Podcasts about royal botanic gardens kew

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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2024 63:14

5x15 is delighted to announce an exclusive event with leading author Robin Wall Kimmerer, in the beautiful setting of Kew Gardens. Robin Wall Kimmerer's internationally bestselling books, Braiding Sweetgrass and Gathering Moss, not only teach us about the biology of different organisms, but show us other ways of living in the world. It is through celebrating our reciprocal relationship with nature that we can awaken our ecological consciousness, and better protect our planet's gifts. Don't miss the chance to hear this extraordinary writer share her unique perspectives on plants, ecology and the natural world. Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, decorated professor and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She lives in Syracuse, New York, where she is a Professor of Environmental Biology and the founder and director of the Centre for Native Peoples and the Environment. Her current work spans traditional ecological knowledge, moss ecology, outreach to tribal communities and creative writing. Tickets for this event also include early access to Kew Gardens from 2pm on the day.

第2211期:Study Reveals History, Travels of Baobab Tree

英语每日一听 | 每天少于5分钟

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2024 3:51

The baobab tree is a special thing to see. During the dry season, its leafless branches look like roots coming from a thick trunk. It appears as if someone took a tree from the ground, flipped it on its head and put it back into the earth. 猴面包树是一处特别值得一看的东西。在旱季，它光秃秃的树枝看起来就像从粗大的树干上长出来的根。看起来就像有人从地上取下一棵树，将其翻转，然后将其放回土中。 That is why the tree is sometimes called the "upside down tree." 这就是为什么这棵树有时被称为“颠倒树”。 Baobab trees grow in Madagascar, mainland Africa and Australia. The origins and history of the baobab have been something of a mystery. But a new study that looked at all eight recognized species helps tell the baobab's story. 猴面包树生长在马达加斯加、非洲大陆和澳大利亚。猴面包树的起源和历史一直是个谜。但一项针对所有八种已识别物种的新研究有助于讲述猴面包树的故事。 The baobab originated in Madagascar about 21 million years ago. It reached the African continent and Australia sometime in the past 12 million years, researchers found. Madagascar, an island off Africa's southeastern coast, has a large ecosystem. It is home to many kinds of plants. 猴面包树起源于大约 2100 万年前的马达加斯加。研究人员发现，它在过去 1200 万年的某个时候到达了非洲大陆和澳大利亚。马达加斯加是非洲东南沿海的一个岛屿，拥有庞大的生态系统。它是多种植物的家园。 Two baobab lineages went extinct in Madagascar. But the lineages established themselves elsewhere, one in mainland Africa and one in Australia, the study showed. 马达加斯加的两个猴面包树谱系灭绝了。但研究显示，这些谱系在其他地方建立起来，一个在非洲大陆，一个在澳大利亚。 It appears that baobab seed pods floated from Madagascar to mainland Africa, located about 400 kilometers to the west. The seeds also traveled to Australia, nearly 7,000 kilometers to the east. 看来，猴面包树的种子荚是从马达加斯加飘到了以西约 400 公里处的非洲大陆。这些种子还到达了以东近7000公里的澳大利亚。"The plants almost certainly got to Africa and Australia floating on or with vegetation rafts," said plant expert Tao Wan of the Wuhan Botanical Garden in China. He is one of the writers of the study, which appeared recently in the publication Nature. 中国武汉植物园的植物专家陶万说：“这些植物几乎肯定是漂浮在植被筏上或随植筏一起到达非洲和澳大利亚的。” 他是该研究的作者之一，该研究最近发表在《自然》杂志上。Wan added that the seeds were able to travel to Australia because of the Indian Ocean gyre, an oceanic current. 万补充说，由于印度洋环流（一种洋流），这些种子能够传播到澳大利亚。 Baobab trees provide food, shelter and nesting places for wildlife, including bees, birds and various mammals. Their fruits also provide important nutrients and medicines for people. Baobab leaves can be eaten, too. 猴面包树为蜜蜂、鸟类和各种哺乳动物等野生动物提供食物、庇护所和筑巢地。它们的果实还为人们提供重要的营养物质和药物。猴面包树的叶子也可以吃。The trees produce large, sweet-smelling flowers. Their sugary nectar appeals to nighttime pollinators like fruit bats and hawk moths. Their flowers also attract two kinds of primates -- lemurs in Madagascar and bush babies in Africa. 这些树会开出大而芳香的花朵。它们含糖的花蜜吸引了果蝠和天蛾等夜间传粉者。它们的花还吸引了两种灵长类动物——马达加斯加的狐猴和非洲的丛林宝宝。 Ilia Leitch is a plant geneticist at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in London. He is also a study co-writer. He said baobabs can grow to be very large and live for thousands of years. 伊利亚·雷奇 (Ilia Leitch) 是伦敦皇家植物园邱园的植物遗传学家。他也是一名研究合著者。他说猴面包树可以长得很大并且可以存活数千年。 Their very large root systems “play an important ecological role, helping to slow down soil erosion and enabling nutrient recycling,” he said. 他说，它们非常大的根系“发挥着重要的生态作用，有助于减缓土壤侵蚀并实现养分循环利用”。 Baobabs are a water source for local people during the dry season. But Africa's baobabs are at risk from elephant damage. The animals sometimes cut the tree trunks with their tusks to get water. 猴面包树是当地人旱季的水源。但非洲的猴面包树面临着大象破坏的风险。这些动物有时会用獠牙砍断树干来取水。

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Where did the ancient Baobabs originate from?

Afternoon Drive with John Maytham

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2024 9:27

John Maytham speaks to Dr ilia Leitch, who together with her husband Andrew at Queen Mary University of London and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew joined forces in researching the origins of ancient Baobabs and where various species can be found. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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E9: Kevin Martin - Kew's Head of Tree Collections

The Meaning of Trees Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2024 48:06

Kevin Martin is Head of Tree Collections at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and a cutting-edge Climate Researcher.He's leading an innovative climate modelling project to help us understand what the future holds for Kew's renowned tree collection in 2090, if temperatures continue to rise as expected.Tom and Kevin discuss his childhood memories of following his dad around as a tree surgeon, his travels around the world to study exotic tree habitats and what his wife makes of his mission to save Kew's tree collection.Find links to all The Meaning of Trees Podcast content here: https://linktr.ee/themeaningoftreespodcast

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5x15 On Botanic Gardens Past And Future With Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2024 60:09

Building upon Kew's commitment to re-examine the history of its collections, this discussion explores the colonial legacies of botany and botanic gardens, featuring a panel of leading writers and thinkers in this area. All too often history shows us that the origins of botanic gardens are intertwined with the histories of colonialism, imperialism and enslavement. How can understanding these connections pave the way to a more inclusive future? Given this legacy, what is the role that botanic gardens play today in supporting and addressing climate justice? Speakers Sathnam Sanghera is a journalist and best-selling author. His acclaimed books include The Boy with the Topknot and Empireland, which inspired the Channel 4 series Empire State of Mind. His highly anticipated new book, Empireworld, traces the legacies of the British empire around the world. Andrea Wulf is an award-winning author of several books, including The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire and the Birth of an Obsession and the international bestseller The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World which is published in 27 languages. A New York Times bestseller, it also won fifteen international literary awards, including the Royal Society Science Book Prize, Costa Biography Award and the LA Times Book Prize. Her latest book Magnificent Rebels was published under great acclaim in autumn 2022. Andrea is a member of PEN American Center and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Emma Nicolson is Head of Art at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh where she spearheads a transformative arts strategy, integrating nature, science, and environmental concerns. Initiating projects like Climate House and collaborating with institutions like Serpentine Galleries, Emma engages audiences with climate and ecological issues. With a background as the founding director of ATLAS Arts and senior roles at institutions like the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Emma has a proven passion for collaborative, audience-building initiatives. Chaired by Rosie Boycott, Crossbench Peer, Food Campaigner, and co-founder of 5x15. This talk is part of a series of activities planned by RBG Kew, aligning with its objectives under its Manifesto for Change and History, Equity, and Inclusion Plan. As part of its own journey of introspection and exploration, Kew Gardens looks to promote open dialogue, platform diverse perspectives and foster learning from the rich tapestry of voices that surround these matters. Kew is not only a botanic garden; it is a leading centre of plant and fungal science and a repository of history, a living testament to the relationships between humans and plants over centuries. In examining the history of its collections, the RBG Kew aims to enrich the stories it tells its visitors, providing different layers of information on plant history and the pivotal role of botanic gardens. Responsible investing at Rathbones Investment Management We see it as our responsibility to invest for everyone's tomorrow. That means doing the right thing for our clients and for others too. Keeping the future in mind when we make decisions today. Looking beyond the short term for the most sustainable outcome. This is how we build enduring value for our clients, make a wider contribution to society and create a lasting legacy. Recordings of Rathbones and 5x15's online series The Earth Convention can be viewed on 5x15's Youtube channel. Learn more about 5x15 events: 5x15stories.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/5x15stories Facebook: www.facebook.com/5x15stories Instagram: www.instagram.com/5x15stories

5x15 In Collaboration With Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Regeneration

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2024 60:34

5x15 is delighted to announce the second event is our new events partnership with Rathbones, in collaboration with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on the theme of Regeneration. No discussion about climate change and biodiversity loss is complete without acknowledging the importance of children, adolescents and young adults. While activists look to involve and encourage new generations, many young people are themselves leading the way as instigators of change, faced with the urgency of the global crises. For this intergenerational conversation, we invite a range of speakers to share their perspectives, from those closely working with young people to the campaigners, naturalists and writers who inspire hope for a better future. Tori Tsui (she/they) is a climate justice organiser and writer from Hong Kong now based in Bristol. Her work focuses on the intersections between (environ)mental health and climate change, culminating in her debut book, It's Not Just You. She is an organiser with Unite for Climate Action, EarthPercent, Climate Live and Stop Rosebank. Dwayne Fields is a presenter, explorer, naturalist, and all-round adventurer. Dwayne is an inspiring advocate for encouraging people to get outdoors and explore the world around them. Following a life-threatening incident in his younger years, Dwayne developed a passion to break the norm and expectations, reconnecting himself with his early experiences of the outdoors in wild Jamaica. He went on to become the first black Briton to walk over 400 nautical miles to the magnetic North Pole and has lived a life of incredible adventure and exploration thereafter, whilst simultaneously encouraging others to do the same. In 2018 he formed Team #WeTwo with his teammate Phoebe Smith and launched the #WeTwo Foundation, with the aim to use responsible adventuring as a force for good. Claire Howard (they/them) is a qualified teacher with over 15 years' experience in education and youth work. They are particularly interested in the power of story- telling to enact change, and how to bridge the ‘adolescent dip' in nature connection amongst young people growing up in urban environments. They now co-ordinate the youth programme at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, which reaches over 200 young people each year. Kew's youth programme prioritises long- term, meaningful engagement with the young people it serves, and is designed to amplify youth voice through projects that explore the fundamental question of why plants and fungi matter. In their spare time they also work as a mountain leader, developing young people's confidence, skills and sense of belonging in the outdoors. Phoebe Smith is an adventurer, presenter, broadcaster, author, photographer, speaker and podcast host. In 2018 she formed Team #WeTwo with her teammate Dwayne Fields and launched the #WeTwo Foundation, with the aim to use responsible adventuring as a force for good. The Foundation's aim is to inspire the next generation. They run an expedition each year, taking with them a group of underprivileged young people to key destinations all over the planet. On each expedition, they will take part in citizen science: helping with vital research and adding experience to their own CV. Pre-trip they will be 'paying it forward' by participating in environmental, conservation, and youth initiatives in their local communities. Phoebe is also the author of 10 books including the bestselling Extreme Sleeps: Adventures of a Wild Camper. We see it as our responsibility to invest for everyone's tomorrow. That means doing the right thing for our clients and for others too. Keeping the future in mind when we make decisions today. Looking beyond the short term for the most sustainable outcome. This is how we build enduring value for our clients, make a wider contribution to society and create a lasting legacy. Recordings of Rathbones and 5x15's online series The Earth Convention can be viewed here.

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5x15 On Health And Nature With Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2024 64:09

As plant-based diets gain popularity and outdoor activities like hiking and wild swimming become more advocated for wellness, the crucial link between nature and human health is gaining recognition. But what does it entail to derive nutrients, physical, and mental health benefits from the natural world? While the significance of dietary choices is well-established, can we also enhance agricultural practices to foster fertile soils, better health, and a deeper connection to the land? David R. Montgomery, a geomorphologist, delves into how Earth's surface processes shape ecological systems and human societies. His research spans from landslide impacts on mountain heights to soil's role in civilizations. Anne Biklé, a science writer, merges biology and environmental planning to explore humanity's complex bond with nature, focusing on agriculture, soil, and food. Their collaboration produced acclaimed works like "The Hidden Half of Nature" and "What Your Food Ate," examining soil health's influence on crops, animals, and humans. Marchelle Farrell, a therapist and writer, blends her Trinidadian roots with her UK experience, finding solace in gardening and nature writing. Her debut, "Uprooting," won the Nan Shepherd Prize for nature writing. Lorraine Lecourtois, the Interim Director of Wakehurst, bridges her background in theatre production with her passion for nature engagement. Committed to connecting people with the natural world, she spearheads research on biodiversity's impact on behavior. Kathy Willis CBE, a Professor of Biodiversity at Oxford, is renowned for her research on plant responses to environmental changes and ecosystem services. Her advocacy extends to public communication, evident in her BBC Radio series and books like "Botanicum." Recognized with the Michael Faraday Medal, she embodies the commitment to bridging science with public understanding. These voices collectively underscore the importance of nature's role in human health and well-being, inviting us to rethink our relationship with the natural world. For more on 5x15 events, visit: 5x15stories.com Twitter: twitter.com/5x15stories Facebook: facebook.com/5x15stories Instagram: instagram.com/5x15stories

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Biggest COP in history

BBC Inside Science

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2024 28:26

COP 28, the largest climate summit in history, has drawn to a close. Marnie Chesterton examines some of the main stories to emerge from this lengthy conference. The way we look after our oceans, measures needed to ensure food security and an agreement to transition away from fossil fuel dependence were some of the big themes of the summit. The BBC's climate reporter Georgina Rannard takes us through the final agreement. We hear from Glada Lahn, senior research fellow at international affairs think-tank Chatham House, who explains how we might one day wean ourselves off so-called ‘brown energy'. Farming is also a source of greenhouse gases. Growing, processing and packaging food account for a third of all greenhouse gas emissions. How we feed the 8.1 billion of us on the planet continues to be a contentious issue. Casper Chater from Royal Botanic Gardens Kew explains what we can do to adapt our existing crops to cope with more frequent flood and drought events. Oceans are warming, losing oxygen and acidifying. Sea levels are rising. We speak to Ko Barrett, a senior climate advisor at the US's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, about the role oceans have played so far in helping us mitigate the worse effects of climate change. And we meet Mervina Paueli, a 25-year-old Tuvaluan negotiator, whose small archipelago in the South Pacific is on the frontline. Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Louise Orchard, Hannah Robins and Harrison Lewis Editor: Richard Collings Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth  BBC Inside Science is produced in collaboration with the Open University.

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5x15 And Rathbones, In Collaboration With Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Nature's Diversity

That's what I call Science!

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2023 58:03

The first event in 5x15's new series with Rathbones, in collaboration with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is a celebration of Nature's Diversity. This panel discussion explores how nature can teach us to challenge traditional expectations. From plants and fungi living outside orthodoxies, to the symbolic connections between plants and queerness through LGBTQ+ history, and the stories of writers and artists who have been drawn to nature, our expert panel of scientists and storytellers will illuminate how the natural world can inspire new ways of thinking. Brigitte Baptiste is one of Colombia's most eminent scientists, an expert in matters related to the environment and biodiversity, and a leading expert in gender diversity. She was director for 10 years of the Alexander Von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute and currently serves as Chancellor of Universidad Ean, a higher education institution focused in sustainable entrepreneurship. She is considered an expert in environmental issues and biodiversity and she is an important leader in gender diversity, being recognized for her participation as a transgender woman in international conferences related to these issues. She has also been a reference in achieving important bridges between politics, academia and science. She has recently been engaged in several projects related to gender equality and inclusion, launching a fund to support LGTBI and transgender people to access higher education. Jonathan Drori is a trustee of The Eden Project and Cambridge University Botanic Garden, an Ambassador for the Woodland Trust and the WWF, and Honorary Professor at Birmingham University's Institute of Forest Research. Previously, Jon was a Trustee of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and for BBC TV, he was responsible for more than fifty science documentaries and series. He is known for several botanical TED talks, which have been viewed millions of times. Jonathan is also the author of the runaway best sellers, Around the World In 80 Trees and Around the World in 80 Plants, revealing in awe-inspiring detail how the worlds of trees and plants are intricately entwined with our own history, culture and folklore. Luke Turner's second book Men At War is a critically-acclaimed account of masculinity and sexuality during the Second World War and how the conflict impacts our culture today. Turner's first book Out Of The Woods, a memoir of desire, faith and an exploration of human identity within ‘nature' and London's Epping Forest, was shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize. He is co-founder of online music and arts magazine The Quietus and has contributed to the Guardian, Observer, Telegraph, Vice, Dazed, NME and the BBC, among other publications and broadcasters. Dr Bat Maria Vorontsova is a Kew researcher who studies grasses, with a particular focus on tropical African diversity, evolutionary history, and the history of tropical grasslands and savannas. By describing and classifying herbarium specimens, Bat's work at Kew enriches our understanding of ecosystems and their function. Bat's primary research focuses on the grass family (Poaceae) in Madagascar— a long- term project that encompasses diversity and classification, ecological roles, evolutionary relationships, and uses of grasses. Bat is also interested in the history and development of classifications and botanical nomenclature. If it is about grasses, Bat would like to hear about it.

