16 February 2023: Guy Shrubsole – Lost Rainforests of Britain @ 1930 (sold out but live stream available – see below)

Guy Shrubsole is a writer and environmental campaigner. He has worked for Rewilding Britain, Friends of the Earth, the UK Government’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and New Zealand’s Ministry of Agriculture.

He has written widely for publications such as the Guardian and New Statesman. His first book Who Owns England? was an instant Sunday Times best seller. Calstock Arts are very pleased to welcome him to the Old Chapel to talk about his latest book, Lost Rain Forests of Britain, which Chris Packman describes as ‘A treasure full of woodland jewels, rare, precious and beautiful’

In 2020, Guy moved from London to Devon. As he explored the wooded valleys, rivers and tors of Dartmoor, Guy discovered a spectacular habitat that he had never encountered before: temperate rainforest. Entranced, he spend the following months investigating the history, ecology and distribution of rainforests across England, Wales and Scotland. Britain, Guy discovered, was once a rainforest nation.

His book is the story of a unique habitat that has been so ravaged, most people today don’t realise it exists. Temperate rainforest may once have covered up to one-fifth of Britain and played host to a dazzling variety of luminous life-forms, inspiring Celtic druids, Welsh wizards, Romantic poets, and Arthur Conan Doyle’s most loved creations. Though only fragments now remain, they form a rare and internationally important habitat, home to lush ferns and beardy lichens, pine martens and pied flycatchers. But why are even environmentalists unaware of their existence? And how have we managed to so comprehensively excise them from our cultural memory?

There will be a question and answer session at the end of his talk.

Book Stop, an independent book shop in Tavistock, will be at the event selling books – which Guy will be happy to sign at the end of the evening.

For more info on Lost Rain Forests of Britain click here

Read Guy’s blog of Who Owns England?. or click here to read more of his work.

Update – Livestream available

As tickets have sold out we are now planning to livestream as well.
If you would like to access the live stream please send an email to webmaster@calstockarts.org. On Wednesday (15 February) you will receive an email (please check junk or spam in case it goes there) with the YouTube link to be used on Thursday 16 February at 1930. We are not charging for watching the livestream but invite you to make a donation of £2.00 per head (after watching?) using the bank details provided in the email. Please put the reference:-  16 Feb 23 your surname on your bank transfer.

This will be the first time we have live streamed with a powerpoint projection too, hence we are asking you to donate after watching – fingers crossed all works well!