, with contacts on the 50MHz band exchanging your 4-character locator. Now the radio propagation report, compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA, and G4BAO on Wednesday the 1st of June 2022. What a difference a week makes! Last week we were looking at a solar flux index of 137 and a mass of sunspots. This week the SFI is standing at 101 with only three active regions visible, and one of those is about to rotate out of view. Geomagnetic conditions have been relatively stable, but a little unsettled with a maximum Kp index of three over the past few days as this report was being prepared. The solar wind stream remained elevated above 500km/s due to a coronal hole stream combined with possible weak Coronal Mass Ejections, or CME, effects. As a result, HF conditions have been a little lacklustre with the Chilton Ionosonde showing a critical frequency of between four and five Megahertz. This equates to a maximum usable frequency of around 18-21MHz over a 3,000km path. As we said, nothing to write home about. But all is not lost as the experts feel this will be a short-lived decline in solar activity and normal service will soon resume! NOAA thinks the SFI will decline a little more by the end of this week, before coming back with a roar from around Tuesday the 7th of June. It predicts the SFI could be 110 on Tuesday the 7th and then rise to 150 by the 14th. So next week could see the bands opening up again, at least for a while. Geomagnetic conditions are predicted to remain quiet with a maximum Kp index of two, at least until the 10th when it could rise to perhaps four or five.  It looks like the Jubilee weekend may offer fairly flat HF conditions, but this may improve as we head into next week. And now the VHF and up propagation news. There are no signs at the moment of really strong long-lasting areas of high pressure so any Tropo is likely to be temporary. On today's forecast charts, the only one that shows up develops over Scotland during the holiday weekend but declines as the weekend finishes. The rest of the weather story is focused upon showery activity and with the prospect of some being heavy and thundery, it bodes well for rain scatter, but could also play havoc with HF CW NFD static levels. The early days of June are regarded as prime time for Sporadic-E, and with this season getting off to a slow start, it's high time we saw some activity.  There are a few jet stream segments over Europe during the week to come, but nothing looks too strong. This may be compensated for by the increase in the background meteor input in this period and, hopefully, there will be plenty to celebrate. After the excitement of last week's “will they, won't they” Eta Aquarids meteor shower, this week is going to be something of a back to normal situation.  June is usually a slow month for meteors with no major showers. However, the daytime Arietids, which is a minor meteor shower, may provide some useful radio reflections on Tuesday and Wednesday, the 7th and 8th. Sky noise will be quite low this week with the Moon full next Tuesday, the 14th of June. Declination reduces throughout the week as the moon moves towards perigee. Path loss for Moonbounce will reduce as the week progresses. Once again, low declination will favour stations with little or no antenna elevation, potentially increasing operation time beyond that around moonrise and moonset. And that's all from the propagation team this week.  

Anna was brought up on a family farm that had been in the family for generations, farming wasn't her main interest but always had a connection to the industry and has combined her passion for journalism with her roots of farming to create an excellent career which has led her to writing her first book about the relationship between urban and rural demographics

