Biodiversity life stories - people and plants

Local resident Sam Bridgewater is familar to the festival as Head of Conservation and Wildlife at the Pebblebed Heaths Conservation Trust.  Less well-known, perhaps, is that he previously spent 15 years as an academic researcher at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, and at the Natural History Museum, London.  

With his research hat on, Sam is co-author of Flora Celtica - Plants and People in Scotland (2013), which explores the wide variety of ways that native plants have been, and continue to be, used in Scotland.  The book is based on information given by the public, as well as on detailed research, and covers a wide range of plant uses.  It explores their diverse roles - in diet, healthcare, culture, housing, language, environment, crafts and more - and documents the continuously evolving relationship between the Scots and their natural environment.

Drawing on this wealth of knowledge, Sam's presentation will be based on recordings of voices of all ages, talking about plants and their uses.  Although based in Scottish experience, there are many parallels between the flora of Scotland and of lowland heathland such as the Pebblebed Heaths.  The evening will also be a chance to remember and to share our own stories of familiar plants and their uses.

Entry by donation.

No need to book.

Pebblebed Heaths Conservation Trust

Flora Celtica - Plants and People in Scotland