Episode 213: Inclusion in Botany and STEMM

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2023 27:50

Fossils, plants and big data are three things Dr Matilda Brown loves and brings together in their position in the Conservation Assessment and Analysis team at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in London. Join Dr Kate Johnson to hear about Matilda's work in a wonderland of palm-houses and rooms full of pressed plants where she seeks not only to improve the inclusion of plants in world-wide data-sets but also the inclusion of people in STEMM . Matilda's aspirations are the academic triple-threat of research, teaching and improving inclusion, and also to finish the jumper she started knitting three years ago.Show theme music: Kevin MacLeodHost: Kate Johnson (KatePlantPhys)Production: Meredith Castles (@MeredithCastles) Media & Promotion: Katya Bandow (@katyabandow)

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Matt Biggs on A Home for Every Plant

The Plantastic Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2023 92:43

MATT BIGGS BIOMatt Biggs, a graduate of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is a well-known British gardener, broadcaster, and author of fifteen gardening and plant related books.He has presented numerous television programs, notably Channel 4's Garden Club, stepped behind the camera to direct Meridian Television's popular gardening series Grass Roots and worked as Horticultural Consultant for a garden design series on Channel 5.Matt contributes to several magazines, including the Royal Horticultural Society Journal The Garden, BBC Gardeners' World, Countryfile, and Gardens Illustrated and leads gardening tours worldwide.He lectures at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Oxford University Botanic Gardens, the Cookery School of Michelin starred chief Jean-Christophe Novelli, and is course Director of the Plants and Plantsmanship course at the English Gardening School.Matt is also a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4's ‘Gardener's Question Time'. You can learn more about Matt by visiting his website. THE PLANTASTIC PODCASTThe Plantastic Podcast is a monthly podcast created by Dr. Jared Barnes. He's been gardening since he was five years old and now is an award-winning professor of horticulture at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX. To say hi and find the show notes, visit theplantasticpodcast.com.You can learn more about how Dr. Jared cultivates plants, minds, and life at meristemhorticulture.com. He also shares thoughts and cutting-edge plant research each week in his newsletter plant•ed, and you can sign up at meristemhorticulture.com/subscribe. Until next time, #keepgrowing!

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5x15 And Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Foods Of The Future

gardening john walker royal botanic gardens kew veganic

Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2023 62:54

5x15 is delighted to announce a new series of events in collaboration with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. From spring into summer, we will host a range of expert writers, thinkers and scientists from Kew. They will reflect on what we must do to prevent biodiversity loss and protect life on Earth, and address some of the most important questions of our time. The series kicks off in April with a panel about Foods of the Future. From the benefits of no-dig gardening and new crop techniques, to the versatility of legumes and the power of regenerative farming, this discussion will offer an exciting look at how we keep our diets diverse and sustainable in the future. Our expert panel of speakers will be in conversation with cross-bench peer and 5x15 co-founder Rosie Boycott. Dr Caspar Chater's research seeks to improve crop resilience and adaptation to the climate crisis. Chater's work tackles crop water use and drought responses, focusing on legumes as well as other crops. A large part of Chatter's research has a regional focus in Mexico and Latin America. He currently coordinates Newton Fund and Global Challenges Research Fund projects in collaboration with the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the University of Sheffield. In addition to exploring crop genetic diversity, he hopes to use targeted molecular methods for pre-breeding underutilized crops and crop wild relatives. By doing so we can make full use of plant diversity to address increasing global food security and water security challenges. Helena Dove is a Botanical Horticulturist who manages Edible Science: Kew's Kitchen Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Trained in a historic setting, and having previously managed an Edwardian kitchen garden, she has a passion for heritage vegetables, edible flowers and unusual crops that may not immediately be thought of as food. Many of the crops she grows have a slant towards future foods and the scientific research that takes place at RBG, Kew. Sarah Langford is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller In Your Defence: Stories of Life and Law. For ten years, she worked in criminal and family law in London and around the UK. Coming from a farming background in Hampshire, she studied English at University before training as a barrister. Sarah left the Bar on maternity leave to have her two sons. In 2017 she moved to Suffolk and, together with her husband, took on the management of his small family farm. She now lives between Southwest London and Suffolk. In her book Rooted: How Regenerative Farming Can Change the World, Sarah weaves her own story around those who taught her what it means to be a farmer. Anna Taylor joined The Food Foundation as its first Executive Director at the beginning of June 2015 after 5 years at the Department for International Development. In 2014 she was awarded an OBE for her work to address the global burden of undernutrition. She did a MSc in Human Nutrition at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1994. In May 2017 Anna became a member of the London Food Board to advise the Mayor of London and the GLA on the food matters that affect Londoners. She is a Board member for Veg Power and an advisor to the International Food Policy Research Institute. She served as Chief Independent Adviser to Henry Dimbleby for the development of the National Food Strategy published in 2021. The second online event will take place on Wednesday 24th May, and the series will culminate with a very special live 5x15 event in the Temperate House at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on Wednesday 21st June, with Kew's Director of Science, Prof Alexandre Antonelli, and further speakers to be announced soon… With thanks for your support for 5x15 online! Learn more about 5x15 events: 5x15stories.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/5x15stories Facebook: www.facebook.com/5x15stories Instagram: www.instagram.com/5x15stories

An Introduction to Veganic Gardening

Growing Greener

Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2023 29:01

John Walker, a horticulturist who trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and a multi award winner environmental writer, shares advice on Veganic Gardening, an approach that combines organic practices with plant-based nurturing of the soil with resources found or grown on-site for maximum sustainability.

Unearthing The Success Of Season 2 with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Fresh Ears

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2023 40:13

One of the most exciting parts of creating a podcast with our clients is when it changes the listener's perceptions of their brand. Amongst our favourites is ‘Unearthed' – the series we make for The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The first series of Unearthed explored how Kew's scientists have helped solve crimes from curry-based murders to international trafficking. Series two was subtitled ‘Journeys into the Future of Food' which looks at how we feed ourselves in a world of climate change and reduced biodiversity. To chat through the success of series two, Fresh Air Founder Neil Cowling chats to Emma Chandler, Senior Content and Engagement Manager and Grace Brewer, Digital Content Manager at Kew Gardens. They are also joined by ‘The Podcast Publicist' Fiona Fraser, founder of Pow PR and one of the UK's leading experts in podcast PR. To hear about the storytelling of series one of Unearthed click here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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GARDEN DESIGN TIPS AND TRICKS

Rose Chat Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2023 60:25 Very Popular

GARDEN DESIGN TIPS AND TRICKS Michael Marriott and Paul Zimmerman On today's show, we have two of our favorite rosarians who happen to be award-winning garden designers. Michael Marriott and Paul Zimmerman are here to share tips and tricks on garden design just in time to get us going and growing for spring! We will also hear about some wonderful garden tours they are leading this year. This would be a good time to grab your notebook and calendar! Their website and bios are below... MICHAEL MARRIOTT MichaelMarriottRosarian.org Michael Marriott is one of the world's leading rosarians. He is also well-known for his rose garden design and his common sense approach to looking after roses. In his work, he travels the globe, often sharing his expertise in lively radio, TV, newspaper, and magazine interviews. He was an integral part of David Austin Roses for 35 years and at the firm's headquarters in Albrighton where he was the font of knowledge for all matters relating to roses. Michael has played an important part in the development and popularisation of English Roses and therefore has intimate knowledge of all of the 200 plus English Roses bred and introduced by David Austin Roses. His enthusiasm is infectious and his knowledge of roses is encyclopaedic, especially for the species roses, the old roses, the climbers and ramblers, the best modern roses and of course David Austin's English Roses. He is particularly enthusiastic about the very varied fragrances to be found in roses having worked side-by-side with famed “rose nose” Robert Calkin. As a garden designer, he is known for dense romantic beds whether purely roses or mixed in with perennials. He has designed many rose gardens and borders around the world of varying sizes, both public and private. Public gardens include the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Queen Mary's Rose Garden in Regent's Park, Hampton Court Palace, Wynyard Hall, Trentham Gardens, and the David Austin garden near Osaka in Japan. His private clients are primarily in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe, but he has also worked on gardens in New Zealand, China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Russia, and even Bhutan. An advocate of practical gardening techniques and organic methods for rose gardeners, he is regularly called upon to conduct workshops, give lectures, and write articles for publications of varying levels of expertise in many different countries. A keen gardener, he recognized his passion for plants at an early age, he believes that a good gardener starts by choosing appropriate plants and varieties for his or her garden's growing conditions, then backs it up with sound soil management. His own gardens have always been run on organic principles, selecting only the healthiest varieties of roses and using other plants to attract beneficial insects. Prior to joining David Austin Roses in 1985, he worked at various rubber, cocoa, and oil palm estates in Papua New Guinea, Sabah and the Solomon Islands. He worked briefly in botanical research in England, after earning a degree in Agricultural Botany in 1976 from Reading University. PAUL ZIMMERMAN PaulZimmermanRoses.com Paul Zimmerman is the owner of Paul Zimmerman Roses, a company dedicated to teaching that “Roses Are Plants, Too”. He was introduced to, and taught about roses and rose horticulture, by among others Dr. Thomas Cairns past President of both the American Rose Society and World Federation of Rose Societies. He was introduced to Old Garden Roses by Steve Jones also a former President of The American Rose Society. He then developed a love for them through a continuing deep friendship with Bob Edberg of Limberlost Roses and Rose Books in California. Along the way, he met Mike Lowe of Lowe's Roses and from there he formed and owned Ashdown Roses Ltd a rose nursery offering A World of Garden Roses, which he closed in 2009 to focus on rose growing education. Paul is one of the original founders of the Tinseltown Rose Society, served as Vice President under Tommy Cairns, then President for two years thereafter. He has written numerous award-winning articles for The Rose, the National Magazine and Annual of the American Rose Society and other gardening magazines. Currently he hosts the blog “Roses Are Plants, Too” on Fine Gardening Magazine's website. He is an active Consulting Rosarian and “Cyber CR” as well. He lectures internationally and has also served as an International juror for numerous Rose Trials. While living in Los Angeles, California Paul founded and ran “Hundred Acre Woods Rosescapeing”, a company specializing in the care, design, and installation of rose gardens; particularly Antique, Shrub, and David Austin Roses. It is this hands-on experience with roses in a general garden setting that Paul draws on for his Talks, YouTube Videos, Articles, and Workshops. ROSE CHAT TEAM: Executive Producer & On-Air Personality: Chris VanCleave - www.RedneckRosarian.com Creator of the Rose Chat Podcast. Mr. VanCleave is a nationally known rosarian, television personality, speaker and advocate for the rose. Content Creator & On-Air Personality: Teresa Byington - www.TheGardenDiary.com Co-Host Teresa Byington promotes roses as an integral part of the landscape, as a Consulting Rosarian, Master Gardener, writer, and speaker. SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to Rose Chat Podcast Updates: http://bit.ly/subscribeROSE

Evolution and Christianity - is there a conflict? Let's talk to Richard Buggs...

Table Talk

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2023 36:22

Can you believe in creation and take evolutionary science seriously? How do they work together and are there conflicts? What about Adam and Eve? We talk to evolutionary biologist Richard Buggs. He is excellent at explaining complex biology in ways we can understand and gives brilliant insights into the diversity we need amongst scientists today. Richard is currently Senior Research Leader (Plant Health & Adaptation) at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, and Professor of Evolutionary Genomics at Queen Mary, University of London.If you enjoy the conversation and want to go deeper then we would really encourage you to watch Richard's inaugural lecture "Trees of Life: do they exist?" Please email us any comments or questions tabletalkfeedback@gmail.comFIND OUT MORE

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The Plant Based Podcast S9 E04 - How to grow and care for Alpine plants with Faye Adams from The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

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Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2022 44:34

Meet Faye Adams, Garden Supervisor of the Alpine, Rock and Aquatic gardens at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Faye has danced her way from her previous career into gardening and now takes care of those tiny little plants that grow in all kinds of conditions and are becoming much more popular recently. Find out how to grow alpines, what their natural habitat is and be inspired to create your own rock garden. This episode also includes a horticultural news round up from @mrplantgeek and @ellenmarygardening covering New York farming to adopting tree pits. Sponsor of series 9 is @lavaliteuk - a range of products that offer the horticultural world ecological solutions, including moisture management, frost protection, pest control and soil conditioning. Find them at: www.lava-lite.co.uk The Plant Based Podcast: www.theplantbasedpodcast.net Instagram Twitter Facebook

The Plant Based Podcast S9 E03 - An insight into the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Orchid collections with Arnau Ribera

gardens plant plant based collections orchids ribera kew gardens arnau royal botanic gardens kew

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2022 65:36

It's not just the Orchids in the supermarket that you can grow at home. With an abundance of many beautiful and sometimes rare Orchids, Arnau chats to @ellenmarygardening and @mrplantgeek about how they are cared for at Kew Gardens. From giant Orchids to the display cabinet and everything in between. With new contributors @hall_lane_flowers and @suffolkjungleroom Sponsor of series 9 is @lavaliteuk - a range of products that offer the horticultural world ecological solutions, including moisture management, frost protection, pest control and soil conditioning. Find them at: www.lava-lite.co.uk The Plant Based Podcast: www.theplantbasedpodcast.net Instagram Twitter Facebook