In the first episode of series two, our new host - ornithologist and BBC Countryfile's Hamza Yassin - talks to series one's presenter, environmental campaigner Dr Mya-Rose Craig, about their shared love of birds.The appearance of a rare black browed albatross this year was one of the hot birding stories of the summer. Hamza speaks to RSPB Bempton Cliffs Visitor Experience Assistant Poppy Rummery to shed some light on why it's here and discuss the impact this unusual visitor has had on the reserve.Host: Hamza YassinGuests: Mya-Rose Craig, Poppy RummeryProducer: Jo BarrattExecutive Producers: Jane Gerber & Katie DerhamProduction Co-ordinator: Louis FaceySocial Media Assistant: Dilber MogalAll music by Poddington BearAdditional birdsong and nature recordings by InspectorJ, earthsounds, iainmccurdy, ​​acclivity, inchadney under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licencePodcast art by Make ProductionsFollow us:www.twitter.com/getbirdingpodwww.facebook.com/getbirdingpodwww.instagram.com/getbirdingpod Sponsored by birding binoculars specialist Swarovski Optik. To Find out more visit: https://www.swarovskioptik.com/gb/en/birdingSwarovski Optik, headquartered in Absam, Tyrol, is part of the Swarovski group of companies. Founded in 1949, the Austrian company specialises in the development and manufacturing of long-range optical instruments of the highest precision in the premium segment of the market. The binoculars, spotting scopes and optronic instruments are products of choice for demanding users. The company's success is based on its innovative strength, the quality and intrinsic value of its products, and their functional and esthetic design. The appreciation of nature is an essential part of its company philosophy and is reflected commendably in its environment-friendly production and its long-term commitment to selected nature conservation projects. Sponsored by Zurich Insurance - insuring conservation groups across the UK. To find out more visit Zurich.co.uk/getbirdingZurich insure more than 14,000 not-for-profit organisations of all shapes and sizes including conservation, gardening and ornithological groups across England, Scotland and Wales. They are part of the Zurich Insurance Group Ltd, a global group which became carbon neutral in 2014 and is working to eliminate single use plastics and reduce paper usage by 80% globally. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd is committed to creating a brighter, more sustainable future. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this bonus episode I talk with Emma Kay about her new book The Dark History of Chocolate. Firstly, may I say that this is a fantastic book. I constantly alternated between being ashamed of ever eating chocolate to being seduced by the idea of this rich, darkly magical substance. I was left at the end not sure whether I could ever look a chocolate digestive in the face again and equally wanting to rush off and make intensely dark chocolate truffles with smoky whisky & sea salt and indulge in every one! Emma Kay is a museum professional who has worked in major institutions including The National Maritime Museum, The British Museum and the University of Bath. She is qualified in History and Conservation and numerous areas of Heritage Management and Archaeology. She is now a food historian, author and prolific collector of Kitchenalia and lives in the Cotswolds with her husband and young son. Her articles have appeared in publications including BBC History Magazine, The Daily Express, Daily Mail and Times Literary Supplement. She has contributed historic food research for a number of television production companies and featured several times on Talk Radio Europe, BBC Hereford and Worcester, BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, BBC Humberside, BBC Gloucestershire and LifeFM. In 2018 she appeared in a ten-part series for the BBC and Hungry Gap Productions, ‘ The Best Christmas Food Ever' and on BBC Countryfile, co-presenting a feature exploring the heritage of the black pear. At the end of 2019 Emma was filmed for a new Channel 5 series, exploring the food from some of Britain's greatest battles. She is also the author of 9 published books. You can order this book direct from the publishers Pen and Sword, Bookshop.org or other good booksellers. You can find out more about Emma at her website or on Twitter @museumofkitchen or Instagram @museumofkitchenalia . Emma also has a Youtube channel . You can also find out more about Folklore, Food and Fairytales at Hestia's Kitchen which has all past episodes and the connected recipes on the blog. If you'd like to get in touch about the podcast you can find me on Twitter or Instagram at @FairyTalesFood.

Adam Henson talks about Jeremy Clarkson, BBC Countryfile and the importance of game meat. Country Food Trust ambassador Adam and CFT chief executive Tim Woodward are on the stage at the Carter Jonas Game Fair Theatre for an interview by Charlie Jacoby. For the Country Food Trust, visit TheCountryFoodTrust.org

Adam Henson, farmer and BBC Countryfile presenter joined Ciara this morning to discuss. Listen and subscribe to Newstalk Breakfast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Download, listen and subscribe on the Newstalk App.     You can also listen to Newstalk live on newstalk.com or on Alexa, by adding the Newstalk skill and asking: 'Alexa, play Newstalk'.

