Natural England says that the River Axe is in unfavourable condition and declining despite a decade of investment and energy to turn things around.  But despair is a luxury, and Devon-born Vicky Whitworth, co-chair of Friends of the River Axe, will tell the tale of those heroes working hard to make things better for their Axe rivers.

James Hitchmough is Professor Emeritus in the School of Architecture and Landscape at the University of Sheffield where his work focused on encouraging more species rich, nature-like vegetation in urban greenspace.  He retired in 2022 but continues to work as a design and management consultant in the UK (for example the Knepp Wilding Garden) and around the world. When not writing or speaking at conferences and workshops, he is developing a new garden on the edge of Clayhanger hamlet. See James Hitchmough on Instagram for a view into his world.

What can gardens do for biodiversity and sustainability in a time of climate change?

One of the great things about gardens is that there are a lot of them (more than 16million in the UK) and unlike much urban public space, each has a resident gardener of some sort, who generally cares about what happens there.  In this talk I will explore some of the possibilities of increasing the benefits of gardens for people and wildlife, and what current scientific research has to say about all of this.  I will use my own garden project (plus a little of my professional work) to illustrate some of these ideas and how I have tried to do as little harm as possible in the process.

James Hitchmough is Professor Emeritus in the School of Architecture and Landscape at the University of Sheffield. He retired in 2022 and is developing a new garden on the edge of Clayhanger.