State of the nation report, with Steve Mills

Skip the Queue

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2022 34:11

EPISODE NOTESSkip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Kelly Molson, MD of Rubber Cheese.Download our free ebook The Ultimate Guide to Doubling Your Visitor NumbersIf you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcast.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this podcastCompetition ends January 31st 2023. The winner will be contacted via Twitter. Show references: https://decisionhouse.co.uk/https://twitter.com/decision_househttps://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mills-0528661b/ Steve Mills set up Decision House in July 2017, having spent 15 years at leading insight agency BDRC where he was Board Director and Head of the Culture & Tourism team.His work focusses on generating and sharing insight to further understanding of both how to deliver better experiences for existing visitors, members, customers or other stakeholders and how to effectively grow audiences and develop new markets. During the pandemic, Steve provided regular insight to the sector through ALVA, producing regular reports and webinars on public sentiment towards returning to visitor attractions and reaction to the ‘new' visit experience in a Covid world. In more ‘normal' recent times he has delivered insight for clients across the culture and leisure attraction sector including Historic Royal Palaces, Royal Collection, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Royal Museums Greenwich and the National Trust, as well as developing Voice of the Visitor, a new template helping attractions to gather and benchmark visitor feedback. Transcriptions: Kelly Molson: Welcome to Skip the Queue, a podcast for people working in or working with visitor attractions. I'm your host, Kelly Molson. Each episode, I speak with industry experts from the attractions world.In today's episode, I speak with Steve Mills, founder of Decision House. What does the cost of living crisis mean for attractions as we move into winter and beyond? Steve gives us a snapshot of how your potential visitors are feeling, and what the next few months might hold for the sector.If you like what you hear, subscribe on all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue. We have a small issue with Steve's audio, but don't let that detract from the important content. This is a really, really important episode.Kelly Molson: Steve, thank you so much for joining me on Skip the Queue podcast today. It's really good to see you.Steve Mills: Pleasure. Thanks for inviting me, Kelly.Kelly Molson: I've got a few icebreaker questions for you, Steve.Steve Mills: Go for it.Kelly Molson: You can only save one of the Muppets. Which Muppet do you choose, and why?Steve Mills: Oh my God. Well, I'll tell you the one I'd like to be, I'd like to be the drummer, Animal. Aspiring to be fun and exciting and a bit off the wall, really, to be honest. But I would say very much it's an aspiration rather than reality with me, to be honest. I'm probably more like Scooter, who is the more rational, down to earth, logical one.Kelly Molson: I think that might come across in what we talk about today, Steve.Steve Mills: Okay. Fair enough, fair enough. No, that's definitely it for me.Kelly Molson: All right. How would you describe your job to a two year old?Steve Mills: I find out all the fun stuff that people like doing.Kelly Molson: That's a great answer. That is a great answer. You nailed that, Steve.Steve Mills: Good.Kelly Molson: Okay. Last show that you binge-watched on your television viewing platform of choice? I don't know why I've done that. I'm not the BBC. No one cares what I say.Steve Mills: No, no, it's all right.Kelly Molson: Netflix, Amazon, whatever. Disney+.Steve Mills: I'm quite sporty, so Disney+, I've been watching this series called Welcome to Wrexham, which is all about Wrexham Football Club and the fact that Ryan Reynolds and the other guy whose name everybody always forgets ... Jim, Joe, McElhenney or whatever it is, taking over the football club. And it's a kind of fly on the wall documentary about how they've taken over the club, and trying to make a success of it. But very interestingly, there's lots of these fly on the wall, football type documentaries, and this one is made for an American audience. It has some quite subtle differences in there, so they have things like translations between English and American phrases for things like bloke means buddy and that kind of thing. It has got a little twist in it, which I quite enjoy.Kelly Molson: That's interesting. That's on my list, to watch that one. But we've watched the Tottenham one that was on Amazon, because we're big Tottenham fans. And we watched ... What was the one ... Was it Sunderland? Was there one about-Steve Mills: Yeah.Kelly Molson: Yeah, we watched that one as well, that was really good. Okay, we'll watch that one, and there's little, subtle differences because it's for Americans.Steve Mills: Yes.Kelly Molson: All right, Steve. What is your unpopular opinion?Steve Mills: That's an interesting first question because given my profession, which we'll come on to, my job is really about conveying others' opinions rather than having them of my own, to be honest with you. But my unpopular opinion is sticking with the sporting theme, really, is that I think that there's no better sporting drama than a five day cricket test match.Kelly Molson: Oh God.Steve Mills: Which is definitely an unpopular opinion, to be honest. Or even a four day cricket county championship match that's watched by three men and a dog on a wet Tuesday in April, to be honest. Because I know it's difficult to believe that anyone could be interested in a sport where you could have a draw after five days' worth of activity, but for me, it's like reading a novel, but it's being played out in front of your eyes, in many ways. There's time to get to know all the characters properly, and story kind of ebbs and flows, and you get these unexpected instances happening that change the plot. And you can see these individual battles gradually unfolding during five days that you'd never get in a couple of hours.Steve Mills: And what I like about it is it's a kind of test of character and a test of patience for the players, not just the audience, as well as pure, sporting ability. Yeah, I'm sure it's a very unpopular opinion, but I think it's a kind of antidote to where we're going as a society generally, so it's the whole antidote to having low attention span, these quick rewards and these superficial pleasures. You don't want any of that, go and watch a five day test match. Which ironically, I don't think I've ever done, to be honest with you. But it's certainly something I've got in mind when I retire in a few years' time.Kelly Molson: Steve, it was a really beautiful analogy. I really enjoyed your analogy about it being like a novel, and playing out the roles and the characters and stuff, but you have not sold it to me.Steve Mills: I wasn't intending to.Kelly Molson: But well done on the analogy. All right, listeners, let us know what you think about Steve's cricket is a novel analogy, and we should all be in watching cricket for five days. I know that I've got a lot of different things that I could be spending my days on, but there you go. Thank you for sharing.Steve Mills: That's all right.Kelly Molson: Right, Steve, I've asked you to come on today because we're going to do a bit of a state of the nation chat. But tell us a little bit about you and what Decision House does, for our listeners that haven't heard of you, which I will be surprised if they haven't.Steve Mills: Okay. No, thank you, yeah. I started Decision House back in 2017. I used to head up the Tourism and Culture team at BDRC, which is now called BVA BDRC. I headed those up for a good few years before that. Decision House really specialises in generating insights that help organisations in the culture and tourism sector specifically, and particularly attractions, really. Just helping them to make better decisions for their organisation, hence the Ronseal type name, Decision House.Steve Mills: And we mainly do that by conducting fresh, primary research, either with your current customers, so whether you call your current customers visitors or bookers or members, and that helps with making sure that we deliver, or they can deliver, optimum experiences for their visitors. Or, we do research with prospective customers, so more market and audience research to understand how they can grow their customer bases, actually. We can do that. We do both quantitative research, so the typical surveys, online surveys, face-to-face surveys et cetera, or we also do qualitative research as well, so things like focus groups, in-depth interviews, which really get under the skin of the issues that organisations have. Typically, quantitative surveys will measure visitor opinion, whereas qualitative gets to the root of why visitors have those particular opinions.Steve Mills: That's really what we do, and during COVID, we did an awful lot of work to really track public sentiment. And that led us to setting up visitor benchmarking surveys to understand reactions the visitors had to COVID measures being put in place once attractions reopened back in 2020. And that's really, both of those surveys, public sentiment work for ALVA and the visitor benchmark and consumer views for the last couple of years and still going now, really, albeit they've evolved into pieces of work that aren't COVID related anymore. They're more general sentiment work now.Kelly Molson: And they've been incredibly valuable, Steve. And I reference them continuously, and I do reference the BVA BDRC's work as well. And they've been incredibly insightful. Now, we spoke a couple of weeks ago about coming on to talk about the state of the nation and where people at, because what had been happening is I had been contacted by a few attractions, saying, "What have you heard? Numbers are down a little bit. What have you heard? What's the sentiment like?" And I always fire them your way, but I thought why not get the man in himself to talk us through where we're at?Kelly Molson: We've got a really weird situation at the moment in the UK. I mean, we're recording this. It's the fifth of October. We're in the run-up to what is usually a busy half-term, and then the run up to Christmas which can be quite quiet for a number of attractions, depending on what you're doing. But we've got the cost of living crisis, we've got the pound was at its lowest since the '70s, which blows my mind. We've had the death of our monarch, we have a new king, and a new prime minister, all happening at once. I mean, that's quite a lot to be dealing with. But I guess, what does all of this mean for attractions as we move into that winter period and beyond? And I thought this is what we could talk about today, Steve. So, where are we at? It's big question, but where are we at?Steve Mills: A massive question. I'll try my best to try and pick some of those issues apart, really. I think if we deal with the death of Her Majesty the Queen first of all, and what the ramifications of that might be ... And this is, I guess, a personal opinion, first of all, really. I mean, I think domestically, it's not going to have a huge impact, if I'm perfectly honest. People will move on relatively quickly from that. I suspect attractions won't see ... Unless you are something that is specifically related to the monarchy, you probably won't see a huge amount of difference. I mean, clearly somewhere like Windsor Castle is already seeing queues of people outside the gates, for example.Steve Mills: But I think outside of that niche, domestically, I doubt we'll see a huge difference. But then, obviously, internationally, it has raised the profile. And actually, I think showcased all the positive associations that people abroad associate with the UK, and why they travel here. It has emphasised our heritage, it has emphasised our amazing ability in terms of the pomp and ceremony, et cetera. And it has been a great showcase for London sites, to be honest. I think internationally, it should have a significant impact going into next year, allied of course with the low value of the pound. Now, it's not all good, obviously, but obviously, in exchange rates terms, it's a good thing for next year, particularly [inaudible 00:10:48]. I guess that's where I'd see the death of the monarch situation.Kelly Molson: It's interesting, what you said about the pomp. I mean, as we watched the funeral here, a very emotional day, actually. And I was transfixed to the ceremony for the entire day. It was quite mesmerising. But in my head, I just kept thinking, people outside of the UK that watched this, it's strange, isn't it? It's quite strange, and it's very grand, and it's a real sense of what the UK is about, that kind of level of ceremony, and people coming together. It was quite phenomenal. And it did make me think ultimately, it's a really sad day, but it's such a big thing for the UK to be able to do. I wonder if that does represent a surge in international tourism because of that, and people wanted to come and be a small part in that kind of thing.Steve Mills: Yeah. I think increasingly, whether it's people from the UK or people coming into the UK, people want to do things now that is different. And they want to be seen to be doing things that you can only do in one particular location. And I think the UK, I don't think there is anywhere quite like it in terms of ability to deliver on things like the pomp and ceremony. And that's what really sets us apart from many other countries around the world. And I think we shouldn't forget that, and not be afraid to promote it.Kelly Molson: Yeah, absolutely. And then that brings us to the new king. There will be a coronation at some point.Steve Mills: Yeah, it's similar, similar.Kelly Molson: So, similar kind of reaction to that, probably, and something very positive to celebrate as well.Steve Mills: Yeah. But then yeah, the other side of it is I think you mentioned cost of living.Kelly Molson: Small, little issue that we're all struggling with.Steve Mills: Probably yeah, less positive. I think with that one, as a lot of listeners will know, we have been commissioned by ALVA throughout COVID, and also a couple of waves this year, just to gauge public sentiment into how people are feeling about visitor attractions. We did a wave back in June this year, which first highlighted some financial concerns for the attraction-visiting public. And it also said at that point that COVID actually was still a noticeable barrier, particularly for the older generation and those who are more vulnerable. We're just literally hot off the press at the end of September, so we did another wave the 22nd and 27th of September, just to update that and try to understand how people are feeling about visiting attractions in the autumn and the winter, up until about February next year. So, how attractions are going to cope.Steve Mills: And one of the key questions we asked is just a completely open question. People can respond in any way they like to this question. But we just ask, "At the moment, how are you feeling about visiting attractions over the next few months?" As I said, they could say absolutely anything there. We've not prompted them with anything. And I think the issues that are coming up here, first of all on the positive side, is that COVID is being mentioned by less and less people. I think the assumption is that it's completely not an issue any more, but I wouldn't say it has done that. But back in June, we still had 15% of people at that point saying something to do with COVID was putting me off going to visitor attractions, which was partially explaining why we hadn't seen that bounceback to pre pandemic levels.Steve Mills: That has now, in the September wave, come down to 9%, so it's disappearing. That said, you've still got one in 10 people who have still got some sort of concerns around COVID. As I say, it's particularly older people and vulnerable people that are still saying that. But that's quite positive.Steve Mills: But then on the other side, the financial concerns have gone up considerably. Again, back in June, we had about 15% of people mentioning some sort of financial concern as a barrier to why they wouldn't be visiting attractions, or would maybe think twice. But that has now gone up to 24, 25%, something like that. So, quite a significant increase. And again, it's as you would expect, it's especially among those with lower incomes, but also families are increasingly expressing financial concerns. And this time around, we asked a specific question as well about whether there was any positive benefit of all the government support around energy bills. And actually, we're finding that it's probably not because any sort of positive benefit of government support is being negated by just the still absolute rises in energy costs.Steve Mills: It's a difficult situation at the moment, and we've now got around about half the country really feeling that they feel worse off than they did at the same point last year. Clearly, that's going to have an impact.Kelly Molson: Yeah. I wonder, I mean, I can give you an example. I went to an attraction on Monday. I took my daughter, I met up with some friends, and went to Paradise Wildlife Park for the day. And I definitely thought more about what I was going to spend when I got there than I usually would. And I thought well, I'm quite lucky. My daughter is a big eater. She's not fussy. She eats anything. But I went, do you know what? I'm going to just pack her a packed lunch, so she has got sandwiches, fruit, whatever, and I'll buy myself my lunch when I'm there, and that just saves just a tiny, little bit of money. And it sounds silly. It's insignificant, but it was enough to make me, in my head, go, "I feel a bit better about that."Kelly Molson: And I probably spent longer at the attraction as well, because in my head I was like, well, "I've paid, I want to get my money's worth. We'll go here and we'll go in the Tumble Tots place and we'll do the soft play." And I just really extended the time that I was at the attraction as well, for the money that I paid for it. And it wasn't unreasonable at all. We had a great day, it's a brilliant, brilliant day out. But it did make me think about just small changes I wouldn't have thought about six months ago.Steve Mills: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I think you've picked up on secondary spend there. I think that is one thing that's going to be a challenge. And also, memberships as well. We were, a bit earlier in the year, seeing people saying things like, "Well, I'll squeeze as much as I possibly can out of my existing memberships," which is a good thing. Makes you more likely to renew. But I think now we've reached the stage where people are starting to do that a bit less, because they've actually scared of any visit occasion because there is secondary spends associated with even a visit occasion that is associated with a membership, because you've got to travel to get there. And then you've got to potentially have something to eat there, or buy something in the shop. And I think the situation is now with some people that they're, even when they have a membership of some organisation, they're actually more reluctant to use it now, more than trying to squeeze as much as possible out of it.Steve Mills: I think it's going to be a tough time for memberships over the next few months, definitely. We've got, again, evidence from that piece of work that is saying people are less likely to renew and less likely to acquire new memberships over the next few months, because of their personal financial situation. And it's all within that 50% of people who are feeling worse off, obviously. Which I guess on the positive side, what we're seeing is that I guess if there was going to be a prediction, it's that at the high end, limited supply-type products, there's virtually going to be no change there. If you've got limited supply of something that's priced at a high level, I think there is still going to be plenty of demands for that sort of thing. And you see it all the time, really.Steve Mills: I mean, I think things like the Christmas lights displays, for example, at attractions, I have a feeling they're still going to be okay and do well. I mean, I tried to go to, there's one reasonably local to me at Walterstone. And I don't know if it's completely sold out yet, but I know the slots that we wanted to try and book, we booked three or four weeks ago for it. I think those sorts of events and the higher price point end with limited supply should be okay, in my view.Kelly Molson: Yeah. And I would agree with that, again from personal experience of trying to book the Audley End miniature railway Christmas experience. All of the weekends are gone. I did manage to get a Friday, thankfully. More for me, to be perfectly honest. I can't wait to go on it. But yeah, those peak Saturdays and weekend slots sold out within hours, and they're all gone completely. Yeah, I definitely agree with you on that.Kelly Molson: Do you think that that then leads attractions to they're just going to have to try harder in terms of the experience that they're putting on? Should they be looking at trying to offer things that are a bit more unique, at a higher price point?Steve Mills: Yeah, I think yes, definitely. I think as well, it's important to point out that this isn't going to be across the board. Again, there's a lot of evidence for ... Again, I guess this is all very intuitive, but there's going to be a much higher negative impact on paid attractions than free attractions, so again, there's very strong evidence that people will be switching out from paid attractions to free attractions. But then even within that, within paid attractions, it's perhaps starting to emphasise that this is all going to be about value message. And what else can you do to add value to whatever ticket price is, really?Steve Mills: Yeah, and again, a third of people said they will visit paid attractions less than normal, and only 13% said more. Whereas on the free attractions side, you've got a third saying they will visit free attractions more than usual, and only 8% said less. And again, that's all driven by those that feel worse off. Yeah, I think it's all completely about that value message over the winter. Need that reassuring communications around it.Steve Mills: And I think as well, what has also come out of this is there's this assumption that the cost of visiting attractions will be rising at the same rate as everything else in the economy. There were quite a few people saying things like, "just assuming that the cost of visiting attractions was going to be going up". I think there is a really important communications message to put in there, some thought actions to come across, is that we are maybe holding our prices at '22 levels, or whatever it is. Or only increasing it by a small amount, or adding this extra value item in or whatever it is. I think something that is related to value and price has to be the message this year, just to reassure people that actually, we're not going up at the same price as energy and wheat and sunflower oil and all the rest of it. Actually, it's going to be fairly marginal, if anything, for visitor attractions, which I thought was one of the quite interesting things that came out of it.Kelly Molson: That's really interesting, isn't it? Yeah, I hadn't considered that. I mean, look, it's unfair to say that attractions won't be putting up their prices, because their energy bills are going up just as ours are. Actually, their energy bills are going up more dramatically than ours, because there's currently no cap on businesses. There isn't a reassurance piece to be done, but I think that has to be done quite tactically by the attraction because they can't come out and say, "Look, we're not putting our prices up. We're not doing this," because they might have to because of the cost of living. Okay, but that's something that I wasn't expecting, that they just assumed that it would rise that rapidly.Steve Mills: Yeah. And coincidentally, I read something somewhere recently in the trade press as well of just someone had done some research across other sectors as well, and was seeing a very similar sort of scenario as well. Actually, when you think about it, average Joe Public, if inflation is at 10%, your immediate thought is well, everything is going up 10%. Why wouldn't it be? Most members of the public wouldn't think about the nuances of what's going up and what isn't going up.Steve Mills: I think it's just something to bear in mind. Although again, what I would say is that I'm of the view that attractions should try and hold their nerve in terms of pricing. And I suspect there won't be much merit in reducing prices or holding prices as they are just for the sake of it, because I don't think we're talking here about those people who are financially squeezed. The odd pound or two lower admission price at a visitor attraction I don't think is going to make a huge amount of difference to whether they visit or not, to be honest. All you'll be doing is rewarding the people who would visit anyway. Why would you do that? I think it's holding your nerve and being confident that you offer a good value, worthwhile experience.Kelly Molson: Yeah. Good advice, Steve. And that also backs up the last interview that we had with Simon Addison about being confident in what you're delivering, and the price that you're charging for it. Yeah, really, really good advice. Okay, what else have you discovered?Steve Mills: I think they were probably the main points, really. Yeah, I mean I think as I said, it's going to be pretty tough for membership, so existing members, we're now seeing they're less likely to renew than they were back in June, and they're less likely to acquire new memberships as well. And yeah, just more reticent about using and squeezing as much value out of their existing membership as well.Kelly Molson: Yeah. It's interesting, the membership one, because my National Trust membership is up for renewal in January time. We were very kindly gifted it for a wedding present last year. And I'm absolutely going to renew, because for me, it's such incredible value for money. And we were literally talking about it last night. We were like, "Well, that's fine. We'll renew our membership. We'll make sure that we are not only using the brilliant National Trust parks that are around us, like Wimpole and Anglesea Abbey, et cetera, Ickworth, but go further afield as well. Actually, if we're going to use that membership, then we don't mind traveling a little bit further, even though that's going to cost us a bit more in petrol, to go to that attraction because you're then not paying the attraction fee on top of the travel costs as well. Yeah, it's funny. I'd never even considered not renewing it.Steve Mills: Yeah. And I'm exactly the same. And I guess, let's be clear, here. I said 50% of the population are feeling worse off than they did at this point last year, but then 50% are feeling okay, the same or better. And I think it was something like 15% or so were actually feeling better off than last year, which I think says something about where we're going as a society. You've got people dividing even further, to be honest with you. There are still significant proportions of people that are feeling fine about things, and will renew their memberships, or see them as a charitable donation.Kelly Molson: Steve, I want to ask you a little bit about pre booking, because I mean we've talked about this for years now, pre booking. Obviously, it was kind of forced upon attractions during the pandemic, when they were allowed to open. I still don't know why anyone wouldn't pre book in advance, but then I am an organised planner. I need to know that I've got my ticket and I'm going to get in. I'm not going to have a wasted journey. And obviously, from an operational side, aspect from attractions, it's a brilliant thing to be able to do.Kelly Molson: What's the kind of sentiment now from general public? Are they still happy with it? Are they starting to want to go back to the old days, where things were just a little bit more flexible and bit more spontaneous?Steve Mills: Yeah. Well, I think almost, it's switching that around a little bit. I mean, I think obviously COVID was this fantastic opportunity to almost change the culture of the public to one where, as you said, it's why wouldn't you pre book an attraction in the same way that you would pre book lots of other things in society, like going to the theatre or going to a restaurant or whatever? Certainly, paid attractions. There was a really good opportunity to change the culture. And so I think the main point for me is that attractions need to be proactive in encouraging that behaviour.Steve Mills: It's not something that will naturally come to the public, and public sentiment won't change unless attractions are proactive in changing it. Why would it, really? I think it's incumbent upon attractions to really create that appetite for pre booking. And I think to an extent, we're beginning to get there. But I think there's a lot more to be done in terms of what nudges can we put to the public to encourage to pre book? I think things like online discounts that are notable, or switching it around premiums to walk-ups, depending on which way you want to look at it, should be used more than they probably are at the moment.Steve Mills: And things like dynamic pricing for advanced booking, for example. Again, I know you talked to Simon Addison about dynamic pricing last week. But the more that that can be used, in particular for things like advanced booking, I think just will encourage pre booking. And then gradually over a period of time, it then gets ingrained into the people's psyche, "I'm going to an attraction, therefore I will pre book."Steve Mills: I think it's just one of those that I think the industry as a whole almost needs to come together and say, "Right, we're going to push pre booking as much as we possibly can because we need to change the way that society thinks about booking attractions." Easy for me to sit here and say that, and much more difficult to do. But I think that's what needs to be done because yeah, as we've seen, there's huge benefits in terms of creating that relationship with anybody as soon as you grab their email address. And that investment or the discounts you offer may well pay dividends in years to come because you've managed to keep that relationship going, which means you get more repeat visits, you get more top of mind so you get more recommendation being spread around, et cetera. I think it's a worthwhile investment.Kelly Molson: Brilliant, yeah. Good advice. I agree with every, single word you have said, Steve. Thanks for backing up everything that I put online about it as well.Steve Mills: It's all right. And to be honest, it helped me as well on my visitor surveys. I now try and make sure that they are online, post visit surveys, which tend to help the more pre bookers people have got. It makes that research a lot more cost effective, shall we say, as well.Kelly Molson: Helping us all round, Steve. That's what I like. Sector collaboration and all that. Right, Steve, thank you for sharing your insights today. It's really appreciated, and I know that this will help a lot of people that are feeling a little bit anxious about what's going on and just not really sure how to approach things. Thank you very much.Kelly Molson: I always ask our guests to recommend a book that they love or something that has helped shape their career in some way. What have you got for us today?Steve Mills: Okay. I've read this book called Silt Road, silt road rather than silk road, by a guy called Charles Rangeley-Wilson or Rangeley-Wilson. Not quite sure, to be honest. And he's quite niche based, so be prepared. It tells the social history of High Wycombe, which is where I live, through the lens of the River Wye, which sort of runs through it, although most of it has been culverted and put under a shopping centre and a flyover, these days. Yeah, it tells that story through the lens of a river. It tells a story about things like the mills on the river, the history of Wycombe as a furniture and chair making town, which led to me actually being ... I'm now Chair of the Wycombe Chair Museum, which is rather ironic.Kelly Molson: That's niche as well, isn't it? I love it.Steve Mills: It is. It's incredibly niche. It's incredibly niche. And it also tells the story of things like how trout became ... Trout are a thing in New Zealand, apparently, and they are a thing in New Zealand because they were taken from the River Wye and transported over thousands of miles to New Zealand many years ago.Steve Mills: But the reason why I mention it is because I'm not originally from Wycombe. I've lived here for about 15 years. But it really helped me form this identity with the town, because Wycombe is a few miles outside London. It's very commuter-able, which means that actually, there's not many people live in Wycombe who are originally from Wycombe. I'm a big believer in getting pride in your local area so you look after it better and make you want to contribute to the community.Steve Mills: Books like this help with that because it has really helped me to understand Wycombe in more detail, understand the social history, and feel more proud of the place I live.Kelly Molson: Steve, I love that.Steve Mills: It's not really a recommendation to read that specific book. It's more of a kind of a plea to go and find out a bit more about your local area, read about the social history, so that you feel more proud about the places you live in.Kelly Molson: And more connected to it as well.Steve Mills: Completely, yeah, yeah, yeah. Pride and connection.Kelly Molson: Steve, I think that's lovely. It's amazing, the stuff that you can learn on this podcast. Who knew? Who knew? Who knew that Wycombe ... I had no idea that it was a big chair and furniture manufacturing place, and that you had got a Chair Museum as well.Steve Mills: We do, yes. It's mentioned in Gavin and Stacey as well.Kelly Molson: Is it?Steve Mills: Yeah, there you go.Kelly Molson: Well, I mean I'm an Essex girl, so that fits for me too.Steve Mills: Well, James Corden is from High Wycombe, so that's why it's mentioned in there.Kelly Molson: Got you. Right, okay. Well, look, listeners, if you want to win Steve's book, and why wouldn't you? If you go over to our Twitter account and you retweet this episode announcement with the word, "I Want Steve's Book", then we'll get you a copy of that book. We'll get you a copy of it, and you could be in with a chance of winning it, and then you can find out about High Wycombe as well. Thank you, Steve. It has been an education.Steve Mills: Absolute pleasure.Kelly Molson: Thanks for listening to Skip The Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review. It really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip the queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast.