 Today on Mushroom Hour we are graced by the presence of wild food expert and author Robin Harford. Robin is a plant-based forager, ethnobotanical researcher and wild food educator. He has published numerous foraging guidebooks and established his own wild food foraging school in 2008. His foraging courses were recently voted #1 in the UK by BBC Countryfile. Robin is the creator of Eatweeds which is listed in The Times Top 50 websites for food and drink. He has travelled extensively documenting and recording the traditional and local uses of wild food plants in indigenous cultures. His work has taken him to Africa, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and the USA. Robin regularly appears on radio and occasionally on television. His work has been recommended in BBC Good Food magazine, Sainsbury’s magazine as well as in The Guardian, The Times, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph among others.     TOPICS COVERED:   Childhood in the Wilds of the Devon Countryside   Finding Freedom, Questioning Big Brother   Reconnecting with Nature as Somatic Healing   Sensory Method of Plant Identification    Power of Contemplative Practice & Bio-Individualism   Developing Relationship with Wild Plants as a Form of Activism   Finding Perspectives on Anger and Love   Foraging as an Act of Reverence   Processing Trauma & Addiction Through Somatic Experience with Plants   Living Wild Food Tradition of the Roamer Communities in England   In Search of Nomadic Hunter Gatherer Communities   The Oceanic Moken People & Anthropological Diversity   Getting Started Foraging & Preparing Wild Plants   Joining the Eatweeds Community   EPISODE RESOURCES:   Eatweeds Website:  https://www.eatweeds.co.uk/   Eatweeds Facebook Community:  https://www.facebook.com/foragingcourses   Frank Cook (Inspiration):  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_C._Cook_IV   Hildegard of Bingen (Inspiration):  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildegard_of_Bingen    Laurel Luddite Paper:  https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/laurel-luddite-this-is-anarcha-herbalism-thoughts-on-health-and-healing-for-the-revolution    Latcho Drom (Film):  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latcho_Drom    Moken Culture:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moken    Against the Grain (Book):  https://www.amazon.com/Against-Grain-History-Earliest-States/dp/0300182910    Botanyeveryday:  http://www.botanyeveryday.com/  

On The Alfred Daily Today: Chamber of Commerce chair elected to Shaftesbury Town Council. 87% of Shaftesbury voters back Neighbourhood Plan. Shaftesbury sixth former will appear on Sunday's BBC Countryfile. Paul Merefield's pub quiz. Kate Scott's chicken keeping diary. Tom Perrett's walk of the week visits Compton Abbas. Shaftesbury what's ons. Karen Cole reviews ‘Oracle' by Julie Anderson. Soundscapes - aircraft flying and sounds of farming at Charlton.

Welcome to season 9 of the BBC Countryfile Magazine Podcast. Your chance for a weekly escape into the wild and beautiful countryside.Season 9 is our most ambitious project yet – capturing Spring Across Britain as it unfurls in 12 different wild landscapes. From mountain to heath and coast to meadow, we’ll be sharing the joys of the new season with you and encountering some wonderful wildlife and marvellous people along the way. In this trailer, the podcast team get excited about the upcoming episodes and special guests. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week I talk to the amazing Sophie Pavelle about UK beaver reintroductions, her soon-to-be-published book, getting a foot in the door in professional science communication, learning to face the audience on social media, and why she keeps going on 300-mile-long walks. Sophie Pavelle is a zoologist and science communicator, and Campaign and Communications Coordinator for The Beaver Trust. She has also starred in nature documentaries including Beavers Without Borders and a range of films with the Back from the Brink conservation campaign. She is also a talented nature writer, with work featured in The Metro and BBC Countryfile magazine, and she is currently writing her first book, “Forget-me Not” which will be published by Bloomsbury next year. Intro and outro music: Funky Chunk by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3789-funky-chunk License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

