Expert talks
We're very fortunate to have some excellent speakers who want to share their knowledge with you. A great chance to hear real experts in their fields.
Kelvin Boot
'The trials and travails of a naturalist' - Friday 16th May - 7:30pm
Wild Sherston opens with a very special guest speaker in the Village Hall at 7.30pm. Kelvin passionately believes in the need to demystify science for public engagement to succeed, and sees young scientists as having an obligation to share their discoveries with the widest possible stakeholder community. Buried beneath all of this he is an out and out naturalist, especially interested in those creatures that most people love to hate – sharks to spiders, worms to wasps. He has just returned from a trip to the spectacular Galapagos Islands. He will be talking about his very wide experiences as a professional naturalist.
Kelvin is a freelance science writer who specialises in environmental issues and is the former director of the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth. He was a key contributor to the BBC Radio 4 series Saving Species which ran for 90 programmes. He followed this with a further 30x30 minute programme in the Shared Planet series as Science Correspondent – a further 30 programme series has just been commissioned.
Entry is £5 - refreshments available for purchase
Wild Sherston opens with a very special guest speaker in the Village Hall at 7.30pm. Kelvin passionately believes in the need to demystify science for public engagement to succeed, and sees young scientists as having an obligation to share their discoveries with the widest possible stakeholder community. Buried beneath all of this he is an out and out naturalist, especially interested in those creatures that most people love to hate – sharks to spiders, worms to wasps. He has just returned from a trip to the spectacular Galapagos Islands. He will be talking about his very wide experiences as a professional naturalist.
Kelvin is a freelance science writer who specialises in environmental issues and is the former director of the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth. He was a key contributor to the BBC Radio 4 series Saving Species which ran for 90 programmes. He followed this with a further 30x30 minute programme in the Shared Planet series as Science Correspondent – a further 30 programme series has just been commissioned.
Entry is £5 - refreshments available for purchase
Maurice Avent
'Butterflies and Moths of the area' - Saturday 17th May - 10:00am
Maurice is Chairman of Wiltshire Butterfly Conservation. His love of the countryside developed during his formative years which were spent on a farm near Castle Combe. In 1969, when his first wife worked as a VSO doctor in Southern Swaziland, he found that by improvising a broom handle, a potato sack and fencing wire and utilising hospital chloroform he was able to net a wide range of butterflies and, to his later shame, pin them. In 1982 he bought West Yatton Down, the Site of Special Scientific Interest valley of the farm of his youth. The valley is farmed for wildlife.
Maurice is Chairman of Wiltshire Butterfly Conservation. His love of the countryside developed during his formative years which were spent on a farm near Castle Combe. In 1969, when his first wife worked as a VSO doctor in Southern Swaziland, he found that by improvising a broom handle, a potato sack and fencing wire and utilising hospital chloroform he was able to net a wide range of butterflies and, to his later shame, pin them. In 1982 he bought West Yatton Down, the Site of Special Scientific Interest valley of the farm of his youth. The valley is farmed for wildlife.
Barry Branigan
'The work of Oak & Furrows Wildlife Rescue Centre' - Saturday 17th May - 11:00am
Barry is the general manager of the Oak & Furrows Wildlife Rescue Centre. He'll be talking about the work of the centre where they aim to provide care for wild animals in need until they can be returned to the wild fit and healthy and ready for a second chance.
Barry is the general manager of the Oak & Furrows Wildlife Rescue Centre. He'll be talking about the work of the centre where they aim to provide care for wild animals in need until they can be returned to the wild fit and healthy and ready for a second chance.
Ben Williams
'Our local mammals' - Saturday 17th May - 12:00 noon
Ben is an expert in Hedgehogs and their behaviour. He is currently working towards a doctorate in the area. He is co-ordinator for the National Hedgehog Survey; leading work on the genetic testing of Hedgehogs to assess the degree to which major roads fragment populations; and he is looking at why Hedgehogs may occupy / visit some gardens but not others.
Ben is a member of the Mammal Society, a charity advocating science-led mammal conservation, leading efforts to collect and share information on mammals, encourage research to learn more about their ecology and distribution, and contribute meaningfully to efforts to conserve them.
Ben is an expert in Hedgehogs and their behaviour. He is currently working towards a doctorate in the area. He is co-ordinator for the National Hedgehog Survey; leading work on the genetic testing of Hedgehogs to assess the degree to which major roads fragment populations; and he is looking at why Hedgehogs may occupy / visit some gardens but not others.
Ben is a member of the Mammal Society, a charity advocating science-led mammal conservation, leading efforts to collect and share information on mammals, encourage research to learn more about their ecology and distribution, and contribute meaningfully to efforts to conserve them.
Paul Anderson
'All about Bees' - Saturday 17th May - 1:00pm
Paul is a member of the Wiltshire Beekeepers Association, a member club of the British Beekeepers Association which works to promote the importance of bees in the environment, support beekeepers through providing the education necessary to maintain healthy colonies of honey bees, and to raise public awareness of the craft of beekeeping.
Paul is a member of the Wiltshire Beekeepers Association, a member club of the British Beekeepers Association which works to promote the importance of bees in the environment, support beekeepers through providing the education necessary to maintain healthy colonies of honey bees, and to raise public awareness of the craft of beekeeping.
Stewart Dobson
'The birds of North
Wiltshire' - Saturday 17th May - 2:00pm
Stuart is a member of the executive committee of the Wiltshire Ornithological Society which works to encourage and pursue the study, recording and conservation of birds in Wiltshire.
Stuart is a member of the executive committee of the Wiltshire Ornithological Society which works to encourage and pursue the study, recording and conservation of birds in Wiltshire.
Ian Mock
'Wildlife in our local rivers' - Saturday 17th May - 3:00pm
Ian is a trustee of the Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART). BART exists to help you protect and improve your local river in many ways including improving riverside and in-channel habitat; bringing people together with an interest in sustaining a healthy river system; managing river based improvement projects; and providing education about the ecosystem approach to protecting and improving our rivers.
Ian is a trustee of the Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART). BART exists to help you protect and improve your local river in many ways including improving riverside and in-channel habitat; bringing people together with an interest in sustaining a healthy river system; managing river based improvement projects; and providing education about the ecosystem approach to protecting and improving our rivers.
Eirwen Quinney
'Local bats' - Saturday 17th May - 4:00pm
Eirwen is a member of the Avon Bat Group, volunteers working to promote the conservation of bats and their habitat in the area of the former county of Avon. They aim to assist with the conservation of bats and their roosts; improve public attitudes to bats; give advice and information about bats; and care for and give advice on the care of sick and injured bats.
Eiwen will be talking about the types of bats we get locally. This talk will be followed later in the evening by a Bat walk which heads out at 8:00pm.
Eirwen is a member of the Avon Bat Group, volunteers working to promote the conservation of bats and their habitat in the area of the former county of Avon. They aim to assist with the conservation of bats and their roosts; improve public attitudes to bats; give advice and information about bats; and care for and give advice on the care of sick and injured bats.
Eiwen will be talking about the types of bats we get locally. This talk will be followed later in the evening by a Bat walk which heads out at 8:00pm.