The Plant Based Podcast S9 E02 - Botanical illustrations and giant water lilies at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew with botanical artist Lucy Smith

artist gardens giant plants gardening plant based illustrations botanical kew gardens water lilies lucy smith royal botanic gardens kew

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2022 29:29

In this episode at Kew Gardens, @ellenmarygardening and @mrplantgeek meet Lucy Smith who not only teaches and illustrates botanical art but also played a crucial role in the identification of a new giant waterlily - the Victoria boliviana. Find out just how much dedication and patience it took to see the flower at just the right moment and even get some tips of how you can start illustrating as well. After the interview, its the horticultural news round up including paludiculture, clogs and artificial lawn. Sponsor of series 9 is @lavaliteuk - a range of products that offer the horticultural world ecological solutions, including moisture management, frost protection, pest control and soil conditioning. Find them at: www.lava-lite.co.uk The Plant Based Podcast: www.theplantbasedpodcast.net Instagram Twitter Facebook

The Plant Based Podcast S9 E01 - The science behind edibles with Royal Botanic Gardens Kew kitchen gardener, Helena Dove.

gardens kitchen plants dove gardening plant based michaels science behind gardener squash carrots edibles oca kew gardens royal botanic gardens kew

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2022 85:17

In the first of our four part mini series at Kew Gardens, @mrplantgeek and @ellenmarygardening visit the edible science garden and chat with Helena Dove about growing and experimenting with edibles to grow sustainable and healthy crops. From Dahlia tubers to Squash, Oca to Carrots this episode is full of delicious homegrown food. With new contributors @emjorealdavies and @thejungleclubworcester and a gossip about Michaels new book, what coat to wear in autumn and planting bulbs, it's an epic start to series 9. Sponsor of series 9 is @lavaliteuk - a range of products that offer the horticultural world ecological solutions, including moisture management, frost protection, pest control and soil conditioning. Find them at: www.lava-lite.co.uk

Unearthed: Journeys Into The Future Of Food, From The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Coming on Thursday 6th October 2022

Unearthed - Mysteries from an unseen world

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2022 3:56

The way we produce and consume food is having a devastating impact on our natural world. How can we avoid disaster, and feed the world well? Unearthed: Journeys into the future of food, from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, explores our contemporary relationship with food: what are we eating? What is it doing to our health and the health of the planet? And how are livelihoods and agriculture changing before our eyes? Take a journey around the world: from farming practises and biodiversity loss, to finding crops that can thrive in the face of climate change, all the way to our own shopping baskets and kitchens. James Wong, Advolly Richmond and Poppy Okocha bring you insights, ideas and inspirational actions from artists, thinkers, chefs and plant scientists who are all helping to make sure food and nature are secure and healthy for future generations. Episodes 1 and 2 of this series will be released on Thursday 6th October 2022. You can catch up on the previous series of Unearthed - Mysteries From an Unseen World - right now on this podcast channel. You can find out more about how Kew Science is helping to protect global food security by visiting kew.org. Inspired by this series? Get involved online with #KewUnearthed @kewgardens on Twitter @kewgardens on InstagramSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

journeys unearthed future of food unseen world kew james wong royal botanic gardens royal botanic gardens kew

Tomorrow's food crops

The Food Chain

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2022 29:01 Very Popular

Climate change means that, in many parts of the world, the way we farm is no longer working. We need a larger, more diverse range of crops that perform even when the rains don't come or, as can also be the case, when too much rain comes. Currently, just 15 crops make up 90% of our energy intake, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization. In this programme, we're meeting people who are trying to develop food crops that might thrive in our changing world. Ruth Alexander visits the Millennium Seed Bank ran by the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in the UK, where Dr Chris Cockel explains their work collecting and storing seeds from the wild relatives of our staple crops. Tessa Peters, Director of Crop Stewardship at The Land Institute in Kansas, US, makes the case for creating perennial versions of our crops, in order to preserve soil health. And Dr Rebbie Harawa, regional director, Eastern and Southern Africa at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid-Tropics talks about why a currently underutilised crop – millet – could be help struggling farmers in dry areas. Picture: Close up of millet growing in a field; Credit: BBC/Getty

director uk food kansas climate united nations crops southern africa agriculture organization land institute royal botanic gardens kew ruth alexander international crops research institute semi arid tropics

Episode 91 - Kevin Martin is the Head of Tree Collections at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

The Plant a Trillion Trees Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2022 53:13

Kevin Martin is the Head of Tree Collections at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, having joined in 2012. In his role, he is charged with the curation and management of Kew's unique and historic collection of trees from around the globe for the purpose of scientific research and conservation within a UNESCO World Heritage Site landscape. Kevin has a foundation degree in arboriculture and is a TRAQ-certified tree inspector. He also sits on several boards including the Arboreta Advisory Committee for Westonbirt and Bedgebury. Kevin is also the vice chair of the arboricultural subgroup for the apprenticeship trailblazer. He is also a member of the UK Botanic Garden and Arboreta Collections Consortium (UKBGACC). --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/plantatrilliontrees/support

head tree collections unesco world heritage sites kew kevin martin royal botanic gardens royal botanic gardens kew

