The Bees of Bensham Podcast

Mattie interviews some of the speakers and attendees of the Bees of Bensham symposium. This took place on Friday 26 April 2024 at the Café under the Spire in Gateshead. Interviewees include key speaker and bee enthusiast Brigit Strawbridge; Dr Mark Goddard, from the department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University; Federica Paradiso, PhD researcher in Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University; and Maria Fury from Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art.Due to the nature of where some of the interviews took place, we apologise for the audio quality being variable.Some of the websites mentioned and further reading:https://www.dwellbeingshieldfield.org.uk/https://colabsunderland.uk/projects/seascapeshttps://beestrawbridge.blogspot.com/https://irecord.org.uk/https://www.inaturalist.org/https://ericnortheast.org.uk/

In this Bees of Bensham podcast, Mattie interviews Mark Welfare. Mark is a freelance naturalist who led a number of nature walks around Bensham & Saltwell and Thornley woods for Bees of Bensham, exploring both flora and fauna. Here they discuss, amongst other things, the merits of leaving things to grow with little management, hoverfly and bee identification and what online groups and sites are good to join; plus the problems with hedgerows and dandelions!Some of the websites mentioned:https://www.nhsn.org.uk/https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/north-east/wallingtonhttps://knepp.co.uk/https://irecord.org.uk/https://www.inaturalist.org/

Mattie interviews Phil Macari. Phil led on several nature and wellbeing walks around Bensham & Saltwell during the project and ran accredited training courses on nature and rewilding for Bensham residents. Phil and Mattie discuss--amongst other things--identifying and naming flora and fauna, nature and wellbeing, ways to explore nature and more about dandelions! Mattie also finds out about diapause and hibernation, and why it is important to know the difference.Some of the websites mentioned and further reading:https://www.climateactionnortheast.org.uk/https://wildcrafty.co.uk/about/https://www.buzzaboutbees.net/diapause-vs-hibernation.html

Mattie interviewed a number of local people and residents who engaged with the project over the last two years, taking part in walks, talks, training and volunteering at events. The interviews cover the benefits of connecting to nature for health and wellbeing; the Bees of Bensham seed collecting events from Brownfield sites that took place in the community in late 2023; and the myths we are told about bees when growing up.Due to the nature of where some of the interviews took place, we apologise for the audio quality being variable.Some of the websites mentioned and further reading:https://www.otmg.co.uk/https://www.england.nhs.uk/personalisedcare/social-prescribing/https://thecomfreyproject.org.uk/

Mattie interviews Dr Ben Jones, Director of Gateshead-based community arts organisation Dingy Butterflies CIC. They discuss how Dingy Butterflies CIC came into being; how Bees of Bensham developed and took a number of years to come into fruition; and the community and creative sector in Gateshead and how austerity and various government localism policies over the last 14 years has affected the community in ways both good and bad.Some of the websites mentioned:https://www.dingybutterflies.orghttps://www.dingybutterflies.org/bees-of-bensham/