BLOG POSTS – Page 18

Sunday book review – Land Beneath the Waves by Nic Wilson

Mark June 1, 2025 Comments Off

The publisher’s attempt at describing this book’s genre seems pretty accurate to me, loaded as it is with words such as ‘health’, ‘self-help’, ‘illness’, ‘well-being’, ‘family’ and ‘memoir’. Would there be enough nature in here for me, I wondered. And the answer was a resounding ‘yes!’ (although one can’t easily have too much). Those drawn…

Sunday book review – Words from the Hedge by Richard Negus

Mark June 1, 2025March 28, 2026 Comments Off

I’ve been looking forward to reading this book and that feeling was justified by the pleasure it gave me. Most of the pleasure was because this is a well-written book by someone who seems to be an interesting man with whom I’d be very happy to share a few pints at some stage. He is…

A letter to my MP, Lee Barron

Mark May 28, 2025March 28, 2026 Comments Off

Dear Lee, I am writing to ask you to attend a Westminster Hall debate on the afternoon of 30 June where a parliamentary petition will be debated as the petition gained over 100,000 signatures. It is a petition close to my heart, indeed I was one of the three directors of the campaigning group, Wild…

Bank Holiday Monday book review – Wildly Different by Sarah Lonsdale

Mark May 26, 2025March 28, 2026 1 Comment

I wondered whether this book, written by a woman, about five women environmentalists, with praise from three women on its cover was for me but it most certainly was. I’ve read the words about two of the five women – two who lived and worked in the UK – but I may well get to…

Protect peat from windfarms petition passes 10,000 signatures

Mark May 25, 2025March 31, 2026 Comments Off

This petition – click here – has passed the 10,000 signature mark and now will get a response from government. Jenny Shepherd said “It is vital that the Government acts on our message about the importance of protected peatland throughout England. Their drive to speed up construction of big onshore wind farms is all about reaching…

Sunday book review – Fenland Nature by Duncan Poyser and Simon Stirrup

Mark May 25, 2025March 28, 2026 Comments Off

This is a good guide to The Fens which takes a sensible approach to its nature. It describes the history of this low-lying expanse through which the Great Ouse, Nene, Welland and Witham used to wiggle their way but now take more man-decided straighter routes on their ways to The Wash. Maybe 1% of the…

Ban driven grouse shooting will be debated on 30 June

Mark May 24, 2025March 26, 2026 1 Comment

Guest blog – Midhope track, a final resolution by Bob Berzins

Mark May 24, 2025March 31, 2026 4 Comments

Bob Berzins is a campaigner and activist. His previous guests blogs here all focus on the management, or mismanagement, of upland areas such as the Peak District, Walshaw Moor and the North York Moors. See also his novels Snared and The Last Crow. Of all the environmental damage found on grouse shooting moors, road building…

Guest blog – Walshaw Turbine 33 by John Page and Nick MacKinnon

Mark May 22, 2025March 31, 2026 2 Comments

John Page was born in the West Riding, a proud Yorkshireman and was taught to play cricket left-handed “ ’cos it flummoxes t’ bowler, and buggers up t’ field.” He went to university in London and Leeds, and enjoyed (most of the time) attempting to teach young people that there’s a big wide world beyond…

My response to the consultation on heather and grass burning in England

Mark May 21, 2025March 25, 2026 1 Comment

This is how I responded to the consultation on heather and grass burning in England. If you’d like to respond too then you have until 25 May, five days, to do so. It’s pretty quick and it is a way to support the campaign to ban driven grouse shooting, or at the very least to…