Britain's Biggest Living Garden

Get your free ticket here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/britains-biggest-living-garden-wildlife-gardening-biodiversity-in-hgs-tickets-845873048057

18:30 - 19:00

Arrival

19:00 - 19:30

Music from Caroline Chan & Drinks

19:30 - 20:30

Dr Stephen Head on Wildlife Gardening

20:30 - 21:00

More Music from Caroline & More Drinks and snacks

Dr Stephen Head is the Founder Patron of the Wildlife Gardening Forum, who has spent his career as a leading ecologist lecturing at Oxford, as CEO of two conservation NGOs, broadcasting on TV and Radio and travelling widely, amongst other things. He has a particular interest in gardening and helping people at every level to understand the importance of garden wildlife both for its biodiversity importance and its value for people. He is an excellent speaker and gives thoroughly interesting, exciting and practical talks on the science that shows the critical role gardens can play in supporting biodiversity and practical steps that gardeners can take to create beautiful gardens that also work for wildlife.

Dominic Rose is local resident, father of two young boys, amateur gardener and Chair of Sarah Raven. A chance meeting led to Steve and Dominic working together to develop a project called Britain's Biggest Living Garden, which aims to make Hampstead Garden Suburb a national flagship of how biodiversity can be encouraged and nurtured in an urban environment through the participation of the wider community; building on the founding legacy and ambition of Henrietta Barnet. The high concentration of gardens, connected by what is possibly the highest density of hedging in the UK makes the suburb uniquely positioned to show how small steps by local residents can make a huge difference to urban biodiversity.

The project has support of many local bodies including the Residents Association, HGS Trust, St Judes, Hort Soc & Friends of Big Wood amongst others and is hoping to develop a community wildlife community garden within the grounds of St Judes in Central Square with biodiversity there and across the wider Suburb being regularly measured under the guidance Dr Head.

Dominic will introduce Dr Head, who will also touch on why he sees the Suburb as such an exciting opportunity and together they will take questions on biodiversity as well as the specific local ambition and how to get involved, pracitcal steps you can take and why they see involving children as being such a key part of the project.

Before and after the talk we will enjoy live music from Caroline Chan, a musician and storyteller who is passionate about inspiring children and families to take care of the planet and take action. She writes music about the environment and modern-day humanitarian concerns. Drinks will be served before and after with a chance to meet and chat with other local residents interested in increasing our local biodiversity.

For more information see: http://www.britainsbiggestlivinggarden.org/