How storytelling can increase your donations by 400%, with Bala McAlinn

Skip the Queue

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2022 55:34

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Kelly Molson, MD of Rubber Cheese.Download our free ebook The Ultimate Guide to Doubling Your Visitor NumbersIf you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcast.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this podcastCompetition ends October 1st 2022. The winner will be contacted via Twitter. Show references: www.complete-works.co.ukhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/bala-mcalinn-05406683/ Bala McAlinn began working in the Visitor Attraction industry in 2007 writing and directing shows for organisations including London Zoo and the Science Museum. In 2012 he founded Boo Consultancy Ltd, a sister company to the event agency Boo Productions Ltd. Boo Consultancy is a training and staffing agency that applies theatrical techniques to the environments of Visitor Attractions. They predominantly place actors in FOH positions to increase membership sales and visitor donations or deliver workshops to improve the sales and storytelling skills of inhouse teams. In 2021 they rebranded to Complete Works a nod to the greatest storyteller and their theatrical past and because our approach is holistic, redefining the 3 key elements of success: your visitors, your destination and your team.They work with many leading organisations including the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Wembley Stadium, The Macallan Distillery and the National Gallery where they won a 2019 Institute of Promotional Marketing award for increasing visitor donations by more than 300% whilst also improving visitor satisfaction scores.His parents are from Los Angeles, his wife is from Sydney and he was born in London. Thus, he has had various accents over the years and matched with the fact that he has an Indian forename and Irish surname, He has grown accustomed to people being generally intrigued, mildly amused and partially confused by him. Which is great for networking and tricky when changing energy supplier over the phone. Thankfully he does more networking than the latter. Bala has 3 hilarious children whom he enjoys making music, drawing cartoons and boxing with. Transcriptions: Kelly Molson: Welcome to Skip the Queue, a podcast for people working in or working with visitor attractions. I'm your host Kelly Molson. Each episode I speak with industry experts from the attractions world. These chats are fun, informative, and hopefully always interesting.In today's episode, I speak with Bala McAlinn, founder of Complete Works. I ask Bala how you teach someone to be a good storyteller, and he shares his tips for improving visitor experience through performance.If you like what you hear, subscribe on all the user channels by searching, Skip the Queue.Kelly Molson: Thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today. It's lovely to have you on.Bala McAlinn: Very welcome, Kelly. Nice to be here.Kelly Molson: I am going to ask you a few icebreaker questions, because this is how we start every interview. We've met before though, I don't feel like we need to break the ice, but everyone loves these, so let's go ahead.Kelly Molson: We're going to talk about storytelling and we're going to talk about visitor experience. I want to know what your favourite story is?Bala McAlinn: I'm going to go with, I think my favourite story of all time is The Diamond as Big as the Ritz by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which is a short story that he wrote about, it's slightly science fiction, but within the real world.Bala McAlinn: And there's a family who for generations live on a mountain and the mountain is a diamond, but they have to control the flow of diamonds into society otherwise the price of diamonds would plummet and they wouldn't be as rich.Bala McAlinn: So they're like a secret Bond villain family who live on this diamond mountain and have servants who speak their own language.Bala McAlinn: And one of the children goes off to college and meets the protagonist of the story and invites him to come to the mountain. I won't give away what happens next, but it's bonkers and fascinating and exciting, innovative.Kelly Molson: Great. Sure. I've never read that either. So I'm going to add that to my list. All right. In terms of customer service, what has been your best ever customer service experience?Bala McAlinn: So I think in recent times, the one that instantly pops into my mind, is a client. So I will share that but I'll also potentially try to think of another one as well. So it doesn't just seem like I'm doing that.Bala McAlinn: So some of the greatest customer experience I've received in recent times is at the Macallan Distillery up in Speyside, which is just second to none, it.Bala McAlinn: When you talk about a five star customer experience, that phrase is used a lot, and people talk about world class customer, visitor, guest, whichever word you want to use, experiences and they are truly nailing it across the board in so many different ways.Bala McAlinn: So their team are fantastic, they've done a great job of investing in them, making them feel important, supporting them and you can just tell because it's so authentically good.Bala McAlinn: All the people you interact with truly want to be there, are truly passionate about Macallan and its history and there's so many good stories.Bala McAlinn: I think one of the last times I was up there, I was given a tour by one of the tour guides and they're in a unique position that not every organisation could do this, but when she was given us the tour, we're in a section that had, it wasn't a museum, but had a case that's like a museum case.Bala McAlinn: And there was an old hip flask in there. It was lady called Lindsay and she's, I would imagine, 25. So quite young in the world of whiskey. And then that was her grandfather's hip flask.Bala McAlinn: And she started telling us about how she's third generation on the estate and all this, and you're just pulled in and it was just such a powerful emotive story and such a connection with her.Bala McAlinn: And she's not unique. When you spend time there and meet other people, there's so many people who have a family connection to the place.Bala McAlinn: But it isn't just that. There's so many people who have immigrated from other parts of the world to come and work there and are equally as passionate. The whiskey is delicious and their food is sublime.Kelly Molson: Wow.Bala McAlinn: They do a incredible tasting meal that the chef Pavel creates and it certainly doesn't stay the same, it's all local ingredients.Bala McAlinn: A lot of it's come from the Spey on their estate and you'll have fascinating adaptations of trout and salmon and local beef and things all paired with wines and whiskeys and it's truly magnificent.Kelly Molson: You've sold it. If that isn't the power of storytelling I don't know what is. There's the example that we've all been listening for today.Kelly Molson: All right. Final icebreaker. I want to know, what is your guilty food pleasure?Bala McAlinn: Turkish Delight. There you go.Kelly Molson: Oh, okay.Bala McAlinn: Yeah, no, I love Turkish Delight. My palette, I've got quite a Victorian palette or something, because I don't like a lot of modern sweets, but I love Turkish Delight. I love marzipan.Bala McAlinn: So it's really convenient if there's a box of chocolates, because everybody goes in for certain truffles or different ones and the Turkish Delight or the marzipan one is often left till last.Bala McAlinn: But I'll definitely go for those or in a box of Celebrations, which I don't particularly like, but if I'm going to have one of those, I want the Bounty. I don't want the others.Kelly Molson: Why has Bounty got such a bad name? It is such a superior chocolate when it comes to Celebrations. I don't understand this. It's delicious.Bala McAlinn: Coconut's delicious. So I like those ones. But yeah, my real guilty pleasure is burgers. I had a burger last night. I eat too many burgers. It's just the perfect meal.Kelly Molson: So compact, all in one.Bala McAlinn: Picking up just a big meat sandwich with lots of cheese, lots of pickles, lots of things in it. Yeah, I'm happy with one of those.Kelly Molson: Okay. All right. And we're at unpopular opinion time. So what have you got for us?Bala McAlinn: I suppose my unpopular opinion, I don't really like technology. And a lot of people say that, but I think I genuinely don't.Bala McAlinn: And obviously I'm aware of how much technology has helped the world in so many ways and why we live longer and we can communicate with people who we wouldn't be able to have connections with if we didn't have technology.Bala McAlinn: But yeah, I find it annoying. So I don't like computers, I don't like phones. I keep a paper diary and a paper notebook, which everybody who works with me finds incredibly frustrating.Bala McAlinn: Because I can't share. I can tell them what I'm doing next Tuesday if they ask. But I can't let the counselors see it on a calendar invite.Bala McAlinn: I struggled getting on this Zoom call today. When you asked me to be on this, I said, "Yeah, but can we do it in person?"Kelly Molson: I said, "No, that's a real pain in the arse."Bala McAlinn: There's a huge insult and an indicator that you didn't really want to chat to me. And I was like, "Yeah, there's a lovely sunny day where we could be strolling through some woodland having a chat or doing something," and you could have invited your listeners to come as well, we could have had a picnic.Kelly Molson: So this will come. I just needed more time to organise it. Oh, it will happen. All right. Okay. Look, we all need technology in our lives but I know that this is quite stressful for you.Kelly Molson: But thank you. I appreciate that you've you've given this a go today for me. Do you think, now I want to talk about your background a little bit, because we've talked about this before and it is super fascinating how you've gone from being a classically trained actor to working with visitor attractions.Kelly Molson: So tell us about your background. So tell us how you've gone from being a classically trained actor to running Complete Works?Bala McAlinn: So yes, so I was an actor, not particularly successfully, but successful enough to do it for five years and pay the bills. Not Hollywood or Royal Shakespeare Company, which is where I wanted to be.Bala McAlinn: Lots of pantomime and theatre and education. And I did a couple of little bits on TV, which was fun, but nothing significant. So I enjoyed the lifestyle of being an actor and the fun and experience of it.Bala McAlinn: And then the reality is I met my now wife and she became more important to me than the lifestyle of basically not having to work that much, doing some shows, and getting to lie in the morning, which was great fun in my 20s.Bala McAlinn: But yes, so decided I needed something with a bit more stability, a bit more of a stable future progression. So yeah, started looking and thinking about what else I might do.Bala McAlinn: So I decided to become a cartoonist because that's really stable as well and the obvious progression from being an actor. So that was fun. That didn't work out.Bala McAlinn: But actually it did give me some really good experience because I started a greeting cards company.Kelly Molson: Oh, wow.Bala McAlinn: It was called Of Mice and Mice. And it was this mouse in human situations but what it did is it talked to me about sales and starting a business.Bala McAlinn: Designed the cards and had them made and website and branding and everything, and then sold them on Portobello Market in West London. So had a stall and sold them there, and they sold.Bala McAlinn: So I was like, "Great, that works." And then had to get them in shops. So I had to go through the process, which was really good for confidence building in terms of being a business person and sales, just having to book appointments, try and convince them to see you then come in and pitch your portfolio and get them to stock and supply you.Bala McAlinn: And so I did that for a year or so. I got 10 London stockists, which for ages I'd really wanted. It was like 10 London stockists, that's like a landmark.Bala McAlinn: So I got there and did it and then realised my cards, because they were printed on recyclable material with vegetable ink and recyclable and everything, costs like 50p to make and I could sell them for a pound to a shop. I have 10 shops selling me and I make about £30.Kelly Molson: Wow. Back to the drawing board.Bala McAlinn: Didn't give me the lifestyle I crave. But it was a good experience. So then I went back to thinking really about my skill set and what I'd done as an actor and the training I'd had to be an actor.Bala McAlinn: So I worked freelance for a number of years for a number of companies. So doing shows again and writing shows, but then working with visitor attractions.Bala McAlinn: So I did projects with the Science Museum and London Zoo, writing shows for them or tweaking the scripts of The Bubble Show and Rocket to Bullet show at science museum and Animal Talks at London Zoo and it was fun and I enjoyed that.Bala McAlinn: And so started doing more of that and then started a business doing that. My business, which I started in 2012, the original company, which we still do is training.Bala McAlinn: What we thought that the majority of our training work would be. The animal team, upskilling them to deliver a better gorilla talk or the workshop team, that's in the education team that museums have.Bala McAlinn: So we did that and we still do some of that, but quite quickly we saw that people were just asking us, "Oh actually, can you apply those skills to the front of house team? Because you're making the animal team better communicators. We want our front of house teams to be better communicators. And ultimately we want them to be better communicators to increase commerciality."Bala McAlinn: And that's where our business really took off for obvious reasons. If we're working to help people make more money, we get more work.Bala McAlinn: So focusing on using the skills of performance communication, improvisation, stagecraft in the environments of visitor attractions to upsell membership or increase onsite visitor donations or special exhibitions, is a huge benefit to the organisation and we are skilled and suited to do that.Bala McAlinn: So we started doing that and then the real unplanned success story of our business is then our staffing agency. So we started the business of training and consultancy, but then whilst I was working at Kew Gardens, this must be I think about 2013.Bala McAlinn: And I was doing communications training for their membership team and I'd mystery shopped them a few times to see the experience through the eyes of their guests.Bala McAlinn: And they had some membership promoters at the front, like sitting on stools behind a desk, and it said talk to me about membership. And I was looking at it and they're like, okay. And if people walked up to them, they would tell them about the membership, but there was no proactivity in it at all.Bala McAlinn: And so I'd put in the report. I was like, "It looks like you've got a real opportunity to increase the membership sales there." Because I was mystery shopping, I presumed, they were Kew staff.Bala McAlinn: They then told me that actually they were from a promotional agency that they book to promote the membership. And I said, "Well, they don't promote it. There's no proactive sales. It's just reactive. They sell the membership and it's testament to the strength of Kew Gardens offer that without any proactive sales..."Bala McAlinn: The results were good that. They were getting a decent return on investment from this company, but there was nothing proactive.Bala McAlinn: So I was like, "Well, actually I know load of actors. Let us have a go and let's see what we can do." So we trialed a summer of doing it and increased the sales exponentially and Kew were really happy.Bala McAlinn: And we were really happy and said, "Well, great, let us now do that for you." And, yeah, so our staffing agency is actors between roles predominantly working at visitor attractions and predominantly doing commercial tasks like membership sales or visitor donations.Bala McAlinn: And it's such a great model. Obviously it was my idea, but I didn't really take credit for it. It was like one of these lovely, accidental things where we saw it, we tried it, but the model worked so well.Bala McAlinn: And we love in the company, myself and my employers, supporting actors because a bunch of us are ex actors in my company so we like having that connection and supporting them.Bala McAlinn: And then the actors, we also like that we support actors and we do it by supporting the arts, which is a lovely little circle of artists supporting the arts in their job to pay the bills.Bala McAlinn: And because we're ex actors, we've managed to create an agency that works really well for our actors. We are only as good as our people on the staff and business.Bala McAlinn: And there are lots of promotional agencies and staffing agencies out there but we are quite niche and we are very good for our people, which makes them very good for us.Bala McAlinn: Because know the trials and tribulations of being an actor, whether it's London, Edinburgh, wherever, it's a tough job and you need to pay your rent and you need flexibility.Bala McAlinn: So we give our staff 100% flexibility so they aren't committed to a job if they get an audition or acting. Whereas if they're working in a bar or working somewhere else, regularly they say, "Oh, I've got an audition tomorrow." And regularly they're told, "Well, if you don't come tomorrow, you're going to lose your job."Bala McAlinn: So then they either turn up to work because they need that job, but then they're in a bad mood so they're not going to deliver great experiences or service for whatever they're doing or they just don't come or mysteriously, their grandmother gets sick or something.Bala McAlinn: So we know this can happen. Just give us as much notice as you can, but if you're not working just tell us, which means we have to restaff all the time, but it means that our staff are happy to be there.Bala McAlinn: And then appreciative that we give them that flexibility and we pay them well. It's a premium product and rightly so. We don't do any commission, which lots of our clients always ask, lots of other agencies do.Bala McAlinn: When I was an actor I did loads of sales jobs, telesales and charity fundraising and all sorts. And it was often commission based. And it's again, it's your highs and lows.Bala McAlinn: So if it's a sunny day and you are doing charity fundraising or membership at a visitor attraction, which is I didn't do myself then yeah, you're going to sell loads and it's fantastic. But if it's a rainy day, you are not.Bala McAlinn: And my experience of seeing people do it in other agencies and businesses when I did it was then on the rainy days nobody tries because everybody knows, "Oh, we're just going to get our per deal or something. We're not going to hit commission."Bala McAlinn: So everybody just sits back because there's no point. Whereas for us, we charge fair, we pay fair and our team appreciate that and the attraction can budget accordingly. It's not in terms of our billing, as can the staff.Bala McAlinn: And they know I will be able to pay my rent if I do those shifts or it might be that one might and that one not, and that emotional journey, we want them to be happy that they're there with the flexibility.Bala McAlinn: We want them to be happy that they're being paid well and then we pay them quickly as well, which lot of agencies don't because they're freelancers and they're used to being paid six weeks, two months after putting in an invoice.Bala McAlinn: So we pay our freelancers every other Friday. Used to be every Friday pre pandemic. We dropped it to every other Friday since the pandemic, but that's still much better than a lot of companies.Bala McAlinn: It means we are often in effect running a bank for our staff because our clients don't pay separate, we're not chasing invoices two months, three months, six months down the line.Bala McAlinn: But we get the results that we do with our staff because they are happy, well paid, have flexibility and know they're going to get paid next Friday.Kelly Molson: This is wonderful. Who have created an organisation or create a business that can deliver so brilliantly for both of the sectors, for both the actors that work for you and the attractions that you work for, that's a huge achievement. Something to be immensely proud about.Kelly Molson: I loved some of the things that you talked about there because I've had this conversation before. I think it was actually with Carly Straughan and a mutual friend of ours about visitor experience and attractions.Kelly Molson: And about how it does attract a lot of people from the theatrical world because you are on show, aren't you? When somebody comes to your attraction, you want that experience to be the best it possibly can be for them.Kelly Molson: And so essentially you are performing for them to make that happen. So it's amazing that you can bring people in that have that background to be able to do it.Kelly Molson: What I find fascinating is that you would never know either. So if I came along to the attraction, if I spoke to the membership people or I spoke to the donations people, whoever it is, I wouldn't know that those people didn't work there. You integrate them so seamlessly in that organisation that you would just think that they were there every single day.Bala McAlinn: Absolutely. And that's what we always tell our clients as well with the staffing offer that we do, we want them in the same uniforms as the rest of the team.Bala McAlinn: We don't want them to look like a promotional team or this is the special team that does something different because for the visitor experience, and this is something you see regularly where obviously in a large organisation there's lots of departments, lots of roles and responsibilities, but to the visitor, anyone wearing a badge or a lanyard or a green fleece or whatever it is, represents the organisation.Bala McAlinn: The visitor will just go to the most convenient person to ask a question or a query. And you do sometimes see in an organisation that isn't delivering great experiences that people work in silos and, "Oh no, that's not my department. You need to speak to someone else."Bala McAlinn: And people hate getting passed around. They just want to deal with the person there and get whatever service it is that they need at that time.Bala McAlinn: So for our guys, we want them in the uniforms so that they integrate also because we are doing sales and we want to do it in a somewhat sneaky way.Bala McAlinn: Because, and it's not malicious by any means, but it's that experience of if you're walking down a high street and you clock someone up ahead with a clipboard or an iPad smiling at you and trying to make eye contact.Kelly Molson: Run.Bala McAlinn: Can I cross it? I'm going to brave this fast moving traffic to get to the other side of the street to avoid this person who's going to either ask me questions on a survey or try and sell me something or get me to sign up something.Bala McAlinn: And that's a natural reaction that we have. So for our teams, we want them integrated and then we always lead with service. We never come straight in with sales because it's off putting. It can be jarring.Bala McAlinn: Wherever you are in the attraction, whether it's entrance, exit or mid experience, if you're suddenly interrupted with sales, it can take you aback. So our team are always trained and we have different processes at different sites, different organisations.Kelly Molson: Can we share an example of this? Because this was one of my questions about what we're talking about, because there's two very distinct trains here of what you do, but they intertwine, don't they?Kelly Molson: So it's very much about storytelling for sales, but also visitor experience as well. And this is the bit where they cross over.Kelly Molson: You've got some absolutely incredible case studies on your website about the results that you delivered. I've got here increased donations at the National Gallery by between 300 and 400%. That's phenomenal.Bala McAlinn: Yeah.Kelly Molson: How do you do that? How do you lead with the experience? What do you teach people to do?Bala McAlinn: Yeah, so that one specifically was all about improving the welcome experience at the National Gallery, which led to those results. So that was a great project.Bala McAlinn: Yeah. So that started 2016, 2017, something like that. So originally we won a tender to do a research trial and the National Gallery was great.Bala McAlinn: Because often we'll do a project like this and we just get given a week or a day even and it's hard to really work everything out in such a period of time.Bala McAlinn: But here we had four months and the tender was put out to see if you could increase onsite visitor donations with a team who self-funded themselves through increased donations, made additional income on top and did not affect the visitor experience.Bala McAlinn: The National Gallery, the director Gabriele, was absolutely resolute