Conferences and events

Conferences & Events

Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness

Our next conference will be on Saturday 4th October 2008, in the Ampleforth area, in collaboration with the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group and supported by the Howardian Hills AONB Sustainable Development Fund:

Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness.
The conference will include morning paper sessions in Ampleforth Village Hall, followed by an afternoon visit to the orchard at Ampleforth College and a local vineyard.
Presentations during the morning will include:
  • Barry Potter (independent orchard specialist): Old orchards - new opportunities
  • Simon Clark (Northern Fruit Group): Orchards today and tomorrow
  • Phil Lyth (FWAG): Orchards for wildlife
  • Dave Chesmore (YNU and Royal Entomological Society): Moths in old orchards
  • Laura Mason (Slow Food): Slow Food and the orchard heritage.
In the afternoon, we shall walk along a green lane to the orchard at Ampleforth College, led by Fr Reiner. Here we shall hear about the history and current management of the Ampleforth orchards, consider varieties of fruit and their uses, and have a demonstration of the juice-making enterprise. This will be followed by a visit to the Oswaldkirk Vineyard, led by Simon Kershaw.

The cost of the conference is £25.00 per head, including a lunch of local produce. To book a place, please send a cheque (payable to 'PLACE') to:
Dr Margaret Atherden, PLACE Office, York St John University, Lord Mayor's Walk, York, YO31 7EX.

Yorkshire's Green & Healthy Land?

Yorkshire's Green & Healthy Land? Connecting urban and rural greenspace.

This conference took place on Saturday 5th April 2008 in the School of Geography, University of Leeds, in collaboration with the Royal Geographical Society and the University of Leeds. It was attended by about 40 people. Professor Sir John Lawton gave the keynote address, on 'Urban green space and human health: the view of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution'. It was followed by other presentations:
  • Professor Joseph Holden and colleagues: Sustainable uplands for sustainable lowlands
  • Simon Warwick: A new future for Yorkshire's wetland past?
  • Dr Alan Simson: Trees in the Post-Industrial Landscape and the Writing of the 'Third Poetry'
  • Chris Marshall: Greening the Green Belt
  • Professor Andy Smith: Does the environment determine health enhancing physical activity or is it all in the genes?
  • Dr Rachael Unsworth: Liveable, sustainable cities.
We intend to publish summaries of the presentations later this year.

On the afternoon of Sunday 6th April, twelve delegates visited the Water Haigh Country Park area, to hear about the challenges and potential of managing greenspace in the Lower Aire Valley. The fieldtrip was led by Glenn Gorner of Leeds City Council, who is responsible for forestry in the area.