Connect to Nature

They're spraying a probable carcinogen near playgrounds, and most of us have no idea. Ellen Bradley, co-director of UK Youth for Nature, joins Amy & Katrina to talk turning eco-anxiety into action, how a WhatsApp group became the UK's leading youth movement for nature, and why France and Denmark have already banned urban pesticides, and the UK hasn't. From serving Gin and Thames anti-pollution cocktails in Westminster to fighting for the Natural History GCSE, Ellen shares how to find YOUR role in the nature crisis, why bugs will cure your boredom forever, and how you can email your councillor in two minutes to make your street pesticide-free.Read more: 'Traces of cancer-linked pesticide found in tests at UK playgrounds', The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/15/glyphosate-cancer-linked-pesticide-uk-playgrounds #Connect2Nature #Connect2Naturepod #naturepodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elliot Arthur Worsop believes football can help save the planet.In this episode Amy Chapman and Katrina Ridley sit down with the founder of Football for Future, to talk about why the world's most popular game might be our most powerful tool for climate action.Elliot shares how growing up near England's South Downs, idolising Steve Irwin and supporting Brighton and Hove Albion led him to rethink what an environmentalist looks like. He explains why Football for Future shows up as football fans first, not climate experts, and how that trust is opening doors across the industry.We get into the hard stuff too: stadiums at risk of flooding, a quarter of English clubs flooded by 2050, tournaments moved for extreme heat, why the 2026 World Cup could be the last of its kind in North America, and the football climate perception gap, where fans feel the impacts but don't name the cause. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did you know avocado, lemon, pomegranate and grapefruit trees are growing FREE in London? Join Amy & Katrina with Divya Hariramani, founder of Fruity Walks, to uncover London's hidden orchards, immigration stories rooted in fruit trees and how to start urban foraging safely and legally in the UK. Divya started Fruity Walks after discovering a pear tree in her local park during Covid. What began as an Instagram map became a journey through culture, memory and mindfulness, from a 12-metre avocado planted by immigrants, to Marline Anderson's grapefruit tree that a community saved, to persimmons at the Imperial War Museum. In this episode, we cover what Fruity Walks is, why so many of us feel afraid to forage, what the law actually says about picking from public streets and overhanging branches, underrated fruits like quince and medlar, seasonal foraging through the year, and simple, responsible ways to connect to a tree near you TODAY.  As Divya says: "Life gets messy... but if you have a tree near you, the tree's gonna keep going no matter what happens."  This episode is brought to you in proud partnership with the Woodland Trust 🌳 Help create healthy habitats for people and wildlife by joining the Woodland Trust from just £4 a month at woodlandtrust.org.uk/join1787/5000 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Springwatch presenter Megan McCubbin joins Amy Chapman and Katrina Ridley to talk curiosity, courage and wildlife conservation.  Megan shares how a bedroom full of praying mantises, tortoises and Marmite the barn owl turned into a career in wildlife TV. She gets honest about imposter syndrome, eco-guilt, and why just because “we are all hypocrites living in a flawed system” doesn't mean you should stop using your voice for good. Follow Connect to Nature for weekly chats on nature, big feelings and positive actions. #Connect2Nature #Connect2Naturepod #naturepodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Connect to Nature is BACK, and this time we're discovering that nature turns up in the most unexpected places.Join hosts Amy Chapman and Katrina Ridley for inspiring conversations, fresh ideas and plenty of reasons to look after our planet.In this season, we'll:🌳 Uncover hidden fruit trees in our cities with Divya Hariramani Herrero aka @FruityWalks🎶 Explore how music helps us hear the natural world in a whole new way with Louis VI⚽ Find out what football, comedy and conservation have in common with Elliot Arthur-Worsop from Football for Future and Seònaid Fowler (aka @spaghettysean)🏕️ Head into the wild with wildlife TV presenter Megan McCubbin and Harry Bucknell to learn bushcraft, hiking skills and how time outdoors can change how we feel🌍 Meet people rethinking how we grow food, use technology, build communities and create a greener future with Ellen Bradley from UK Youth for Nature and tech-wiz Kalpana AriasWhether you're a seasoned nature lover or just wondering where to start, nature is closer than you think.Episode one of the latest season drops 19 October. Hit subscribe and tap the bell so you don't miss the new season!Follow us @ConnectToNaturePod, watch and listen wherever you get your podcasts.#Connect2Nature #Connect2Naturepod #naturepodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can nature help you grieve? 🏔️In this episode, Amy Chapman and Katrina Ridley chat with Tinuke Oyediran, outdoor presenter, Guinness World skater record holder, adventure therapist in training and self-proclaimed nature addict, about how she turned profound loss into healing through adventure.After losing her immediate family, Tinuke solo-hiked the Grand Canyon, mountaineered in Iceland and climbed Kilimanjaro, all the while spreading her mother's ashes on mountain peaks along the way. She shares how she adapts EMDR therapy while hiking (tapping and eye movements on the trail) and why movement and nature can work when traditional therapy rooms don't.We also talk micro-adventures (you don't need Everest!), representation for Black women in the outdoors, her directory Elsewhere for diverse outdoor events in the UK, cold water swimming, and how forest bathing can help you feel calmer TODAY. 