On today's episode, I chat to Aimee Budge from the Bigton Farm. Aimee, and sister Kirsty, took over their family farm in 2014 following the unexpected death of their father. Aged just 17 and 21, they have achieved great things since they took over, including an appearance on the BBC's hit show This Farming Life. They were also winners of the prestigious BBC Countryfile's Farming Heroes Award in 2018 Today they manage and run the 350-acre farm, as well as another 350-acre farm nearby and an additional 300 acres of rented grazing land. Bigton Farm is in Shetland's picturesque South Mainland and has panoramic views across the beautiful tombolo and St Ninian's Isle. The farm has about 90 cattle, 500 sheep, several horses and ponies and they grow 60 acres of barley. Farming is in Aimee's blood, and as a fifth-generation farmer, she is continually building on the hard work and dedication of all those who have gone before here. She is a real advocate for women in farming and promotes the Young Farmer's Group both locally and nationally. As well as working the farm full-time, Aimee also offers both farm tours and Shetland pony tours for visitors who are looking for an added layer to their Shetland experience – and where better to see the ponies than overlooking the sweeping sands of St Ninian's Isle. She talks about what farming in Shetland looks like, her time at agricultural college and parts with a final message which urges more women to get into agriculture! Links: Find Bigton Farm online on Facebook and Instagram BBC Countryfile Farming Heroes award The Award-winning Farmer Shetland Young Farmers

In this interview, I speak with nature documentary-maker, Nina Constable. Nina is an award winning self-shooting director based in Cornwall, UK. Her films have screened in festivals globally and her work has featured in a number of broadcasts including BBC Springwatch, BBC Countryfile, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, CNN,The Guardian Online & WWF UK and her photography has featured in BBC Wildlife Magazine, WWF Action Magazine, BBC News Online, ITV News online and in a number of other publications. Journey to the Sea, a 6 part series directed, filmed and edited by Nina for WWF UK now sits on Sky NATURE and another short film produced for WWF on Basking sharks was shortlisted for the Global Sustainability Film awards. Nina was the Winner of Cornwall Film Festival's Golden Chough Film Award 2015 & was named as one of Cornwall's 30 under 30 businesses to watch class of 2018 by Cornwall's Chamber of Commerce. From conservation filmmaking to social documentary, Nina has a keen eye for filming and a talent for storytelling. Often working completely independently Nina's work offers an intimacy and honestly that underpins her unique style. Dedicated to capturing and exploring the world we live in Nina believes in the power of film and photography to educate and inspire and, ultimately, to protect. The story behind her Wild World series and the things that have come out of it and the support she received for this zero-budget project How she cam got film-making Her process How she prepares for her shoots Her own creative practices The most frustrating thing about her job Her work with the Cornwall Beaver Project The power of saying no and giving a project its due time and space How she stays creative Her advice for budding filmmakers The power of listening Her hope for the future Sustainable filmmaking and the need for affordable transport The importance of just asking This was one of those interviews that just flowed. Nina is naturally as keen to talk as I am and her experience, expertise and enthusiasm for her work shines through everything she talks about. You can find more about Nina as well as view her freely-available series, Wild World, which we discussed in the interview, on her website www.ninaconstablemedia.co.uk and on her Instagram @ninaconstablemedia. As always I'm over at www.promptedbynature.co.uk and on Instagram @prompted.by.nature and on facebook @promptedbynature and on my personal page on Insta @pbn_helen All being well I have a few spaces left for my October day retreats for women. Pop over to the events page on my website for more information about those. Remember to stay around until the end of the interview to hear about the follow-up meditation and writing prompt I've created for you inspired by my chat with Nina. Enjoy the conversation and I'll speak to you after.

From honey buzzards to Dark Age wizards and Napoleonic battles to the incredible Birdgirl, Season 7 of the Plodcast begins this autumn with 12 brand new adventures into the countryside for encounters with wildlife, chats with farmers, naturalists, campaigners and writers plus tranquil wanders into beautiful landscapes. Escape into the green outdoors wherever you are with the Plodcast. The new season begins on 29 September 2020 and runs for 12 episodes. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

