Urban Tree Festival 2021
Programme Highlights
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Tree Rings Webinars
curated by CPRE London & the Urban Tree Festival
A series of lunchtime webinars curated by CPRE London – the countryside charity working for a greener city.
The webinars will explore a range of contemporary issues concerning trees in and around urban areas with leading policymakers and practitioners.
Urban Tree Festival Book Club
with Peter Fiennes
There has been an extraordinary outpouring of powerful nature writing published over the past few years. The genre has blossomed and diversified – and there are some thrilling new authors adding their voices to what might once have seemed a rather twee and moribund corner of the literary world. Memoir, travel- and nature-writing are blending and boundaries are breaking down.
Trees in Literature
with Tracy Chevalier & Jonathon Drori
Much that is special to us about trees lies where science, culture and folklore meet. From their sofa, Tracy Chevalier and Jonathan Drori explore the world of trees together through their different lenses and read a little from their work.
Hosted by the Arboricultural Association & the Urban Tree Festival
Sounds of the Plants
with Planet Utopia
Find a better understanding of how magical our cosmic World is and how interconnected we all are. Be reminded that we are part of Nature too - something that Indigenous people always knew. Embark on an experience that encourages you to re-think our human existence and consider that Nature has rights too.
The Nature Diary of an Elizabethan Gentleman
with Daniel Harwood
Join me as I describe my many failures, and occasional successes, at cataloguing the trees plants fungi birds insects and anything else I could name. I want to inspire everyone to grab a hand lens, put on a warm coat and peer at little bits of green stuff on twigs and the mouldy looking bits of leaves.
Tree Song
with Phoebe Coco
Hear the acapella ‘Tree Songs’ by musician Phoebe Coco. A performance under the branches of Islington trees both live and in a Tree Trail. From Gillespie Ecology Center, along the railway wildlife walk to Parkland walk, there will be QR codes situated near specific trees. These can be scanned with your mobile phone to listen to acapella ‘Tree Song’ recordings.
Discover Downham
with Tim Oshodi & Lewisham Council
This walk explores some hidden treasures of Downham, in South-East London. As you walk, your guide - a knowledgeable local resident and self-build home owner - will show you sustainable ways of meeting the housing need through community self-build timber frame eco - homes.
Nature and Nurture
with Theresa Webb & Lewisham Council
A guided nature walk to benefit mental health and well-being. You will be encouraged to look closely at your surroundings, to observe the nature that you can easily miss as you dash from place to place. All while enhancing your knowledge about the medicinal values and impact that local and seasonal plants have on your wellbeing.
Forest Bathing
with Andrew Jenkins & Lewisham Council
Take this opportunity to build your connection to nature, increase a sense of empathy, and in turn reducing stress and anxiety. In our busy, modern lives, we can become ‘stuck in our heads’, distracted and disconnected. Forest Bathing helps you take some time to slow down – to really slow down – to enhance your senses and use them to feel nature in a deeper way.
Writing Wood Words
with Electra Rhodes
Come and write about the things that inspire you in nature - whether it’s trees, the urban or rural landscape, or your relationship to either. No previous writing experience is necessary and there will be a range of activities to get you writing if it’s new to you.
Woodland Signdance Workshop
with Soobie Whitfield
A fun, one hour, inclusive, creative workshop combining basic sign gestures and dance, inspired by urban woodland ecosystems. Designed for ages 13 upwards we will learn some basic BSL woodland nature signs, create our own signs and then combine these into a short Signdance piece about our own favourite urban trees.
The Elephant Adventure Sessions
with David Merleau
Your mission is to record a short 3 minute story using your mobile phone voice recorder, and the story format is simple:
You have been isolated from humans for weeks now, and you stumble upon a hapless elephant who is eating your favourite urban tree in London. Tell us how, together you and your elephant find hope.
Drawing Trees - an Experimental Approach
with Ruth Broadbent
This is a fun and experimental online workshop looking into different ways to engage with drawing trees, from simple techniques to new ways of looking and thinking about trees, and how we can respond creatively. The exercises will inspire ways to help with your creative approaches and encourage you to try your own ideas out.
The Neighbouring Orchard
with Annie Lord
When the Covid-19 pandemic arose it became clear that a new approach to community growing was needed - one that allowed people to garden at a safe distance but still retain a sense of unified purpose. In this talk Annie will discuss the ideas behind the project, the challenges of planting an orchard under lockdown restrictions and the incredible response that the project has received from the local community.
Billy and The Lost Trees
with the Drama Geezers
Take part in a variety of storytelling activities and drama games which will ignite imaginations and build creative worlds! The story will come to life as the children go on a journey to save the trees and protect the environment. The Drama Geezers have a blank story book, all they need are curious imaginative children to help fill the pages! Can you help?
Journaling With The Inner and Outer Nature Self Discovery Card Deck
with Jackee Holder
Come in and join an hour of slow meandering in nature on the page. The writing prompts are a gentle way of reconnecting with nature both on the outside and the inside. Each question in the card deck draws from the rich metaphors and rhythms of nature.
Resilience Tree Walk
with Anise Bullimore
The walk will get you moving, talking, reflecting and recharging. Along the way, you’ll be invited to choose a tree to act as your talisman. Join us to go for a walk locally on your own while connecting via Zoom to share the experience with a small, friendly group. You choose your route in a park or urban green space near you and walk at your own pace.
What Do We Feel About Our Urban Trees?
with Tamsin Grainger
We invite you to take a walk with us, to map and collect personal, sensory and factual information about your relationship with one or more trees in your immediate urban environment. How do I feel about this tree? How am I when we are together? How does the tree encourage me to behave?
Midday Modern Conversation on Mulberry Trees
with Hogarth’s House
In this special live edition, we will speak with mulberry expert Dr Peter Coles about mulberry trees and in particular our own historic mulberry tree in the centre of our garden, which is the last living remnant of the garden’s origin as a 17th century orchard.
Wild and Ancient Trees
with Nick Bertram & Lewisham Council
Wild Alder, Wild Hazel, Wild Oak, Wild Field Maple, Wild Sycamore, Wild Cherry, Wild Hornbeam, Wild Hawthorn, Wild Ash, Wild Silver Birch, Wild Elder, Wild Service tree..... Not for sale! Trees are wild just as true wildflowers, woodpeckers and bumblebees are wild. This is a walk around Beckenham Place Park in search of wild trees and to find some venerable ancient trees along the way.
The Tranquility of Tilia
with Hannah Sylvester
A heartfelt ode to the Tilia (lime tree) species; exploring how it has been revered through history, and presently, for its beneficial effects for human health. With a passion about leading guided Herb Walks and nature discovery sessions, helping people to build deeper connections with our native plant life, join me in celebrating this incredible tree species.
Tree Stewarding
with Stephanie Whitelaw
Within the root and grain of every tree, there exists a story, an individual story waiting to be told, a story we can only hear if we listen quietly and if we listen carefully. When we hear their story, we can become a steward, a guardian of this life force. Just as they steward our own life force. By listening and telling their story, we tell our own story and a braiding occurs. A braiding between vertical beings.
Talking with Trees
with Tracey Benson
An exhibition and walking event at the Australian National Botanic Gardens. The exhibition features historic and contemporary images showing how the Gardens have evolved into a site of understanding of our native flora, as well as a place of reflection, discovery and species protection.
The Miyawaki Method
with The Conservation Volunteers
How can we fit more trees into an urban landscape? The Miyawaki Method is one of the most effective tree planting methods for creating dense, native forests quickly. Find out how TCV and partners planted 32,000 trees to create Europe’s largest ‘mini urban’ forest in Dagenham.
