Back to Spring | An Interview with Brigit Strawbridge Howard - Guest post by Chloe Eathorne

 

Chloe (left) and Brigit exploring the cemetery

As a presenter of The Wildflower Hour, a local community show for Source FM, I'm  passionate about exploring all things art, poetry, nature and mental health. In the midst of winter, with the trees bare to the winter sky and only the hardiest of wildflowers in bloom, I cast my mind back to brighter days, of the spring of 2023. In May I had the pleasure of interviewing bee advocate, wildlife gardener and naturalist Brigit Strawbridge Howard, alongside filmmaker and wildlife advocate Kevin Thomas, of Castle Beach Films, in Falmouth's Victorian Cemetery.

 

Fat-headed Mining Bee

Cornwall is full of vibrant natural spaces, and this interview delves into life in late spring in the Cornish cemetery blooming with wildflowers, as we discussed all things nature, mental health and headed on a search for the Fat-headed Bee and its Cuckoo bee. I was excited to explore the local wildlife, after reading Brigit’s book ‘Dancing with Bees: A Journey Back to Nature’ which opened my eyes to the wonderful world of bees, when beforehand I had very little knowledge of, and in fact only thought there was one type! How wrong I was! From the Nomad Bee, to the Common Carder Bumblebee to the Mining Bee and Cuckoo Bees, we discussed the many different species in the UK, which call this beautiful area home.

Cuckcoo bees lay their eggs in other bee's nests

The conversation began as we explored a beautiful large fallen Pine tree left to be reclaimed by nature. We explored the benefits of leaving dead wood, which provides valuable sources of food and shelter for insects and wildlife, as the conversation meandered into childhood memories of etching. We discussed the value of connecting with nature for our mental health and well-being, and the benefits of eco therapy.

Bridgit spoke about her journey of rediscovering her connection to nature and the ways in which we can all reconnect with nature, bringing more of it into our daily lives, from getting outside each day, and spending time observing the world around, being present. There are many ways in which we can support and protect our local wildlife and bee species from our own gardens, from allowing native wildflowers, like primrose, buddleia, and marigolds to bloom, and leaving a section of the garden untended – as some bees love long grass or making nests in compost heaps or under hedgerows.

Brigit is a patron of Caring for God's Acre, a conservation charity for Burial Grounds across the UK, with the mission of protecting and rejuvenating beautiful havens of heritage and wildlife. We spoke about the ‘Love Your Burial Ground Week’ which occurs each June, a celebratory week which has been running for many years, encouraging all to celebrate these fantastic places in any way you choose. From local history talks, volunteering work parties and even teddy bear picnics!

 

Spring in Falmouth's Victorian cemetery

Brigit, also an ambassador for Kernow Conservation, talked about the work of the community-led conservation organisation, which developed from a student group at the Penryn campus of the University of Exeter. The team are passionate about protecting, enhancing, and connecting habitats, reintroducing lost species, and monitoring Cornwall’s biodiversity. They are currently working on the reintroduction of water voles, an important ecosystem engineer, across the county.

During our exploration of the cemetery, we came across a pair of researchers checking on the recently installed jackdaw nest boxes as part of the Cornish Jackdaw project. I spoke with Lois, a researcher from the University of Exeter, who discussed the Great Tits currently inhabiting the nest boxes and was given a demonstration on how the boxes are checked.

Jackdaw Nest Box

Throughout the day, Brigit checked in on the Merlin Bird ID app, whose features allow users to record snippets of bird song and aid in identifying species matches. It was enlightening to discover the vast multitude of species of birds we heard during our exploration, including Chiffchaff, Greenfinch, Jackdaw, Nuthatch, Blackbird and Blue Tit, which further highlighted the importance of these habitats for our local wildlife.

There are a multitude of benefits to leaving spaces like these which not only serve as a place for reflection, but also serve as haven for insects, plants, birds and wildlife, and provide an opportunity for the community to connect with nature. It’s spaces and conversations like these that remind us of the importance of practising the art of noticing, which is so often overlooked in today’s faced-paced society. The next time you’re out and about, take a moment to really notice and appreciate the vibrant world of nature and that is all around us.