that he didn't want suddenly the experience to be altered. And everybody felt that they're being shaken down for cash as they came through one of the entrances.Bala McAlinn: And then in that tender, we won the tender, and then we were given six questions to answer over a four month period. It'll be, who will donate? Where will they donate? What other commerciality can you connect with donations? Times? Et cetera, et cetera.Bala McAlinn: But yeah, so we had four months. So we had four people, seven days a week for four months, with a tablet literally velcro'd to their patent and we'd change the patent every two weeks.Bala McAlinn: So we'd do something for two weeks, look at the data, record it and then tweak it and change it. So we'd try different scripts, different ask, different locations. And after every interaction they'd record on the tablet.Bala McAlinn: We split the visitors into I think, six different broad demographics. So they'd click the type of visitor, whether they donated, if they did donate the amount, and where they were and what time.Bala McAlinn: And we had something like, I can't remember exactly, 140,000 interactions over the period of time. So it was a huge amount of data. So we had the time and opportunity to get it incredibly slick.Bala McAlinn: And we found that there were really surprising, subtle changes and differences that would have dramatic effect on income. The positioning of boxes, the relationship of the positioning of boxes to where security is, or ticket desks or experiences again has dramatic effect. Security in particular. So it was fascinating.Bala McAlinn: So obviously National Gallery's on Trafalgar Square so you absolutely need security, absolutely need that. But the security does affect the visitor experience.Bala McAlinn: Because you're coming into an exquisite, arguably the world's greatest collection of art, and you're going through airport style, beepy things, having bags searched, which it's necessary, but it's not a pleasant visitor experience to have that.Bala McAlinn: So if that is happening and then immediately after that you have a welcome led donation ask, you'll get some, but you won't get as many as if you don't have that.Bala McAlinn: You can still have that, but simply by distancing it from that and distancing it can literally be a few meters and a door. So we moved security from inside the entrance to outside the entrance.Bala McAlinn: And the security guards, they're a bit like, "You can wear a coat, it's all right." We weren't always popular with the things that we did.Bala McAlinn: But yeah, by putting the security outside of the building, at both Portico and Sainsbury entrances that they're covered. So you could put the security there, people are searched, they then walk through the doors and it's like-Kelly Molson: That's the start, yes.Bala McAlinn: So they then disassociate. They then walk in and then they see a friendly, welcoming person who welcomes them to the National Gallery.Bala McAlinn: And, oh, they've now forgotten about the bag searching, forgotten that they had to shove their keys back in a bag or whatever it is.Bala McAlinn: They're now in the building, there's an instant release of tension from that and then they meet a friendly, welcoming person and their propensity to donate instantly increases.Bala McAlinn: And the training for the team there was relatively straightforward. We had 17 frequently asked questions that in such a high percentage can create a great, welcome experience.Bala McAlinn: Most people it's the Sunflowers, Whistlejacket, where's the cafe? Where's the toilet? What time do you close? That level of information can create a brilliant welcoming experience for most people.Bala McAlinn: Of course, there's occasionally somebody looking for a very particular more obscure work of art and that's different. And the team will then have to go to the very efficient in-house team who has a broader knowledge of the collection,.Bala McAlinn: But simply by welcoming people, answering a frequently asked question or two, and then informing people that the National Gallery is a charity and if you can donate, please do, donations skyrocketed.Bala McAlinn: And we kept it consistently between three to 400% for three years. So after the four month tender, we then won a two year contract to do it.Bala McAlinn: Well, there was an extension up to a year then we won a two year contract after that to do it. We kept it for three years at that level.Kelly Molson: That is phenomenal, that's phenomenal, isn't it? Because now it's not just about the visitor experience, not just about sales training, it's about location, it's about understanding how your guests enter your attraction. There's so much involved in it. That's fascinatingBala McAlinn: It's core to what we do and our background. And we predominantly look at three things, which are from the world of theatre, and that's storytelling, stagecraft, and improvisation.Bala McAlinn: Storytelling being your communications, the words you're delivering, but not just verbally with your mouth, but with your body and your tone and voice.Bala McAlinn: And we want whatever you are communicating for it to be articulate and for it to not just be heard, but to be understood.Bala McAlinn: So we look at the nuances of that, and little changes of script can have big differences in a donation ask or in a membership pitch.Bala McAlinn: And then, yeah, we look at stagecraft and if you are producing a play, of course, you have a tech rehearsal or several tech rehearsals.Bala McAlinn: And you block the play so that everybody knows exactly where they're going to be standing so that the technical team and the lighting designer plans it so that they make sure that if it's a touchy moment in the play or dramatic point that the lights are just right, and the audience can not only hear the words, but they can see what they're supposed to see.Bala McAlinn: And we look at that in the environments of visitor attractions, looking at where donation boxes are placed, membership asked, are they front and centre? Should they be?Bala McAlinn: And we'll often see them tucked away in dusty corners and people say, "Oh, nobody really ever donates." It's like, "Well, yeah, because so many people don't notice it or there's nobody interacting with it."Bala McAlinn: So we look at the stagecraft and then we look at improvisation because no two days are the same in a visitor attraction. And the ability to be able to think and adapt quickly on your feet is an incredibly useful skill.Bala McAlinn: And then match with that improvisation, that there's a principle, the yes and principle. When you are doing a scene, you don't block the scene, you don't simply say no, because if you do, it ends the scene.Bala McAlinn: So if I was doing the scene with you and you walked in and said, "Oh, hi, I've got a delivery. Are you John?" If I just say, "No." The scene ends.Bala McAlinn: Where I need to say, "Yes, I'm John. I've been waiting for my delivery. Please give it." So yes and drives the action forward. And we want that mindset within a visitor attraction as well.Bala McAlinn: We can't always say yes to every request, but we can offer an alternative. We can improvise. So somebody wants this X, if we know they can't have it, if we just say, "Oh, I want this." "No, you can't have it." Bad visitor experience.Bala McAlinn: But if I go, "Oh, wow, it's great you want that. However, I've got Y and I think you're really going to like this." Then we've driven the action forward, so yeah.Kelly Molson: I love this. Just going back to what you were talking about with Macallan right at the beginning where you talked about Lindsay and her story.Kelly Molson: Obviously she has a personal connection to the site, that was her grandfather's hip flask. She could talk about it very emotively. But how easy is it to train someone to be a good storyteller?Bala McAlinn: Everybody within reason and physical and cognitive abilities can improve their storytelling, certainly. And in the vast majority of cases, virtually everybody I meet and work with is a good storyteller.Bala McAlinn: They are just often not confident at storytelling so can't necessarily do it in a public environment. But you guarantee that when they are at home with their buddy or their family member, they've been telling stories for years.Bala McAlinn: In the vast majority of cases, there are of course exceptions to every rule, but often it's a fear of presenting or public speaking or interacting with people.Bala McAlinn: There was a study in the Washington Post, it was a year or two ago, of the most common fears in the United States and the third most common fear was snakes. The second most common fear was heights. And the number one most common fear in the United States of America was public speaking.Bala McAlinn: And there will be a correlation with the UK as well there. So I often tell people who aren't confident public speakers that that's pretty much the most normal thing to be, the most number one common fear.Bala McAlinn: So that's often in terms of delivering a briefing to a team of staff, or delivering a pitch to a board or conference speaking or something like that. Often lots of people have reticence to do that.Bala McAlinn: But storytelling in the environments of a visitor attraction is the same, this is public speaking and having the confidence to approach a family next to a work of art who are looking slightly confused and tell them the history of that takes confidence.Bala McAlinn: So to become a good storyteller, there's lots of tips and tricks. As when you go to drama school and when you become an actor in the rehearsal room, you learn lots of nuances of body, breath and voice, and that's great. Absolutely.Bala McAlinn: And that takes you to a higher level of technical ability in storytelling, but by far and above the most important thing is gaining experience more than the technique and it's gaining experience so that you become confident.Bala McAlinn: And what I say is experience leads to confidence and confidence leads to good practice. It's not about being a confident person, the most confident person in the world if you give them a task that they're inexperienced at, they may confidently give it a go, but they'll fail at it.Bala McAlinn: So whatever it is, whether it's public speaking, whether it's small interactions with a visitor, whatever it is, whatever task it is, you need to build experience.Bala McAlinn: And that takes time. So you just have to apply yourself to the task and repeat it and repeat it until there's a point that, "Oh, I've built confidence because of the experience I have."Bala McAlinn: Once I'm confident at the task, then that's when you start adding a bit of vocal technique or body language, more interaction, more humour, because you're now at a confident place where you can play around with it and get to that point of good practice.Bala McAlinn: Then that's fun, that's fun. It takes a while to get there but being at a place of good practice is joyful. And it's not just storytelling and public speaking.Bala McAlinn: We all do it in our jobs. A new job takes a while. A new job on a till, you don't know how it works, all the buttons, and you might be learnt quite quickly, but you're inexperienced for a while.Bala McAlinn: Until click, "Oh, I'm confident at it." Now I can run the products through the till whilst having a conversation with the visitor. For a while, I'm having to look at the till and do this and I can't.Bala McAlinn: Once I'm on the till at the place of good practice, I'm now asking that person how their day is and what did they say, noticing the kid. "Did you see the giraffe? That's great. He's called Henry." So I'm now adding to the experience, but because I'm at a place of good practice.Bala McAlinn: With storytelling, that place of good practice allows you to adapt and change for your audience. If you're having to think about your content and your technique, you are not fully in the moment and connected to your words.Bala McAlinn: If you've got to a place with good practice where I can deliver this animal talk, I can deliver this membership pitch, I can deliver whatever it is because I've done it so many times that I now don't need to really think about it like a person on the till.Bala McAlinn: I can be live, present in the moment, and listen and react. So because I'm not having to think about it, I notice that I start losing the attention of somebody who I'm presenting to.Bala McAlinn: And if I notice that I can probably get their attention back by changing the pitch of my voice or the volume or becoming very serious if I'm being jovial or becoming very jovial if I'm being serious.Bala McAlinn: A juxtaposition or a change brings the attention back. Or if I'm engaged in sales and I'm really confident what I'm delivering, I'll start noticing the bits of the pitch where there's a little flicker in the eye and I go, "Okay, they're interested in that benefit."Bala McAlinn: So I'll talk more about that benefit. Because if I'm not live in the moment, I'm just listing benefits and not really noticing what's good for them or not good for them.Bala McAlinn: So yeah, so to improve storytelling techniques, first and foremost it's just building experience. And you do it in safe environments, you do it with your friends, do it with your family, do it at work.Bala McAlinn: But you have to step out of your comfort zone a bit. You have to push yourself forward to learn and we can all become better storytellers.Bala McAlinn: I do it for a job and have done for a long time, but I certainly am not the best in the world and I'm certainly not the best that I can be.Bala McAlinn: And I certainly hope that, may have been doing it for 20 years, but I certainly hope in 20 more years I will be as much better then from where I am now 20 years.Bala McAlinn: It's a constant journey. It's a constant development. And to develop you need to just push yourself a bit further to the point where I am now a bit inexperienced and then do it, do it, do it until, "Oh. Now I'm confident and now I've grown and I'm better."Kelly Molson: And that's where the magic happens.Bala McAlinn: Yeah.Kelly Molson: Brilliant. Thank you. Absolutely excellent tips today that I'm sure our listeners are going to love. Just before we wrap up, I really want to ask you, how would an attraction recognise that they needed to get in touch with you?Kelly Molson: What's the pain points for them? We've talked a lot about donations side and driving membership. What's that trigger where they would need to think about calling you guys in?Bala McAlinn: So our core products are training and staffing. Some organisations we do one of those things, some we do both. So the training is we come in and deliver storytelling workshops, visitor experience workshops, or sales workshops for the in-house teams to build their confidence, build their experience at those tasks.Bala McAlinn: The staffing is where we simply come in and do it with our own people. Often we do both. I love combining the two on a project where if somebody wants to increase commerciality and wants their team to improve on it, for us to be the best we can be in the workshop, we need to experience it first.Bala McAlinn: So before a training workshop, we'll come and do some benchmarking where somebody will get in touch, say, "We want," whoever it is, "This department to sell more memberships."Bala McAlinn: We go, "Great. Can we come for a week and sell your memberships?" Then we'll come. We'll mystery shop it, look at everything, see if we recommend making a few tweaks in the stage craft.Bala McAlinn: Then we'll put some of our actors in uniforms in position for a week or two and sell the memberships because then we can say, "Okay, definitively we know on a Saturday you should be targeting X memberships. On a rainy Tuesday you should be targeting Y and it's achievable because we've just done it."Bala McAlinn: "And whilst we were doing it, we noticed that this little phrase or this benefit in the offer, that was the tipping point for so many people."Bala McAlinn: So then in the training room where we are training their staff then and we'll be using body language vocal techniques and getting their confidence to interact more with visitors.Bala McAlinn: But if we can then put in specific lines, specific little bits of script, that this little group of words had a great effect for anyone with kids. Oh, the retired couples mentioned that and then that's really useful for them.Bala McAlinn: We like scripts. We don't like anybody ever appearing to be delivering a script because that is the worst type, well, wouldn't say the worst side, it's an awful type of visitor experience.Bala McAlinn: And we've all experienced where you talk to someone and you know they're just saying something that they've been told to say and they've said it a thousand times today.Bala McAlinn: I use the analogy often of a good actor and a bad actor. We've all seen both probably. And the bad actor often appears to be not proficient at their work because they're not in the moment.Bala McAlinn: They're not connected to it because they're thinking about the words they're saying next or thinking about the action in the performance that's about to happen.Bala McAlinn: So suddenly the tone of voice goes a little monotone. Their eyes may come up because I'm not actually thinking about these words, I'm thinking that I need to go open that door because there's another character and you see them come out.Bala McAlinn: Whereas the actor who is the good actor can be delivering Shakespeare, 500 year old words that have been said millions of times, but we've hopefully all seen Shakespeare where it genuinely appears like these words have been said for the first time.Bala McAlinn: And it's emotive and beautiful and powerful and we know they're not, but because the actor's living and breathing that character, they're fully in the moment.Bala McAlinn: Whereas we want that in a visitor attraction. There will be a most likely route to commerciality, whether it's an exhibition ticket, a membership sale, a visitor donation, and then that will change for different audience groups.Bala McAlinn: But okay, you see the family, most likely benefits that appeal to them. You see the overseas visitor, most likely script that appeals to them.Bala McAlinn: So we want the team to know those, have learnt them. We don't want to turn a team into robots saying things but we want them to be at that point of good practice, where they're live in the moment, interacting, having fun.Bala McAlinn: But then there's the moment and suddenly they say something scripted. Like, "You must come to the Botanic Gardens in the fall. It's my favourite time of year. And with the membership, you can come back then too."Bala McAlinn: So it's just suddenly like a scripted line. It doesn't seem like it's scripted, but actually they've said it a lot. But because they've said it so many times and they've seen the benefit.Bala McAlinn: That oh yeah, mention autumn or mention snowfall at Christmas, say something emotive that you use storytelling to put the person you're selling to in the story, "You must come back in February, it's orchid season and you can walk through the glass houses and see these flowers in bloom."Bala McAlinn: And suddenly that person, because you've said, "You must come back," and you're using descriptive language, sees themselves walking through orchids in February and suddenly their propensity to buy a membership goes up because it's not February and they want to come back and they can take the price of their ticket off.Bala McAlinn: To absolutely improvise every single time for the visitor in front of you is a difficult task. Orchids, that's probably going to work at Kew Gardens because it's a growth thing.Bala McAlinn: Jousting, that's going to work at Historic Environment Scotland. It was jousting weekend last weekend. So we've been telling people about that. That was at Linlithgow Castle.Bala McAlinn: But we're telling people about it at Stirling Castle and Edinburgh Castle because they're there, buy the membership, you can go see the jousting. "Imagine being there and seeing..."Bala McAlinn: Suddenly you put someone in a store and then they get their propensity to buy whatever the product is.Kelly Molson: Oh you are good, you're good. I want to go jousting. I want to walk through the orchids. I want to be there in fall. That's the story, isn't it? That's the power of the story.Bala McAlinn: Excellent.Kelly Molson: All right. We're coming to the end of the podcast. I always ask our guests to recommend a book that they love to our listeners. It might be something professional, it might be something personal. What have you got for us today?Bala McAlinn: Cool. Okay. I've got a couple with an admission as well, which is a sad, sad truth about myself, I used to be an avid reader and used to read lots of books.Bala McAlinn: And I started my business 10 years ago and had two more children during that time as well. And for the past eight years or so I've become somebody who starts books and then never finishes them.Bala McAlinn: And George, one of the key guys I work with, George Mclean, always says, "If you talk about tiredness, it becomes a competition." "Oh, I'm really tired to that." "Oh yeah, I'm really tired." "Oh yeah, my kid woke me up at five." "Yeah, my kid was up at 2:00 AM."Bala McAlinn: And it's just this and the more you talk about tiredness, the more tired you become. But the reality is running a business, having kids, I've been exhausted for the last decade.Bala McAlinn: Try and read a book and just fall asleep. However, I do occasionally manage one. So there was a great book I read recently and actually did manage to finish called Get in Trouble by Kelly Link.Bala McAlinn: They're short stories. Maybe they're novelettes, their length, they're 100 page stories as opposed to full novels and in a exciting, surreal sci-fi type environment, which I very much enjoyed.Bala McAlinn: And I've bought a new book this week, which I haven't read, so it could be awful.Kelly Molson: It could be good. Who knows?Bala McAlinn: Hopefully. And it's more connected to visitor attraction industry. So there's a guy called Nick Gray who had a company called Museum Hack.Bala McAlinn: I met him at a conference, the Blooloop conference, in Liverpool a number of years ago. Great guy. Museum Hack was awesome. So it still exists, but he sold it.Bala McAlinn: So Museum Hack is an awesome company who does, primarily in America, tours and museums, but focusing on sex, death, value. So focusing on the idea everybody really wants to know how much that's worth.Bala McAlinn: And then things like people only have an attention span of a certain amount of time. And a lot of people I'd imagine will hate the sound of this, but it ticks boxes for me and they get rave reviews.Bala McAlinn: So they'll be delivering the tour in The Met or wherever and then after half an hour, they'll stop and all do a little bit of yoga because it then reconnects you and your attention span can come back.Bala McAlinn: And they are these super fun companies-Kelly Molson: I love that.Bala McAlinn: Great guy. Really interesting. And yes, so I met him there. We linked, I don't really know, but we linked on LinkedIn an occasionally like each other's post and things like that. He's just released a book called The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, which has just come out.Kelly Molson: Ah, I saw this. I saw this. I didn't know it was him. This looks great.Bala McAlinn: So I haven't read it, but I do know quite a lot about it because he's been talking about this for several years and so he hosts cocktail parties.Bala McAlinn: So he was in New York for a long time. He's now been moving around. I think he lives in Austin now. But yeah, so he used cocktail parties as ways to meet people.Bala McAlinn: And sometimes for business purposes, but also just to make new mates in a new town or a city. And so it's a easy to follow manual of how to produce a simple, effective cocktail party.Kelly Molson: Oh, wow.Bala McAlinn: Simple, lovely idea. So I bought it this week, but I'm looking forward to reading at least the first few chapters before then I fall asleep and it gets put-Kelly Molson: All right, well look listeners. As ever, you can win these books. So if you go over to our Twitter account and you retweet this episode announcement with the words, "I want Bala's book," you could be in with a chance winning that.Kelly Molson: I am going to buy this book and then what we can do is have a competition about who's read the least of it because they're the tiredest.Bala McAlinn: And then we can have a cocktail party, which is much more fun.Kelly Molson: In real life, without any technology.Bala McAlinn: Exactly.Kelly Molson: And that's perfect. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast today, Bala. It's been lovely to talk to you. Thank you for all of the tips that you've shared.Kelly Molson: We will put all of Bala's contact details in the show note. So if you need some sales training or if you need some help with your visitor experience, you'll know exactly where to go. Thanks for joining us.Bala McAlinn: Thanks a lot. Take care.Kelly Molson: Thanks for listening to Skip The Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us.And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip The Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast.

