Talk on the Wild Side – Details, episodes & analysis

A run down and overgrown medieval churchyard in Sandwich has been restored to a beautiful wildlife haven by a group of local volunteers. In this amazing story, you'll hear from the people who brought this churchyard back to life and find out what they discovered when they peeled the ivy back from the tombstones.

It takes a community of passionate people to make a difference and you can really tell that has happened here in Sandwich. With a bit of organising and hard work, each person has found a role, whether that be to document the history of the place and the people buried here or clearing overgrown vegetation, they all work so hard to make this place a special site for anyone who wants to visit.

Visit the project site here: https://stclementsandwich.org.uk/churchyard/

Watch a shortened version of this podcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tmD5vOYhqOU

Read the transcript here: https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/blog/rewilding-churchyard-sandwich-podcast

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Iain Tolhurst NBE is a pioneering organic farmer and owner of Tolhurst Organic Farms. This farm has made quite a name for itself because it is able to feed 350 families on 14 acres of what is classified as poor quality agricultural land up to now, without any government subsidies. He manages this land with minimal external inputs to the farm. This means no chemical fertiliser or pesticides. He also does this without any livestock or external fertility from animals. Nearly 20% of his farm is trees and an additional 40% set aside for green manure. So how does he do it?

Iain's farming methods have been so well recognised that he was awarded an Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to agriculture. Iain believes in using natural farming systems to create soil fertility and enhance biodiversity. Could this be the future of farming?

Visit the Tolhust Organic website to find out more: https://www.tolhurstorganic.co.uk/

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We're choughed to bring you our 6th episode of Talk on the Wild Side, featuring the reintroduction of the red-billed chough to the Kent countryside thanks to a partnership with Kent Wildlife Trust, Wildwood Trust and English Heritage. We speak to Liz Corry, Chough Release Supervisor at Wildwood Trust who knows the first chough to be reintroduced very well and treats Rob to the spectacle of watching them fly over Dover castle.

Rob also joins James Smith from Loddington Farms in Kent. This 5th generation fruit farmer talks about his work transforming the soil underneath the farm and improving the quality and quantity of his harvest by transforming the soil underneath his feat. Join Rob as he tours the farm and sees it for himself.

Finally, Rob meets Emily Mason, Sustainability Coordinator at the University of Kent who recently won a Kent Wildlife Trust, Wilder Kent Award gold medal. Emily gives Rob a tour of the campus and explains how a busy diverse campus life can co-exist with wildlife and work with nature to reduce its carbon impact.

Episode links:

• Chough Reintroduction Project
• Liz Corry LinkedIn
• Loddington Farms Website
• James Smith LinkedIn
• Sustainability Strategy at University of Kent
• Emily Mason LinkedIn

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Rob Smith heads to Brightlingsea Marina in Essex to talk oysters with Matt Uttley, Restoration Project Manager at Blue Marine Foundation. He discovers the difference between our native oyster and the Pacific oyster and why Matt is on a mission to boost the population numbers of our native oyster, the European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) with a number of partners forming a group known as ENORI.

He also visits the Wilder Blean project in Canterbury for another safari, this tracking Exmoor pony footprints through the forest led by bison ranger Tom Gibbs. Find out the Blean forest is being managed naturally by bison and grazing animals.

Finally, Rob heads to RSPB's Dungeoness Nature Reserve to meet Reserve Warden, Craig Edwards. The site is set near an airport and nuclear power station, a bleak desert landscape and yet home to an incredible array of life! Learn more about the great conservation work happening on the site.

Links:

• Oyster Reintroduction Project - Blue Marine Foundation
• Bison Ranger Experiences - Kent Wildlife Trust
• RSPB Dungeoness

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As the Autumnal months set in, we return for the 4th instalment of Kent Wildlife Trust's podcast; Talk on the Wild Side. In this episode, we head to RSPB Northward Hill Nature Reserve on the Hoo Peninsula to hear from Area Manager Alan Johnson about the site's incredible journey of transformation and its value for wading birds such as lapwings and redshanks.

Rob talks to Paul Hadaway, Director of Conservation at Kent Wildlife Trust about river pollution and the State of Nature Report. And finally, Rob joins the team at National Trust's Emmett's Garden for their fungi festival where they discuss the role that fungi play in our ecosystem and why they should be celebrated!

