A student’s eye view of the Garden

Posted on by andy.winfield

By Alistair Kirtley

I am a recent Maths and Physics graduate from the University of Bristol, and during my studies I volunteered once a week at the University of Bristol Botanic Garden. Whilst volunteering, I gained valuable experience working as part of a team and considerable knowledge about exotic and unusual plants; but most importantly I developed strong and valuable friendships with the team of staff and volunteers. This support network and opportunity offered the respite I needed to cope with my university studies, and ongoing problems I was facing outside of university. The University Botanic Garden is a tranquil and relaxing environment that everyone should have the chance to enjoy, as a visitor or volunteer, as a plant lover or not. (more…)

Nature repeating itself

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By Andy Winfield

It was Georgia O’Keefe who said, ‘When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment’. It’s worth doing this, nature is captivating close up; perfectly packaged and clinically efficient, each flower has an adapted shape and look gleaned over hundreds of thousands of years for maximum productivity. This economy of engineering uses patterns and shapes that are repeated again and again throughout the natural world and dotted all around the Botanic Garden. (more…)

The 10th Bee and Pollination Festival!

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By Alice Maltby

So much is happening in the exciting world of pollinators at the moment. Even wasps have employed a new public relations team to promote their cause! Their key message is sacrifice a bit of your picnic to save the planet! One of the best news stories this year was that even though Notre Dame suffered that terrible fire, the bees in the three hives on the roof were unharmed.

2019’s Bee and Pollination Festival takes place this weekend (Saturday 31st August and Sunday 1st September_will be the best ever. Now in its tenth year the event has become an important feature in the south west’s horticultural, beekeeping and wildlife calendar. (more…)

Let’s hear it for social media…

Posted on by andy.winfield

By Andy Winfield

Communication is easier than it has ever been…

Media has changed dramatically in recent years, we’re inundated with news of the world and images of the lives of people we don’t know promoting lifestyles that are unattainable for most of us. This can lead to a slump in self-worth but nevertheless an irresistible urge to keep looking at the unrelenting sea of information.  Social media is unavoidable today; some of you may be reading this through a social media app, and undoubtably a high percentage of you will have one or more accounts with a platform or two. It is said that on average users worldwide spend over two hours a day on social media; this will continue to be an upward trend and communicating this way has become the norm for many. Whatever anyone thinks about social media, it is here to stay. There has been much written about the negative effects, fear of missing out, peer pressure, trolling and spread of misinformation to name a few, and while these effects are undeniable, I think that social media can be a place of inspiration and discovery. (more…)