Stanfords Event: ‘The Return of the Grey Partridge’ with Roger Morgan-Grenville

Thank you to everyone who attended our event with Roger Morgan-Grenville last night. It was a really interesting evening hearing all about his new book The Return of the Grey Partridge.

Continue reading Stanfords Event: ‘The Return of the Grey Partridge’ with Roger Morgan-Grenville

Book of the Month: Where the Wildflowers Grow

Our Book of the Month for June 2022 is Where the Wildflowers Grow: My Journey Through Botanical Britain by Leif Bersweden.

‘When was the last time you stopped and noticed a wild plant?’

An intriguing and timely exploration of the importance of Britain and Ireland’s plant life.

Leif Bersweden has always been fascinated by plants. From a young age, his afternoons were spent hunting for and cataloguing the plants in his local area. But it is a landscape that is fast disappearing.


Since the end of the Second World War, 97% of Britain’s wildflower meadows have disappeared. Climate change, habitat destruction and a declining pollinator population mean that the future for plant life looks bleaker than ever before. Many of us are also unable to identify, or even notice, the plants that grow around us.

Continue reading Book of the Month: Where the Wildflowers Grow

Wainwright Prize shortlists announced for the best writing on UK nature and global conservation

Now in its eighth year, The Wainwright Prize for UK Nature Writing is awarded annually to the book which most successfully inspires readers to explore the outdoors and to nurture a respect for the natural world. Named after much-loved nature writer Alfred Wainwright, the prizes will be awarded to the work which best reflects Wainwright’s core values and are a celebration of the outdoors or a warning over the dangers to it across the globe.

The Wainwright Prize is split into two categories:

Continue reading Wainwright Prize shortlists announced for the best writing on UK nature and global conservation

Book of the Month: Small Bodies of Water by Nina Mingya Powles

Small Bodies of Water by Nina Mingya Powles £14.99

Our Book of the Month for August, from the winner of the Nan Shepherd Prize, takes us from London to New Zealand, Shanghai to Malaysia via a lyrical, poetic essay collection that blends memoir with powerful writing on the natural world.

Home is many people and places and languages, some separated by oceans. 

Continue reading Book of the Month: Small Bodies of Water by Nina Mingya Powles

Book of the Month: I Belong Here by Anita Sethi

In our Book of the Month for May, I Belong Here: A Journey Along the Backbone of Britain, Anita Sethi invites us on journey of reclamation through the natural landscapes of the North, brilliantly exploring identity, nature, place and belonging. Beautifully written and truly inspiring, I Belong Here heralds a powerful and refreshing new voice in nature writing.

Continue reading Book of the Month: I Belong Here by Anita Sethi

16-year-old Dara McAnulty wins the 2020 Wainwright Prize for UK Nature Writing

The winner of the Wainwright Prize for UK Nature Writing has been announced at a virtual awards ceremony on September 8th. Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty chronicles the turning of the then 15-year-old’s world and breaks the mould of modern nature writing. Dara’s book is an extraordinary portrayal of his intense connection to the natural world alongside his perspective as an autistic teenager juggling exams, friendships and a life of campaigning. 

This year’s prize has been extended to include a second category for books about global conservation and climate change, and Rebirding by Benedict Macdonald is its inaugural winner. Praised as ‘visionary’ by conservationists and landowners alike, Rebirding sets out a compelling manifesto for restoring Britain’s wildlife, rewilding its species and restoring rural jobs – to the benefit of all. Irreplaceable by Justin Hoffman was awarded highly commended in the category. 

Continue reading 16-year-old Dara McAnulty wins the 2020 Wainwright Prize for UK Nature Writing

The Seabird’s Cry by Adam Nicolson wins Wainwright Prize

Adam Nicolson has won the Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize with his book The Seabird’s Cry.

The announcement and presentation of the award of £5000 was made yesterday afternoon by Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Michael Gove MP and BBC Countryfile presenter Ellie Harrison at the National Trust Theatre at BBC Countryfile Live in Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, at the end of a public event celebrating nature writing and the Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize shortlist.  Continue reading The Seabird’s Cry by Adam Nicolson wins Wainwright Prize

The 2018 Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize Shortlist Announced

In its fifth year, the Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize celebrates the best books about nature, the outdoors and UK travel.

If you are looking to get away from it all, switch off your phone and get back to nature, this shortlist is a welcome list of recommended reads for you to consider this summer.

Here are the seven shortlisted books:
Continue reading The 2018 Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize Shortlist Announced

Where Poppies Blow by John Lewis-Stempel wins Wainwright Prize

He’s done it again. John Lewis-Stempel has won the Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize with his book Where Poppies Blow.  Chronicling the relationship between man and nature during the Great War, this win is particularly poignant as this week is the centenary anniversary of the battle of Passchendaele. Lewis-Stempel is no stranger to winning this award having picked up the prize in 2015 with Meadowland.

The winner was announced this afternoon at the BBC Countryfile Live at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire.

For the full shortlist see here.