Talia Randall talks to the nature-loving pioneers who are smashing down the barriers–visible and invisible–that keep so many of us locked out of green space. From a park in Glasgow, to a beach in Cornwall and a Traveller site by an A road in London.
Nature can help us work out who we are. Take Ione, a British-Mexican land worker who finally understood what it meant to have a mixed identity when she saw a Mexican plant growing in English soil. As a kid, Talia broke into the nature reserve on her council estate. Some call this trespassing, others call it playing out. Which children are allowed to play in nature freely and which kids are seen as a threat? Now that Talia isn’t that kid anymore, she reflects on her own relationship to nature, has it changed as her class has?
Talia Randall talks to the nature-loving pioneers who are smashing down the barriers–visible and invisible–that keep so many of us locked out of green space. From a park in Glasgow, to a beach in Cornwall and a Traveller site by an A road in London.
Nature can help us work out who we are. Take Ione, a British-Mexican land worker who finally understood what it meant to have a mixed identity when she saw a Mexican plant growing in English soil. As a kid, Talia broke into the nature reserve on her council estate. Some call this trespassing, others call it playing out. Which children are allowed to play in nature freely and which kids are seen as a threat? Now that Talia isn’t that kid anymore, she reflects on her own relationship to nature, has it changed as her class has?
Over a cuppa in a Traveller community on the outskirts of London, Talia Randall chats with Josie O Driscoll, Emma and Joseph about their relationship with nature. Many Traveller communities have been re-located to polluted, hazardous sites. What’s the impact on their wellbeing and their sense of belonging? And what can be done to keep the deep cultural connections with the land alive? From herbal remedies revived from memory, to wellbeing gardens where children can play without the prejudice they face in public parks, Talia hears how Traveller communities are finding ways to stay connected to nature, against the odds.
Produced, Written and Presented by Talia Randall Researcher: Erica McKoy Contributors: Joseph, Josie O Driscoll, Emma, Production Mentor: Anna Buckley Tech Producer: Gayl Gordon Executive Producers: Khaliq Meer & Leanne Alie Commissioned for BBC Sounds Audio Lab by Khaliq Meer Artwork by: Mike Massaro