My guest this week is a broadcaster, honeybee farmer, award-winning author and Behaviour Expert. He is known for his energy, humour and passion. Growing up in the countryside, he discovered his love for nature and the environment early in life. In 2017, he moved to a small decommissioned farm, turning it into the world’s first certified Carbon Neutral honey farm, home to the native British honeybee. He is a regular on television and radio, including his own show for ITV1. He works with businesses worldwide as a Behaviour Insight Advisor and has carved a reputation for delivering keynote presentations and workshops at conferences for some of the world’s most recognisable brands. Please welcome Jez Rose. Bio Jez Rose is a broadcaster, honeybee farmer, award-winning writer and keynote speaker, known for his energy, humour and passion. Growing up in the countryside, Jez Rose discovered his passion for nature and the environment early in life. In 2017, he moved to a small decommissioned farm on the Cambridgeshire/Lincolnshire border, turning it into a multi-award-winning, organic farm – and the world’s first certified Carbon Neutral honey farm, home to the native British honeybee. It might be the moustache that you recognise but Jez is a regular on television and radio, including his own show for ITV1; guest presenting on QVC and when not in the studio with ITV’s James Martin’s Saturday Morning, can be seen traveling the country with BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen. He has been the public ambassador for national campaigns for the likes of LateRooms.com; Honest Organic and The Happy Egg Company. Jez spent ten years working with businesses worldwide as a Behaviour Insight Advisor, carving a formidable reputation delivering keynote presentations and workshops at conferences for some of the world’s most recognisable brands. He has been invited to speak at the world-renowned TEDx conferences in both the UK and USA, which can be viewed online. An award-winning writer, his books include Flip the Switch and two books written for children: Zooster McFlooster & the Very Big Sneeze and The Sock Thief. His articles and features have appeared in titles as diverse as The Daily Telegraph, CNN, Liz Earle Wellbeing and BBC Countryfile magazines. A unique presenter and keynote speaker with the rare ability to genuinely inspire audiences, he’s been invited to speak in more than 14 countries and at TEDx events in both the UK and USA. His message is a simple yet powerful one: ever since humans stepped foot onto soil, nature had important lessons for us, but for centuries we’ve ignored them. It’s resulted in disengaged leaders and workforces; cultures without passion – and an environment ignored. The overwhelmingly positive, scientifically evidenced impact of nature on human health, wellbeing and behaviour will surprise you; how simply it changes human behaviour will astonish. Gavin has given over 2,000 paid talks to over 250,000 delegates, spoken all over the world and has appeared on US TV networks ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox on the Brian Tracy TV Show. He have judged the British Excellence in Sales and Marketing Awards (BESMA), keynoted three times at the prestigious National Sales Conference, is a TEDx speaker and a Fellow of the ISM. Recorded on: 9th July 2020 Links: More about Jez Rose More about Maria Franzoni Ltd Connect with Maria on Linkedin Connect with Maria on FaceBook To book any of the speakers featured on the Speaking Business podcast, click here Listen here: Libsyn  Itunes  Stitcher Spotify

Defra has confirmed that farmers in England will no longer have to comply with environmental greening rules to receive their full annual basic payment.We examine what the end of the three-crop rule means for farmers and the countryside – and the future for agri-environment schemes.Following the launch of a government commission on food standards, we speak to the farmer who will get your message across to ministers and trade negotiators.Will it really make a difference?As a variable harvest continues, we have the latest reports on yield and quality – as well as our regular round-up of market prices, with a special look at dairy.We look at one idea to deregulate the planning system – and how it might benefit your farm business and diversification.And we discuss the target audience for the BBC's Countryfile programme – after a farmer's jokey tweet at the show's expense goes viral.This episode co-hosted by Farmers Weekly chief reporter Johann Tasker and Surrey farmer Hugh Broom with Farmers Weekly deputy business editor Andrew Meredith.

Ben speaks to broadcaster, journalist and BBC Countryfile presenter Sean Fletcher. Sean was born in New York, raised in Essex and has lived in Wales and London. He is a prominent mental health campaigner, especially in the light of his son's OCD.

The Agri Food Comms-Cast, coined the ‘AFCC', delves into the ‘story behind the story' of PR and marketing campaigns surrounding the UK food and farming industry. In episode seven, agritourism guru Caroline Millar describes how streaming virtual farm tours via Go Rural Scotland social media has got farmers and the general public talking over lockdown. Tom Martin, better known as Farmer Tom, leads on to explain how the concept of 10 minute video call sessions from farmers direct to school children is a classic, easy to execute initiative with such a simple message it's taken off big time. Then broadcast journalist, farmer's daughter and Just Farmers founder, Anna Jones defends mainstream programmes BBC Countryfile and Farming Today, asserting why clear and simple messaging counts. And finally, Anna gives examples of how media training is vital in upskilling farmers in communications techniques and building confidence in speaking to journalists.