 

The interview is available to listen here: https://www.mixcloud.com/THEWILDFLOWERHOUR/brigit-strawbridge-howard-interview/

Exploring Falmouth's Victorian cemetery with Brigit Strawbridge-Howard and Chloe Eathorne - Part Three

 

As explained earlier, the camera crew followed Brigit and Chloe as they chatted and explored the cemetery. We started recording when we came upon an interesting location or a subject came up in the conversation that we wanted to share with the viewer. Filming a single take without rehearsal allows for spontaneity and I would argue more authentic film.

After about a hour in the cemetery we reached the spot where I hoped we would find two of the cemetery’s rarer bee species, the Big Headed Mining Bee and its cuckoo bee, the Long Horned Nomad Bee. With no sign of these bees, the conversation moved to how much bird song we were hearing and we started recording.

Chloe has a deep interest in the beneficial effects connecting with the natural world can have for our physical and mental wellbeing. A poet and journalism student at Falmouth University she presents and producers the Wildflower Hour on our community radio channel, Source FM. An hour long show with an eclectic mix of feel good indie tunes alongside discussing all things art, poetry and mental health. See link below to listen to past episodes.

She is part of a circle of talented artists that are inspired by the Cornish landscape and the natural world. I used the word artist in its widest sense to encompass all the arts and that use traditionally and new methods creatively. Examples of the new work being produced in Cornwall can be found at the Keskorra website, see link below.

Brigit is one of those people who radiate their passion and curiosity for the natural world through her talks, writings and social media. As you probably imagine spending time with Brigit in a wonderful location for wildlife such as our cemetery was an absolute joy.

The morning past quickly as we explored and chatted and the time came to say our goodbyes. I asked Brigit to step in front of the camera for one last time and give her thoughts on her visit.

Our series of videos have focused on how the maintenance of the cemetery benefits wildlife and the benefits this can have for visitors. Feedback on social media for this approach is overwhelmingly supportive. The cemetery is also a place for remembrance and the maintenance team are now cutting paths to graves they can identify as being regularly visited. Over time the cutting and walking on these pathways will make them more easily identifiable.

 

Links

To buy a signed copy of Dancing with Bees from Brigit visit:

 http://beestrawbridge.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/B_Strawbridge

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brigitstrawbridge1/

 

To listen to episodes of The wildflower Hour visit:  https://www.mixcloud.com/THEWILDFLOWERHOUR/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Thewildflowerhr

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thewildflowerhour/

Keskorra means ‘to assemble’ in the Cornish language, to discover more visit:  https://keskorra.co.uk/

Exploring Falmouth's Victorian cemetery with Brigit Strawbridge-Howard and Chloe Eathorne - Part Two

 

The woodpile to end all woodpiles

Quite a bit of organising had occurred beforehand to arrange for everyone to be at the same place at the same time with the gear checked and batteries fully charged. However the plan for what was to follow was deliberately less detailed to allow for more spontaneity between Brigit and Chloe and allow the conversation to take its own path. Nothing was rehearsed, there were no second takes.

I guided the group around the cemetery and as we walked we all chatted together, only when we started filming did Jon recording the sound and myself with the camera fall silent – well largely so, I did add a snippet of information in the next video.

Simon Penna, the Grounds and Facilities Manager for Falmouth Town Council has an understanding of the ecological value of deadwood. In our Kimberley Park he left a dead Ash tree standing for years that became home to a variety of insects and a nest site for Blue Tits until its state of decay made it unsafe. There are still two tree trunks that have been left in the park.

This approach is still uncommon, so as I led Brigit towards a Pine tree that had fallen in a storm, I expected them to be surprised, as they approached it I switched the camera on and pressed record.   

What delights me about this video is that it revealed to me a different way of experiencing the cemetery. In fact I have to say when visiting the cemetery I usually focus on its parts and slip into cameraman/photographer mode or concentrate on its insects and wildflowers. When I do sit down for a break my mind tends to work through the changes I have seen and sort them into positives and negatives. How much is the ever expanding area being taken over by three cornered leeks becoming a problem, being one example. 

So to listen to the conversation flow from exploring the holes bored into the trunk, to childhood memories and then onto the benefits being in nature can bring to our wellbeing was for me, quite magical.

As we continued our walk we bumped into two researchers from the University of Exeter's campus at nearby Penryn checking nest boxes that had been recently been installed by the Cornish Jackdaw project. For more information see the link below.