Northward Hill Nature Reserve: https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/northward-hill/

Save Our Stour: https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/blog/save-our-stour

State of Nature Report: https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/campaigns/election-manifesto

Emmetts Garden: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/kent/emmetts-garden

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Join us as we head deep into the Natural History Museum to private access areas where scientists are lurking. We meet Piotr Cuber, Senior Molecular Microbiologist at the Natural Museum to discuss soil science, in particular at West Blean and Thornden Woods, where Piotr and his team are looking to find out how the soil there will change as a result of the bison presence. In this episode, we also speak to Ellen Wilson, Farmer Cluster Officer at Kent Wildlife Trust about how she works with farmers in the Upper Beult and we also speak to Elizabeth Watts at her wildlife-friendly garden in Bearsted to discuss tips and tricks for welcoming wildlife to your garden.

Links:

Natural History Museum Molecular Lab Team: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/departments-and-staff/core-research-labs/molecular-laboratories/molecular-lab-team.html

Piotr Cuber on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/piotr-peter-cuber-816279a2/

Nature friendly farming, Kent Wildlife Trust: https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/our-work/farming

Wild About Gardening, Kent Wildlife Trust: https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/wilder-gardens

Note: This scientific effort from the Molecular Labs at the Natural History Museum still needs support so if you can help fund the research, please get in touch with Piotr!

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As part of our second installment of Talk on the Wild Side, Rob visits GrowUp Farms in Sandwich; an unassuming building where the future of farming is being successfully implemented. Rob will be talking with GrowUp's impact director, Gillon Dobie, discussing this cutting edge of agriculture.

Nearer the start of the programme, Rob visits our private Ham Fen reserve to learn about its beaver population, their reintroduction and give us all an update on how the project is progressing. And, linking in with the site's importance as a store of carbon, he then talks to our Director of Development, Sarah Brownlie, about our Wilder Carbon initiative, education and just how should we work with large businesses to protect and restore the environment.

So, please, join us as we take another... Talk on the Wild Side!

Links:

Sarah Brownlie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-brownlie-nee-thienel-acipd-855a774b/

Gillon Dobie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillondobie/?originalSubdomain=uk

Kent Wildlife Trust's Safaris: https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/safaris

Wilder Carbon: https://www.wildercarbon.com/

GrowUp Farms: https://growupfarms.co.uk/

Kent Wildlife Trust's Beaver Project: https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/beaver-project

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In the first ever episode of Talk on the Wild Side, hosted by Rob Smith, you'll hear from Kent Wildlife Trust CEO, Evan Bowen-Jones, you'll join Rob on safari as he takes a tour of Oare Marshes with Area Warden Nadia Ward and you'll hear from Martin Richmond-Coggan of Green Farm. A regenerative farmer who teaches us about the value of mob grazing.

Links:

Evan Bowen-Jones LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-bowen-jones-72377677/

Evan Bowen-Jones on Twitter: https://twitter.com/EcoLlogik

Wilder Kent 2030 Strategy: https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/wilder-kent-strategy

Kent Wildlife Trust Safaris: https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/safaris

Oare Marshes Nature Reserve: https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/nature-reserves/oare-marshes

Green Farm: https://www.greenfarmkent.co.uk/

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Once heard purring in every corner of Marden, the turtle dove is now under threat; both in Africa where it spends its winters, and here in the UK where it spends its summers. What happens when a passionate community of wildlife lovers decide to take action to bring this evocative bird back to its former glory? In this episode you will hear from farmers, ornithologists, scientists and community residents who have taken it upon themselves to make Marden a turtle dove haven.

A project like this has many facets, so Rob interviews;

• local farmers Christine Cox and Lou Carpenter about how they're creating habitat for turtle doves with the help of Natural England,
• scientist Kirsty Swinnerton of Kent Wildlife Trust discussing the GPS tracking of turtle doves and more about their ecology,
• Lyndsay Whitby and Karen Latchford, volunteers and Marden Wildlife Group members who scour thousands of hours of footage of turtle doves to get a picture of their behaviour and learn about population numbers,
• and Ray Morris, one of the founding members of Marden Wildlife Group and resident ornithologist.

Find out more: https://mardenwildlife.org.uk/

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