Listen out for the start of season 4 on 7 January 2020. Here's a quick taste of what to expect… See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sian Lewis is an award-winning travel and outdoors journalist and blogger who writes for titles including The Independent, Evening Standard, BBC Countryfile and Coast. She is also the editor of Active Traveller and Snow magazines. Her work as an adventurous writer has taken her around the world in the name of a good story and she also edits award-winning blog The Girl Outdoors, www.thegirloutdoors.co.uk, which encourages women to get outside and get adventuring. Her first book, The Girl Outdoors, was published by Bloomsbury in 2018.     Show notes Who is Sian What life was like growing up Being encouraged to follow her passions from a young age Studying Italian at University  Doing a Masters in Journalism Starting up her blog - The Girl Outdoors Being a Pioneer in the women’s adventure space How her blog was also her CV Getting her 2nd job in journalism Editing for Active Traveller Magazine Turning the blog into a full time blog or not? Balance  The type of content Sian likes to write Adventures that fit into her life Living in Bristol Her struggle with big mountains and altitude Doing volunteering with British Exploring Society  Qualifications…. Wilderness First Aid The Book - The Girl Outdoors: The Wild Girl's Guide to Adventure, Travel and Wellbeing Advice for women who are lacking confidence in the outdoors Wild swimming and being inspired by her grandmother  Swimming in Arctic, Scandinavian waters! Cycling  Gym life? Needing to work out most days How to keep fit while travelling Coming back from a month of travelling Spending time at home 2 weeks in Alaska Quick Fire Questions Social Media Website www.thegirloutdoors.co.uk  Instagram @sianannalewis    Facebook @thegirloutdoors   Twitter @sianannalewis      

Martin Simpson performs some of the songs from his new album “Rooted” and talks to Matthew Bannister on the Big Barn stage at the BBC Countryfile Live event in the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. Martin says he is motivated to write songs by “love and anger” and reveals that recording his episode of Folk on Foot was a “surprisingly emotional experience”. He also tells the story of Ken Small whose determination to uncover a second world war tragedy became an obsession.

Recently listed in the Top 5 Women Influencers in Horticulture by Grow Your Own Magazine, Ellen has had a passion for gardening since she was child where she enjoyed her parents' Norfolk kitchen garden and learning organic gardening methods from her uncle. Since then she's been busy writing gardening content, hosting a horticultural radio show on Future Radio, as well as TV presenting and travelling the world providing talks about gardening and growing your own food where she aims to promote how nature and gardening can benefit our well-being. And not to mention having also appearing on BBC Countryfile, Mustard TV and has filmed with the Royal Horticultural Society. In between all of that, Ellen runs many events across the country for Grapes Hill Community Garden and is also the Horticultural Co-Ordinator for the Royal Norfolk Show, Patron of Filby Gardening Club and found of No Fear Gardening. The Plant Based Podcast is Ellen's latest project which she hosts with Michael (Mr Plant Geek). You can listen to this podcast fortnightly via iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube and other platforms by visiting www.theplantbasedpodcast.net Learn more about Ellen by visiting: Website: https://www.ellenmarygardening.co.uk/ Facebook: @ellenmarygardening1 Instagram: @ellenmarygardening Twitter: @EllenMaryGarden