Lois, one of the researchers, agreed to give Chloe an overview of why they were in the cemetery and to demonstrate how they checked the nest boxes without using a ladder.

Links

To buy a signed copy of Dancing with Bees from Brigit visit: http://beestrawbridge.blogspot.com/

The wildflower Hour: https://www.mixcloud.com/THEWILDFLOWERHOUR/

The Cornish Jackdaw Project: https://www.wildcognitionresearch.com/cornish-jackdaw-project

Exploring Falmouth's Victorian cemetery with Brigit Strawbridge-Howard and Chloe Eathorne - Part One

Falmouth's Victorian cemetery in Spring.

It was a search to see an Ivy Bee that first led me to the older parts of Falmouth cemetery and I was not disappointed, I found both ivy and bees. This was back in 2014 and since then it has become a special place and a passion project for me.

During 2015 I began recording some of the insects in the cemetery with a focus on the solitary bee, bumblebee and solitary wasp species to be found there. The highlight was the discovery of the nationally rare cuckoo bee, Nomada hirtipes that has few records in Cornwall. Although it was the number and variety of species to be found there that equally signifies its value for wildlife.

By 2016 responsibility for the maintenance had passed to Falmouth Town Council. This prompted me to write a booklet (Nature in a sacred place: Falmouth cemetery) detailing its value with a list of species I had recorded there and my thoughts on its maintenance.

The council responded positively and this has led to an ongoing conversation with Simon Penna, the Grounds and Facilities Manager. For me this has been both an education and a pleasure to see how he and his teams have both adapted some of my ideas and innovated  their own. The result of their work can be seen in the cemetery today.

It may surprise you but all of this is not the result of a lifetime interest in bees and the natural world. For most of my life it was photography that was my passion and this led me into a career in television.

Like many people who up to attending one of Brigit’s talks or reading her book, Dancing with Bees, I only knew of honeybees and bumblebees. Filming an interview after a talk she gave at Garden Organic in 2013 opened the door on a much bigger world that is all around us yet mostly overlooked. For the first time I heard of solitary bees and that we have more than one type of bumblebee.

While I walked away from the talk more knowledgeable about bees, even more amazing things were to follow. Visiting my veg patch in my garden bees were appearing all over it and a variety of types too. Admittedly I later discovered quite a few were hoverflies, learning to tell the difference is something all beginners have to go through. Even so I was still seeing quite a few bees with three bumblebee species visiting a patch of chives in flower alone. To cap it all that summer I found four bumblebee nests. I still find watching workers returning to and leaving their nest fascinating and it gives me a real David Attenborough moment.

That autumn I moved down to Falmouth and after settling in, the following year I went out to discover Ivy Bees, found the cemetery and started a new chapter in my life. 

So ten years later when Brigit raised the possibility of visiting the cemetery this spring on Instagram I not only jumped at it, I rather cheekily asked if she would be happy to do some filming. After a phone chat we decided on filming interviews and I started to search for an interviewer. 

Chloe Eathorne as well as being a Cornish poet is also a journalism student who presents and produces The Wildflower Hour, a weekly radio show on Source FM. Having listened to her interview with sound Artist Justin Wiggan which I highly recommend (link at bottom of page) she seemed the ideal choice. Meeting with Chloe for a tea and chat we discussed ideas for the filming and the possibility of also using the audio to produce an episode of her radio programme. We settled on the idea of a relaxed walk around the cemetery with a mix of interviews and conversations between Brigit and Chloe.

On the day of filming we all met by the chapel and once everyone had been introduced, Chloe and Bridget were fitted with radio microphones. After this technicality we began our walk around the cemetery giving time to the ladies to chat and get to know each while exploring the cemetery.  Even so it cannot have been easy to relax with a cameraman (me) and sound recordist (Jon GD Brown) ever present.

Brigit is an ambassador for Caring for God’s Acre, a non-religious charity that supports groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy churchyards and burial grounds. So for the first video interview we asked her about the charity and its work. 

 

 

Links

To buy a signed copy of Dancing with Bees from Brigit visit, http://beestrawbridge.blogspot.com/

The wildflower Hour: https://www.mixcloud.com/THEWILDFLOWERHOUR/

Caring for God’s Acre: https://www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/