🌍 Connect to Nature Season Two is sponsored by the Fairtrade Foundation If you care about nature, climate change and where your food comes from, Fairtrade's Do It Fair campaign is calling for a future that's fair on the planet. You can help by choosing Fairtrade products and adding your voice to Fairtrade's petition calling for stronger laws to protect people and the planet. Find out more and sign the Fair on the Planet petition at https://action.fairtrade.org.uk/page/186243/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=fair-on-the-planet-connect-to-... Together, we can help build a future that's fair to people and fair to the planet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chef Doug McMaster explains how the food we eat can reconnect us with nature, from regenerative farming to zero-waste living and healthier systems. Food is one of the most powerful ways we connect with nature, but how often do we stop to think about where it comes from? In this episode of Connect to Nature, zero-waste chef Doug McMaster explores how food, philosophy and regenerative farming can help us build a healthier relationship with the natural world. From creating the world's first zero-waste restaurant to rethinking waste, soil and sustainability, Doug shares how nature's circular systems can inspire the way we cook, eat and live. It's a thought-provoking conversation that challenges us to see food not just as nourishment, but as a connection to nature itself. 🌍 Connect to Nature Season Two is sponsored by the Fairtrade Foundation If you care about nature, climate change and where your food comes from, Fairtrade's Do It Fair campaign is calling for a future that's fair on the planet. You can help by choosing Fairtrade products and adding your voice to Fairtrade's petition calling for stronger laws to protect people and the planet. Find out more and sign the Fair on the Planet petition at https://action.fairtrade.org.uk/page/186243/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=fair-on-the-planet-connect-to-... Together, we can help build a future that's fair to people and fair to the planet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does your weekly shop have to do with climate justice? 🌍In this episode of Connect to Nature, Amy Chapman and Katrina Ridley are joined by Larissa Kennedy, doctoral researcher, community builder and trustee of the Fairtrade Foundation, to explore how our food choices connect us to people, planet and heritage.Raised in Croydon, she is a 'granddaughter of the Windrush generation', with family roots in Jamaica, Barbados, the Grenadine and St Vincent. Here, Larissa shares why her grandmother's garden offered her first connection to nature, food systems, and climate justice, and how fair trade creates real solidarity between shoppers and farmers on the front lines of the climate crisis.From a sick turtle on a beach to Kenyan tea farmers feeling climate change in real time, this is a conversation about bringing "far away" issues close to home, starting with what's on your plate.🌍 Connect to Nature Season Two is sponsored by the Fairtrade FoundationIf you care about nature, climate change and where your food comes from, Fairtrade's Do It Fair campaign is calling for a future that's fair on the planet. You can help by choosing Fairtrade products and adding your voice to Fairtrade's petition calling for stronger laws to protect people and the planet.Find out more and sign the Fair on the Planet petition at action.fairtrade.org.uk/page....Together, we can help build a future that's fair to people and fair to the planet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Johnathon Miller-McCall was on his way to becoming an accountant. Instead, he handed in his notice, started an animal management and conservation degree that same week, and never looked back.The naturalist and content creator, known online as J Talks Nature, has built his work around one simple belief: you don't need to live in the countryside to connect with nature. Growing up in South London, he caught insects in containers, dragged his mates to a wildlife-taken landfill, and was called a 'weirdo' for loving bugs. Today, he's proving that nature is for everyone.In this episode of Connect to Nature with Amy Chapman and Katrina Ridley, he explains why 'messiness' is actually nature functioning perfectly, how to find your own sit-spot in the city, and the one small thing he wants you to do on your next walk. 🌍 Connect to Nature Season Two is sponsored by the Fairtrade FoundationIf you care about nature, climate change and where your food comes from, Fairtrade's Do It Fair campaign is calling for a future that's fair on the planet. You can help by choosing Fairtrade products and adding your voice to Fairtrade's petition calling for stronger laws to protect people and the planet.Find out more and sign the Fair on the Planet petition at https://action.fairtrade.org.uk/page/186243/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=fair-on-the-planet-connect-to-...Together, we can help build a future that's fair to people and fair to the planet.#ConnectToNature #UrbanNature #NatureForEveryone Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After walking runways for a living, Poppy Okotcha found herself empty, unwell, and searching for something the fashion industry could never give her. She found it in soil.The regenerative grower, author, and new mother has become one of the UK's most compelling voices in ecological gardening, but her path to homegrown living was anything but straight.From a buddleia bush crawling with butterflies in her mum's modest London garden to a brief stint growing on a canal boat to an encounter with a soil-covered British farmer in an Indian intentional community that changed everything... Now, Poppy runs a free community food garden called Grow Share in Devon, a space where people contribute time instead of money, grow their own produce, and donate the surplus to families in need.In this episode of Connect to Nature with Amy Chapman and Katrina Ridley, she explains why gardening is a radical act, how composting taught her to process grief, and the one decadent crop she says everyone should start with. 🌍 Connect to Nature Season Two is sponsored by the Fairtrade Foundation If you care about nature, climate change and where your food comes from, Fairtrade's Do It Fair campaign is calling for a future that's fair on the planet. You can help by choosing Fairtrade products and adding your voice to Fairtrade's petition calling for stronger laws to protect people and the planet. Find out more and sign the Fair on the Planet petition at https://action.fairtrade.org.uk/page/186243/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=fair-on-the-planet-connect-to-... Together, we can help build a future that's fair to people and fair to the planet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices