Caught by the River

The Kenneth Allsop Memorial Evening

13th October 2013

KA at Mill

Fields, Rivers and Bees.

At the Electric Palace in Bridport, Dorset
On 6.30pm on Friday 15th November 2013

A celebration of the life of Kenneth Allsop, broadcaster and champion of conservation, who lived near Bridport until his death in 1973. The Evening will be introduced by David Wilkinson, author of the recent Keeping the Barbarians at Bay, which explores Allsop’s role at the birth of the environmental movement in Britain.

FIELDS give us histories and proverbs as well as fodder. They are an expression of how we organise our societies. Under our stewardship this rich combination of culture and nature has been dug up, smoothed over and sprayed out of existence. Tim Dee, acclaimed author of The Running Sky, will walk us through four very different fields – one on his doorstep in Cambridgeshire, one in Zambia, one in USA and one in Chernobyl – all the subject of his excellent new book Four Fields. These views of the landscape are from the root up.

RIVERS have long been at the centre of human history, providing us with food, livelihoods and metaphors. Yet rivers and the essential habitats they provide for British wildlife are threatened by low water tables and chemical pollution. Charles Rangeley-Wilson, author of The Silt Road, will navigate the meaning and habitats of rivers, sharing his extensive experiences as a fisherman and a conservationist. His is a view of the world from the water’s edge.

BEES are one of the most important pollinators of flowers and crops in the northern hemisphere. Recently, there has been an alarming decline in populations. Why is this happening? To understand the complexities between habitat loss, climate change, disease and pesticides, Dave Goulson, founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and author of A Sting in the Tale, will give an illustrated talk about the fascinating life of the bumblebee.

An Evening in two parts, with refreshments available and live music by Florence Astley. Proceeds will be donated to Common Ground, the west Dorset environmental-arts charity.

For further information, a full catalogue or bookings please call the box office on 01308 424901 or see the Bridport Literary Festival website.

Little Toller.