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Better Know Enset, The Banana-Like "Wonder Crop" That Can Fight Food Insecurity

Global Dispatches -- World News That Matters

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2022 23:50

Enset is a relative of the banana. It has been cultivated in a parts of Ethiopia for generations because it has several unique characteristics that make it a resilient and reliable staple crop. Despite Enset's incredible potential to support food security it is rarely -- if ever -- cultivated beyond the Ethiopian Highlands. culture. My guest, Dr. James Borrell is a research fellow at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, in the United Kingdom. He is the co-author of a recent study demonstrating that Enset could be productively grown in other regions of Africa, potentially providing a staple crop for over 100 million people. We kick off the conversation with an extended introduction to this "wondercrop" before discussing its potential to fight hunger and food insecurity in regions beyond the Ethiopian Highlands.

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Saving our trees - with Adam Frost, Tony Kirkham and Geraint Richards

BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2022 51:16 Very Popular

Beautiful trees and the UK landscape go hand-in-hand, but did you know that many of our beloved trees are under threat, becoming ravaged by pests and diseases? As part of National Plant Health Week, here, Gardeners' World presenter Adam Frost chats to former Head of Arboretum at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Tony Kirkham, and Head Forester for the Duchy of Cornwall, Geraint Richards, about the state of our nation's trees.Delving into which UK trees are currently under threat, from the caterpillar attacking popular parkland horse chestnuts, to ash dieback and acute oak decline, just how bad is it? Are we gardeners on the front line and more importantly, what, if anything, can we do to steer some of our most important native trees away from a possible point of extinction?Whether ancient specimens in native woodlands, or prize examples in our parks and gardens, trees have always been adored and celebrated by gardeners and nature lovers alike. So, listen now, as Adam, Tony and Geraint explain why we need to start taking tree health seriously and how to ensure we don't see some of them disappearing from our treescapes entirely.Plus, advice on what you should be planting into your garden, what to look for when buying a tree, how to spot a healthy one and best gardening hygiene practice for tackling biosecurity. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Postbag Edition

Gardeners' Question Time

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2022 41:44

Kathy Clugston is at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew with panellists Ashley Edwards, Matt Biggs and Anne Swithinbank. In a wistful turn about the gardens, some of the panellists remember the time they spent training at Kew, all the while sharing their advice on keeping plants alive when you go away on holiday, pruning plum and hawthorn trees, and planting for fragrant raised beds. Between the questions, the team visits Kew Gardens' Temperate House, learning all about the fascinating history of some of its rarest plants, the Treetop Walkway, and the Rock and Alpine collections, where they meet Head Gardener, Faye Adams. Producer - Jemima Rathbone Assistant Producer - Bethany Hocken A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4

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The business of seed banks

Business Daily

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2022 18:03

Increasingly scientists are using genetic material from wild plants to make agricultural crops more resilient to climate change. To find out how, Rebecca Kesby heads to the Millennium Seed Bank for the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, in the south of England. There she meets Dr Chris Cockel, one of their project coordinators. We also hear from Asmund Asdal of the Global Seed Vault, which is located in a mountain on the archipelago of Svalbaard, between mainland Norway and the North Pole. We speak to Dr Shivali Sharma, who is developing climate resistant varieties of pigeon pea, a staple crop in many parts of rural India. And Mohamed Lassad Ben Saleh, farmer in Tunisia, tells us how breeding crops that combine properties of indigenous wild varieties has improved the quality and yield of his crops. This is a repeat of an episode first broadcast on 17 September 2021. Producers: Clare Williamson and Benjie Guy (Picture: a hand holding seeds. Credit: Getty Images)

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The business of seed banks

Business Daily

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2021 17:28

Increasingly scientists are using genetic material from wild plants to make agricultural crops more resilient to climate change. To find out how, Rebecca Kesby heads to the Millennium Seed Bank for the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, in the south of England. There she meets Dr Chris Cockel, one of their project coordinators. We also hear from Asmund Asdal of the Global Seed Vault, which is located in a mountain on the archipelago of Svalbaard, between mainland Norway and the North Pole. We speak to Dr Shivali Sharma, who is developing climate resistant varieties of pigeon pea, a staple crop in many parts of rural India. And Mohamed Lassad Ben Saleh, farmer in Tunisia, tells us how breeding crops that combine properties of indigenous wild varieties has improved the quality and yield of his crops. Producers: Clare Williamson and Benjie Guy (Picture: a hand holding seeds. Credit: Getty Images.)

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Growing Orchids

Dig It - Discussions on Gardening Topics

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2021 68:36

In this episode we chat to top orchid expert Manos Kanellos and delve into why our love affair with houseplant orchids, especially the Phalaenopsis (Moth Orchid) remains as popular as ever. We discuss the care of growing orchids, the process of getting these plants from the test tube to the plant bench at the Garden Centre and we find out more about the potential pitfalls of growing them. Manos also explains how the successful company Growth Technology has revolutionised the way we nurture, feed and keep our orchids both healthy and happy, plus a sneak peek into a new book, Growing Orchids at Home written by Manos Kanellos and Peter White. Growing Orchids Show NotesOur guest, orchid expert Manos Kanellos from Growth Technology.Orchids mentioned in the podcastCymbidium (boat orchid)Dendrobium nobile hybrids (noble dendrobium)Ophrys apifera (hardy bee orchids)Phalaenopsis (moth orchid)Paphiopedilum (slipper orchid)Vanda (blue orchid)Growth Technology products mentionedOrchid Myst Orchid Focus Repotting Mix Orchid focus Bloom (high potash), Grow (high nitrogen) and Ultra (growth enhancer) (available in store)Orchid pots (clear transparent pots with air cone and plenty of drainage Manos Kanellos and Peter White's book, Growing Orchids at Home: The beginner's guide to orchid care. Published by the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (available in store)Growth Technology's Charity: Action Aid Contact Manos with your orchid queries Music by Chiltern Music Therapy See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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Ana Rita Simões trabalha nos Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, em Londres * Inseto da Austrália reduz significativamente o potencial invasor da acácia-de-espigas em Portugal.

Os Dias do Futuro

Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2021 48:47

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Mic The Gardener - Gardening Podcast - Roses Special with Michael Marriott

Mic The Gardener - Gardening Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2021 52:02

In this exciting, second 'plant special' podcast, Mike chats to world-leading rosarian, Michael Marriot, formerly of David Austin Roses, where he was an integral part of the team for 35 years. What Michael doesn't know about roses, frankly isn't worth knowing. Mike chats to Michael about everything you need to know about growing the best possible roses, including how to chose the best varieties, planting, pruning, feeding, watering and pests & diseases. He discusses some great practical and organic solutions whilst also dispeling some urban myths about growing roses along the way. Alongside his incredible knowledge and common-sense approach to looking after roses, he is also well-known for his rose garden design. As a garden designer, Michael is famed for his dense, romantic beds, whether planted purely with roses or mixed in with perennials. He has also designed many rose gardens and borders around the world. Alongside private gardens, Michael has also designed gardens in the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Queen Mary's Rose Garden in Regents Park, Hampton Court Palace, Wynyard Hall, Trentham Gardens and the David Austin garden near Osaka in Japan. In his work, Michael has travelled the globe, often sharing his expertise on the radio, television, and garden media publications and interviews. He has played a vital role in the development and popularisation of English roses and has an intimate knowledge of all of the 200+ English roses, bred and introduced by David Austin roses. So come and spend just under an hour with us and you'll go away with the very best rose growing knowledge you could ever wish to have. You can follow Michael on his Instagram account and at his website www.michaelmarriotrosarian.org And if you wish to contact Mike, you can contact him via his Instagram account or by his email micthegardener01@gmail.com.

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A Future Without Plants? No thanks!, with Carlos Magdalena (Plants and Our Health #10)

Not Another Science Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2021 47:44

This week we close the series with Carlos Magdalena, Senior Horticulturist at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Carlos is known widely as The Plant Messiah for his innovative successes assisting rare and endangered plants to reproduce and for thereby saving them from extinction. Together we muse on everything to do with The Future of Plants, from the ethics of deciding which plants live and which can't be saved, to how we might tackle the lack of empathy for plants in order to get people excited enough to fight for their preservation. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it seems we all have a role to play in protecting nature for the future, whether as a scientist, a horticulturist… even at home in the near future your own plant collections might include some rare protected species. To find out more about Carlos, you can follow him @Plantmessiah on Twitter. ‘Plants & Our Health' is a 10-part miniseries made in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and kindly supported with funding from the British Ecological Society. Not Another Science Podcast is co-created by Helena Cornu and Tom Edwick, brought to you by Edinburgh University Science Magazine (EUSci). Our podcast manager is Alix Bailie. The logo was designed by Apple Chew, and the cover art was designed by Heather Jones. You can visit our website at www.eusci.org.uk to check out the latest issue of the magazine, a ton of other cool science content by our student journalists, and to see how to get involved. You can also follow EUSci on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. All podcast episodes and transcripts can be found at www.eusci.org.uk/podcasts/. Music is Wallpaper by Kevin MacLeod (Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4604-wallpaper; License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license)

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17. Interview with Lucy Bell of Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

PlantNetwork Interviews

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2021 30:16

In this episode, we talk with Lucy Bell, Botanical Horticulturist at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, finding out about her responsibilities for the Broad Walk, her love of herbaceous perennials, and her plant-related modelling career! We also hear about Lucy's experiences of being on furlough during the first COVID-19 lockdown and how she feels now she is back at work.

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Tony Kirkham Head of the Arboretum, Gardens and Horticultural Services Kew Gardens, London.

Tree Lady Talks

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2021 50:58

Following an apprenticeship in the forestry industry and 2 years as an arborist, in 1978 Tony started at The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew on the 3-year Diploma course, graduating in 1981 with honours.He is now the Head of the Arboretum, Gardens and Horticultural Services, responsible for the management and curation of over 14,000 trees in the collections and curates and manages the hardy shrub and herbaceous collections as well.Please click here for Tony's full biography.

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Storytelling, with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Fresh Ears

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2020 30:22

A podcast for Kew Gardens. That will be a nice series about flowers and trees, right? Wrong. Kew know the power of storytelling, and they set out to create a wonderful podcast series of mysteries that would pull people in, make the very most of audio, and help listeners understand the extraordinary science that takes place under the Kew banner. Neil Cowling speaks to: Meryl Westlake – Senior Digital Content manager at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Katherine Kerr - Senior Producer - Fresh AirSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Episode #09 - How Sir Terence Conran Changed Our Homes

Break Out Culture With Ed Vaizey by Country and Town House

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2020 32:42

We talk to designer Sebastian Conran about his father's legacy and his influence on British design. We discover Cromwell Place in South Kensington, London's newest venue for galleries and collectors shaking up the art world. Plus we talk to the Dutch artist Jan Hendrix at his home in Mexico about his new exhibition, Paradise Lost, just opened at Shirley Sherwood's Gallery of Botanical Art at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. We're tracking down and rereading: The House Book by Terence Conran We're visiting Electronic: from Kraftwerk to The Chemical Brothers The Design Museum - Designmuseum.org Paradise Lost : an exhibition by Jan Hendrix The Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanic Art, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/paradise-lost-jan-hendrix-exhibition Cromwell Place in South Kensington Visitors must register to visit beforehand at Cromwellplace.com Edited and Produced by Alex Graham

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Finding A Career in Sustainability

Sustainability Matters Today

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2020 54:33

In this episode of Sustainability Champions, I speak with Jules Hayward, Learning Executive Lead at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Starting any career involved in changing global systems can sometimes be daunting. When we have a goal to positively impact the way our current economic and social systems interact with the earth and environment, it’s easy to feel small and powerless. We need to take the time to think about and figure out the role we can play in making us more sustainable. To make change, it’s paramount to acknowledge the current systems of thinking and accept the importance of letting natural systems regenerate and restore themselves. We can then adapt our society to a better way of living with the aim to evolve into a circular economy. If you’re looking for a career in sustainability, this episode will give you some amazing advice and tips. Jules joined her team at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in summer 2011, straight after completing her MSc with Forum for the Future in Leadership for Sustainable Development. She has a background in educational displays after working at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew for five years, responsible for designing horticultural displays that communicated core messages about biodiversity and conservation. She has a core interest in the process of learning, mapping this against the systemic role learning can play in accelerating the transition to a circular economy. In this conversation, we explore the importance of system thinking for finding global solutions and the fact that it’s easy to get overwhelmed when choosing how to shift our approach for the better. We discuss some interesting career tips for people wanting to have a purpose-driven career working on either climate change, business, education, policy making, urban planning or any other important area. Crucially, Jules also discusses ways to overcome apocalypse fatigue in order to start making an impact in our daily lives. If you enjoyed this episode, please give the Sustainability Champions podcast a 5-star review in the Apple Podcast app and subscribe so you’ll know when the next episode is released! Resources: Jules Hayward Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jules-hayward-356a2729/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jules-hayward-356a2729/) Ellen MacArthur Foundation: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org (https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org) Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellen-macarthur-foundation/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellen-macarthur-foundation/) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellenmacarthurfoundation/ (https://www.instagram.com/ellenmacarthurfoundation/)

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09. Interview with Daniel Jones, RHS Garden Wisley Diploma Student

PlantNetwork Interviews

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2020 19:23

PlantNetwork speaks with Daniel, a Level 4 Diploma student, ahead of his graduation on 27 August from the RHS School of Horticulture. We find out about his experiences as a student at RHS Garden Wisley as well as his training at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, a growing interest in montane flora and hopes for the future. Jazz trumpets at the ready!