Following on from my episodes on native vs. non-native plants and gardening for wildlife, who better for me to interview than wildlife gardening guru Kate Bradbury?  We talk about the best ways to garden for wildlife, including what to put in to your wildlife garden and what to leave out. Kate champions some unusual species and our conversation touches upon aspects that may surprise even the most seasoned wildlife gardener. The timing was perfect too, as Kate’s new book Wildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything hit the shelves 5 days ago. Once she’s tempted you with snippets of wildlife gardening gold, you can go buy the book and find out everything you need to know about turning your own garden, whatever its size, into a haven for all creatures great and small.   Providing shelter in the garden   Kate’s top features to include in a wildlife garden   Kate’s top plants for wildlife   Common mistakes we make when trying to help wildlife   The decline of certain species   Gardening for flies!   Resources for wildlife gardeners   About Kate Bradbury Kate Bradbury is an award-winning author and journalist, specialising in wildlife gardening. She edits the wildlife pages of BBC Gardeners World Magazine and regularly writes articles for the Daily and Sunday Telegraph, The Guardian, RHS magazine The Garden and BBC Wildlife and BBC Countryfile magazines.  In 2015 she became the first Butterfly Ambassador for conservation charity Butterfly Conservation, and she writes a quarterly column for its members magazine, Butterfly. Kate regularly talks at events and festivals, and appears on radio including BBC Gardeners Question Time and the popular RHS gardening podcast.  She also makes wildlife gardening videos for gardenersworld.com. She lives and breathes wildlife gardening, and is currently transforming a tired north-facing patio garden into a wildlife oasis, where she hopes to attract a wealth of creatures including frogs, toads, newts, birds, beetles, hedgehogs, butterflies, not to mention her very favourite, and first love: bees.   Links: Buy a copy of Kate’s new book Wildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wildlife-Gardening-Everyone-Everything-Trusts/dp/1472956052/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Kate+bradbury&qid=1554217200&s=books&sr=1-3  Kate on Twitter @Kate_Bradbury https://twitter.com/Kate_Bradbury?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor On Instagram kategbradbury https://www.instagram.com/kategbradbury/ The Bumblebee Flies Anyway by Kate Bradbury - Buy Here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bumblebee-Flies-Anyway-year-gardening/dp/1472943104/ref=la_B00O0X7MLI_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1554215473&sr=1-2 The Wildlife Gardener by Kate Bradbury - Buy Here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wildlife-Gardener-Kate-Bradbury/dp/152671289X Butterfly Conservation www.butterfly-conservation.org https://butterfly-conservation.org Big Butterfly Count www.bigbutterflycount.org https://www.bigbutterflycount.org Moths Count www.mothscount.org http://www.mothscount.org Froglife www.froglife.org https://www.froglife.org Bumblebee Conservation Trust www.bumblebeeconservation.org https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) www.bto.org https://www.bto.org   Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk  Website www.rootsandall.co.uk  Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod   Patreon Link; Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall 

The podcast that drinks with the stars brings you SuperFarmer Adam Henson! Olly met Adam at his farm to share a glass of special beer and to chat about the BBC Countryfile star's life and work. Find out more at aglasswith.com

Radio 4s Gardeners' Question Time regular Matt Biggs will be at BBC Gardeners' World Live everyday. Trained at The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Matthew has gone on to present numerous television programmes including Channel 4's Garden Club. He has had experience behind the camera too directing Meridian Television's popular gardening series Grass Roots and working as a Horticultural Consultant for a garden design series on Channel 5. Matt, a graduate of The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is a familiar voice on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners Question Time. He writes regularly for BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine and BBC Countryfile and has written several books including ‘Matthew Biggs Complete Book of Vegetables’, ‘Lessons from Great Gardeners’ for the RHS and was commissioned to write ‘Gardening at Eden and how to do it at home’, for The Eden Project. He has travelled world-wide, leading gardening tours for BBC Gardeners World magazine, the most recent, to Belgium and the Netherlands.

In episode 6 of The Voice of the Countryside, presenters Liam Stokes and Rachel Smedley take you behind the scenes of the recent BBC Countryfile episode. On Sunday 7 January Liam Stokes featured on Countryfile to talk about the failing medical procedures associated with firearms licensing. This podcast will discuss some of the issues raised during the Countryfile episode and will further help explain the fundamental flaws that are threatening to collapse the medical procedures associated with firearms licensing. To read more about our campaign for fair and consistent firearms licensing please click here: http://www.countryside-alliance.org/campaigns/fairandconsistentlicensing/

It's a return of the Countryfile Magazine podcast as we celebrate the 400th Countryfile Magazine route card. To find out more, visit www.countryfile.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.