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26 - Chris Collins

Fresh From The Pod

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2020 48:00

Chris Collins, the well-loved 'gardening geezer', describes his gardening adventures and how he has curated a horticultural CV to die for. From entry through apprenticeship he progressed into a career at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Westminster Abbey, before becoming a well-loved TV personality for the BBC. He's now an ambassador for gardeners to positively contribute to the environment in his current position as Head of Horticulture at Garden Organic.He's never happier than when surrounded by plants. He shares top tips on balcony gardening from his time living in Japan, to engaging the next generation of gardeners through the vast network of organisations out there,Tamsin Westhorpe, a Judge at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, hosts her brand new podcast, ‘Fresh from the Pod’. Listen to conversations with celebrity gardeners, environmentalists, conservationists and dedicated plant enthusiasts, to find out more about their lives. Fresh From the Pod is brought to you by Candide, the free app for plant lovers. Join Candide to be part of an informative and inspirational online gardening community, connecting gardeners and plant lovers of all ages not only to each other but also to an encyclopaedic wealth of gardening knowledge. Produced by Max Thrower, Chris D’Agorne & Ben Webb Edited, Mixed & Mastered by Ben Webb

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Trailer

Unearthed - Mysteries from an unseen world

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2020 1:26

James Wong introduces "Unearthed", launching August 5th 2020. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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How Great Audio Will Transform Your Videos with Chris Evans Roberts from Ithaca Studio

Video Talks - Conversations on the Business of Video ‣ Marketing ‣ Filmmaking ‣ Online Video

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2020 54:22

Chris Evans Roberts is an award winning creative composer, sound designer, light artist and founder and Managing Director of Ithaca Studio.Ithaca combine art, music and technology to make innovative experiences with sound and light. Founded in 2010, Ithaca became known worldwide for audio-visual remix and music production, winning multiple awards in audio, advertising and interactive video.In 2014 Ithaca’s work expanded into sound and light installation and light art. Ithaca have been shortlisted for the darc Architectural Lighting Awards and the Lumen Prize for Digital Art. Recent light art commissions include works at heritage sites including Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Blenheim Palace and Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.Ithaca work across both traditional and experiential advertising along with events industries.This interview was recorded on a beach in Brighton, UK before the COVID pandemic.-Video Talks helps creators, business owners and marketers learn from experts in their field to make the right decisions when it comes to making, using and commissioning video in all its forms – with your host, director Andy Greenhouse.

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Professor Steve Hopper Conservation Biologist to Director Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in London

All The Dirt Gardening, Sustainability and Food

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2020 52:59

Professor Steve Hopper's career in conservation biology has seen him name over 300 species of plants before serving as Director of two world class botanic gardens, Kings Park in Perth and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London. In 2012 he was awarded Australia's highest civilian honour, Companion of the Order Of Australia.

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Season 2 | Episode 16: Kew Royal Botanic Gardens

Sabrina's Dirty Deeds: The Gardening & Sustainability Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2020 39:31

With international flights still grounded, Sab and Jamie are taking you to London for a look around the amazing Kew Royal Botanic Gardens! Dating back to the early 18th century, the Kew Gardens are home to one of the most diverse plant collections on the planet. It's also world renowned for its plant and fungal research. Sab and Jamie chat with Director of Horticulture, Learning and Operations Richard Barley, who takes us on a virtual tour of Kew, explaining why it's far more than a tourist attraction.

Margaret Best, Seeing Plants Through Botanical Art

Talaterra

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2020 44:24

Margaret Best is an award-winning contemporary botanical artist and a respected teacher. Her work can be viewed in books, catalogs, magazines, public and private collections, and on coins distributed by the Royal Canadian Mint.How did Margaret stumble into this genre?What life experience prepared Margaret for the specialty she’s become known for?How does botanical art differ from flower painting?Let’s find out. LINKSMargaret Best’s websiteMargaret on Instagram (@margaretbest8904)Margaret on FacebookAnn SwanPandora SellarsCoral GuestAmerican Society of Botanical ArtistsOut of the Woods ExhibitionBotanical Art and ArtistsPlant BlindnessMargaret Best Designs Wild Rose for Royal Canadian MintMargaret Best Discusses Color in Botanical Art, Provides Tips for Informal Science EducatorsThe Blue of the Artist’s Ocean, an article for Environmental Education Week by Margaret Best

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Natural Histories : Poppy

Best of Natural History Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2019 27:41

Poppies are associated with many things but to most people they are a symbol of remembrance or associated with the opium trade. Natural Histories examines our fascination with the flower. Lia Leendertz visits the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew where James Wearn shows her a collection of poppy paraphernalia from around the world. Andrew Lack, of Oxford Brookes University and author of Poppy, explains how the flower made its way to the British Isles with the introduction of agriculture, and Joe Crawford of Exeter University describes the popularity of the opium poppy in 19th century Britain, especially among female poets. A vibrant opium trade led British horticulturalists to try and establish a home grown opium crop - without success. Fiona Stafford appraises the poppy in art encouraging us to look again at Monet's late 19th century painting of a poppy field in northern France. It was painted just a few decades before the outbreak of the Great War which established the red poppy as a permanent reminder of the bloodshed of fallen soldiers.

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EP 35 - Soil with Tim O’Hare

Roots and All

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2019 37:04

This episode, I’m talking about one of the fundamental cornerstones that underpins everything we do as growers - soil. And to talk about this vital element, who better than soil scientist and international expert on the subject, Tim O’Hare? Tim is the principal consultant of Tim O’Hare Associates and works on a wide variety of domestic and commercial projects, both in the UK and abroad. Tim answers questions about issues that most gardeners have faced at some point; soil compaction, poor drainage, working with the soil you have and what to look out for if you’re bringing new soil in to your garden. As well as possessing phenomenal knowledge on the subject, Tim explains things in clear and simple language and you will enjoy this episode whatever your level of gardening expertise. About Tim O’Hare Tim is the principal consultant of Tim O’Hare Associates, a leading independent soil science practice that provides soil investigation, testing and consultancy services to the landscape industry. He has been a Soil Scientist for over 20 years, working on anything from domestic garden projects to major construction developments. Tim and his team have worked on a wide variety of assignments throughout the UK and internationally, including the London Olympic Park and Commonwealth Park in Gibraltar. They also test and approve many of the topsoil and subsoil products that are sold into the landscape market nationwide. Earlier this year Tim was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by The Kew Guild (Association of Alumni of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew) for his “outstanding contribution to the environment”. We discuss: Common problems with soil management Storing and moving soil during building works Soil compaction Wet soils Ways to combat poorly draining soils Bringing life into new or damaged soils The impacts of transporting soil into and away from a site What to look for when you’re buying soil Soil contamination Tim’s more challenging/unusual work Soil erosion and the shape of our future food production Links: Tim O’Hare Associates - Soil & Landscape Consultancy www.timohare-associates.com London Olympic Park www.queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk 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

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Conservation of Fungi with Giuliana Furci

Mushroom Revival Podcast

Play Episode Play 30 sec Highlight Listen Later Sep 3, 2019 66:40

Today we highlight the immensely important work of Giuliana Furci. We discuss the conservation of fungi and why it's important. How do we address endangered species of fungi? How can we actually take action and support these critical measures? We also cover women's role in mycology, how and why mycology needs to be incorporated into educational curriculums, and so much more. .Giuliana founded Fungi Foundation in 2012, through which she has focused on the conservation of fungi, sustainable collection of edible wild mushrooms, education, mycological explorations, the curatorship of the FFCL Fungarium, and the creation of national and international mycological capacity. Her achievements have led her to work and partner with important international institutions such as the Farlow Herbarium of Harvard University, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, and the Telluride Mushroom Festival, among others. Chile is the only country in the world that has included fungi in its environmental legislation at the highest legislative level, thanks to Giuliana's fundamental role. This legislation has created dozens of jobs for and initiated formal financing for mycologists in Chile. Giuliana has written and collaborated with numerous publications including “Fungi Austral” and “Field Guide to Fungi of Chile” vol 1. and 2.

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Budcast - Going Peat Free with John Walker

Roots and All

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2019 38:53

Sarah speaks to the Earth Friendly Gardener, John Walker about the use of peat in our gardens. We all know it's bad, but how bad is it and what's being done to prevent the use of peat in horticultural products? Is it realistic to think we can eradicate our use of peat? John is one of the foremost experts on this topic and it's fascinating to hear his thoughts. Sobering stuff indeed... About John: “As well as being a lifelong gardener and allotmenteer, I’m also an award-winning British gardening and environment writer with over 30 years combined experience in professional gardening, horticultural teaching and the garden media. I trained as a student gardener at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens & Glasshouses, Cambridge University Botanic Garden, and at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, England, where I was awarded the Kew Diploma in Horticulture in 1986. I gained a Permaculture Design Certificate in 1997. While in publishing, I’ve been both features and deputy editor of Garden Answers magazine, contributing editor of Kitchen Garden magazine, and have been technical editor of The Organic Way. My long-running ‘digging deeper’ column, exploring the connections between gardening and our wider environment first appeared in Organic Gardening (later Organic Garden & Home) magazine in 2006. I write and blog about greener, earth-friendly gardening for national newspapers, magazines and websites. My work has been published in NFU Countryside, Garden Answers, Garden News, Grow It!, Kew magazine, Organic Gardening (later Organic Garden & Home), the Telegraph, The Garden, The Organic Way and Kitchen Garden, and online at the Guardian and Hartley Botanic. I’m the author of the new and updated Weeds: An Organic, Earth-Friendly Guide to Their Identification, Use and Control and The Bed & Border Planner, the editor of A Gardeners’ Guide to Annuals, and a major contributor to the Garden Organic Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening.” John’s website is a treasure trove of articles and information, please do check it out: http://earthfriendlygardener.net You can buy a signed copy of John's latest book, Weeds: An Organic, Earth-friendly Guide to Their Identification, Use and Control' here 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

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374: John Anderson, Windsor Great Park

BBC Good Food Show Summer / BBC Gardeners’ World Live - Birmingham NEC 13 - 16 June 2019

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2018 29:48

John Anderson assumed the role of Keeper of the Gardens in June 2016 and has responsibility for 120 hectares across the Windsor Estate, including The Savill Garden and The Valley Gardens as well as the private garden at Frogmore House. In addition to his work at Windsor Great Park John is also Vice-Chairman of the RHS Plant Comittee and an RHS Judge. Peter Donegan sits down with John to chat not just how achieved this most unique of titles and roles, but also what it involves, what makes a great park, how the greats (parks and gardens) are worth visiting 12 months of the year, what exactly is The Crown Estate and why they are involved with Royal Ascot and Ascot Spring Garden Show - and as is per usual with The Sodshow and Peter, we go entirely off the point and hopefully come back again. The Sodshow is available every Friday in iTunes, all good podcast stores and www.sodshow.com John Anderson studied at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin and previously held the position of Head Gardener at Inverewe (Scotland), Mount Usher (Ireland) and Exbury Gardens before moving to Windsor. If you have a moment a rate / review in iTunes would be just fantastic. Much thanks for listening X Twitter: @sodshow facebook: The Sodshow instagram: sodshow

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Matt Biggs - BBC Gardeners World Live 2018

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2018 8:36

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.

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367: Andrew Fisher Tomlin, Part 2

director australia europe society new zealand fall in love caribbean fellow tomlin andrew wilson london college garden design andrew fisher royal botanic gardens kew rhs chelsea peter donegan

Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2018 29:52

Over 2 episodes Peter Donegan and Andrew Fisher Tomlin sit down together to chat just about everything you can think of. From music, being a former RHS Chelsea judge and working with Andrew Wilson and the greats to young people in horticulture, gardens that make you fall in love, not sitting still and things that get on your nerves; in a nutshell. The Sodshow is available every Friday in iTunes, all good podcast stores and www.sodshow.com Well known for the creation of gardens and parks in many countries including Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean and across Europe for which he has won many awards. He is a passionate advocate for professional skills training, encouraging young talent and working with many organisations to promote education and careers in horticulture and design. He is a Director of the London College of Garden Design based in the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Widely recognised as one of the leading colleges for training in garden design Andrew leads a unique planting design diploma informed by his horticultural background. Andrew is a Chartered Horticulturist and Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers. Further info: web: www.fishertomlin.com twitter: @fishertomlin fb: FisherTomlin And, if you have a moment a rate / review in iTunes would be just fantastic. Much thanks for listening X Twitter: @sodshow facebook: The Sodshow instagram: sodshow

Episode 4: World Botanical Art Day Special with botanical illustrator Lucy Smith

Inky Leaves Podcasting - An Audio Sketchbook

Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2018 17:27

Today I am joined by botanical illustrator Lucy Smith to talk about her work at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and what we can expect for Botanical Art Worldwide Day. The bird recordings are the notorious parakeets which live in Kew Gardens and were recorded by me in 2016. We had numerous technical problems so apologies for the quality of the recording towards the end. After quite a bit of editing, I think we made it through! IMAGE: Lucy Smith © n.b. The 18th May 2018 is Botanical Art Worldwide Day; a groundbreaking event which sees botanical artists, organizations, and institutions collaborating together simultaneously worldwide.

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365: Andrew Fisher Tomlin

director australia europe society new zealand fall in love caribbean fellow tomlin andrew wilson london college garden design andrew fisher royal botanic gardens kew rhs chelsea peter donegan

Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2018 29:56

56. Simon Irvine

Odlarna

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2017 88:25

Under internatskoleåren i England på 60-talet blev en kolonilott hans tillflyktsort och glädjelucka, och odling och trädgård blev så småningom också hans yrkesval. Efter utbildning på Royal Botanic Gardens Kew och arbete som trädgårdsmästare hos såväl National Trust som hos en ekoodlande före detta militär, hamnade han i Sverige där han gjort sig känd som designer bakom både permanenta skapelser som rosenträdgården på Wij och tillfälliga utställningsträdgårdar, liksom som grundare av trädgårdsutbildningen Dacapo i Mariestad. Mest förknippad är Simon Irvine kanske ändå med Lilla Slottsträdgården på Läckö slott där han nu verkat i 27 år, och här berättar han om tankarna med denna kravmärkta potager som ger lika mycket till ögat som till gommen. Hör om att ha en fröbank med växtlighet i jorden, om att medvetet locka bladlöss till trädgården, och om att allt som odlas på Läckö kommer till användning i slottets restaurang. Hör också om kompostens centrala roll, de stora fördelarna med veganodling, och att det svåraste med att vara vegan är att avstå från yllestrumpor. Dessutom får du veta varför torvinblandningen i ”jord” och gödsel på påse behöver upphöra. Intervjun är inspelad den 5 september på Läckö utanför Lidköping.

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Babbage: What can science do for my garden?

Economist Podcasts

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2017 24:33

The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew has unlocked the DNA sequence of thousands of plants. Is the ability to manipulate colour and smell good news for the worldwide floral industry? Also: Pests and pathogens thriving in a warmer climate could wipe out our woodlands. And is Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank the ultimate horticultural insurance policy for the planet? Kenneth Cukier hosts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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Babbage: What can science do for my garden?

Babbage from Economist Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2017 24:33

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302: Tara Moloney, White Dove Nurseries. The Sodshow, Live at Bloom Fringe

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2017 28:10

Peter Donegan chat with Tara Moloney of White Dove Nurseries, Limerick. @sodshow - twitter. facebook - The Sodshow Live from Powerscourt Townhouse Centre as part of Bloom Fringe, Tara does what was unknown to Peter pre that, her first interview ever. In this case it was live, in front of an audience. In late 2012, Tara moved to Co. Limerick from Surrey in the UK. Having both worked in the South East in professional horticulture, for more than 15 years, we had an idea that we might pool all of our green experience into one resource, and set about buying an old worm farm and turning it into a plant nursery in Templeglantine. Of note: Tara has a weekly stall at Limerick's famous Milk Market, where they sell locally grown plants, plant curiosities and our range of heirloom seeds for flowers and vegetables. Alongside Tara is Mark Lewis; an experienced Retail Horticulture Manager and Print Photographer with extensive plant knowledge and has worked for one of the UK's best known garden chains, Squires, for over 10 years. Mark now runs the Nursery at the farm. Tara Maloney has worked in various niche roles in Retail Horticulture and Garden Management for over 10 years. Starting out at Squires in Twickenham as a part time assistant and then leading a region for Notcutts Tara managed some of the South East's best Planterias and worked as a Regional Horticulture Manager for Wyevale. In 2009, she designed and built a garden for the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show, winning a Silver-Gilt Medal for 'The Dinosaur Den'. Tara studied Garden Design and RHS qualifications, and worked for various private homes and A List clients in the central London area as a gardener, florist, and sometimes, as the clients demanded, a housekeeper! Tara also worked for the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, alongside Quincy Leon Head of Licensing and Product Development and as the plant buyer, sourcing plants for the gardens and shop, as well as providing an opportunity for engagement between the public and the gardeners at Kew. Prior to moving to Ireland, Tara took on a year's consultancy with the staff of the aspirational Petersham Nurseries, in Richmond, Surrey. Working closely with Lara Boglione, Managing Director and Lucy Boyd, Culinary Director, Tara managed the team through a period of change at the Nursery - overhauling and re-organising the plant shop's business systems, horticulture practices and renovating and co-ordinating the re-design and opening of the last derelict Victorian Glasshouse into a fully flexible on site public arena for events, meetings as well as an aspirational indoor retail space. This year they are working to set up an outdoor Cut Your Own Flower beds, and hope to be in some sort of running order by the end of July 2017. In the meantime, we have our permanent market stall at the Milk Market and are looking forward to another great year with our seed collection. In the heart of the Cafe and Fashion Quarter, we offer a selection of houseplants, outdoor plants as well as in season cut flowers and planted gifts. Links: Twitter: @WhiteDoveLMK Facebook: WhiteDoveNurseries

301: Philip Turvil, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew