BIODIVERSITY BOYS - PART 2

Back on air earlier this year, we discussed Seals in the river Thames, the campaign for a Greater London National Park, rewilding, pangolin conservation and local activities to get involved with wildlife in London and Kingston.

Listen again to our show by clicking here.

Find out more about Kingston Green radio here.

Discover the Kingston Biodiversity Action netwrok here.

MARATHON CHALLENGE - PART 11: 26 MILES = DONE

IT'S DONE! I completed the 2015 London Marathon in 5 hrs 40 mins all in a ridiculous rhino costume!   What a day it was, certainly a challenge, and certainly worth it. Not least because everyone has donated so kindly to save rhinos from extinction.

The course was tough, I hit a wall about 5 miles in and they just kept on coming. But the crowds were amazing, and the atmosphere keeps you going. Thank you all, including the family and friends who were there along the way cheering me on, it provided much needed encouragement. The Save the Rhino team was brilliant to run with (we had a whole charge of rhinos) and as ever the support staff and volunteers from the charity were brilliant.

Once again (and not for the last time) THANK YOU!


P.S apparently I even made it onto BuzzFeed too, so if thats not another life goal ticked off... I don't know what is!

MARATHON CHALLENGE - PART 10 46494

The ExCel exhibition centre is open and for the next four days thousands of runners will be making their journey to Custom House on the DLR in order to pick up their running number and kit bag. It's a sign that the marathon is nearly upon us! With so much temptation in the form of ultra specialist running kit which abounds in this mecca to exercise, I was fortunate that my nerves sent me rapidly through the churning commercial mill fairly quickly. Having just enough change to buy myself a couple of energy/cereal bars.

With the running number collection done. My time is nearly up!

Wish me luck.

MARATHON CHALLENGE - PART 9 AN IMPENDING DOOM (BUT ON THE UPSIDE THANK YOU!)

I realise the title here is a little ominous, but I'm fine really. Just a little concerned. I have the London Marathon coming up shortly (within weeks that will turn to days before I know it). The problem is I haven't been for a run for a while, a good while... I've developed a bit of a cough and cold situation and it is not conducive to running, in fact being short of breath is causing a little worry. I'm currently waiting it out and not wanting to exasperate things by exerting myself (of which running would be a prime example). However this can only go on so long, therefore I'm going to give it a few more days and then, well I'm not sure, but I should probably check my fitness hasn't dropped right off the radar.

It's not all bad news though, thanks to everyones huge generosity I am getting very close to reaching my fundraising target for Save the Rhino International, who I'm running in aid of. The fundraising was almost as daunting as the running, but the support has been amazing.

So once again thank you and keep it coming!

Donations can be made at Virgin Money Giving.

MARATHON CHALLENGE - PART 8 A FULL 21 MILES

Well I didn't think it could be done, but done it was, 21 gruelling miles. Thankfully the route was level and blissfully fresh. My mother had had enough of sleepless nights worrying about a collapsed rhino half way round the London Marathon course and therefore was determined to get me out training. After much grumbling I was out the door and onto the Cuckoo trail, a footpath and cycleway that follows old railway lines through East Sussex. It tuned out to be an excellent running path, with no traffic to worry about, and a level even surface. Mum drove me forward before peddling off on her bike for a more leisurely ride. I was left puffing and panting but with the dog for company. I preoccupied my mind and soon found a rhythm, which dare I say, actually felt quite good.

This was a real practice, so I had energy gels, water and a 10kg backpack to simulate the weight of the rhino. The basic route was Heathfield to Polegate and back, which was about 10.5 miles each way. However after the 11th mile I started to regret letting my mum talk me into this, knowing if I stopped and walked the longer the whole thing would take. It struck me just how many hours I had to be running for, as day was swiftly turning to night and I still had several miles to go. If ever there is an incentive to keep running, getting off a dark and isolated disused railway track has to be up there. Luckily I had the dog, otherwise I would have become more and more convinced I was in some sort of horror film.

Incidentally when i did finally get to the end, only one of us was 'dog-tired', within seconds of coming to a stop after 21 constant miles, she picked up a stick and nudged me to throw it for her, bounding off as though she just spent the last 5 hours shut inside. Needless to say I was not at that level. However I had completed it, I had run and run. 'Maybe I can do this Marathon!' was a thought that genuinely crossed my mind.

To support my London Marathon challenge, click this link.

MARATHON CHALLENGE - PART 7 A BIT LIKE RUNNING IN A SWEATY CRISP PACKET

What's happened since I went on my winge binge here on this dear blog. Well I'd like to say a lot, and I guess I kind of can, I've been for a few more runs for one thing! So that can only be an improvement. In fact my massive outpouring of laziness on my last post gave me the kick I needed in a slightly unexpected direction. That is to say, a lot of unsympathetic friends and family telling me in less than uncertain terms to 'get the bloody hell on with it and go for a run!' I like to think this was mainly out of concern for my wellbeing.

So I've run, and run some more, both in Bristol, Sussex and back in London. Having borrowed the dreaded costume I even took it out for a spin and jogged a short mile with metal and foam clattering around me, Alice as my trusty guide. Apart from the impaired vision, necessity for awkward shuffling hops and an aching back, I was most struck by just how noisy it is inside these costumes. A phenomena that was aptly described by Save the Rhino's director, Cathy Dean, saying something along the lines of: it's a bit like running inside a crisp packet and a very sweaty one at that!

However I am not here to tell you about my short foray in the costume, I actually wanted to let you all know, for peace of mind at least, that I have completed a 17 miler, as of Monday 9th March. It took me about 3 hours so I wasn't racing round, but pacing myself, and I did get very very lost in the process. This run took me, complete with laden backpack (to simulate at least the weight of the costume), from Brixton through Clapham Common to Wimbledon Common and eventually Richmond Park. I now know the perils of running in a busy urban centre. Even within the parks you are in constant danger, as I discovered when running away from a pack of 7 hounds under questionable control of the dog walker, only to end up in a golf course, which on this sunny spring morning was a minefield of flying balls of death.

But I survived, I eventually made it home and I have calculated through a very useful site called MapOMeter that my journey took me on a circuitous 17 miles. (And yes my legs do now feel like lead).

If you would like to sponsor my challenge please don't hesitate, click here for my Virgin Money Giving Page.

TRAWLERMEN - FIRTH OF CLYDE

Documenting Trawler Sampling in the Firth of Clyde, with Millport Marine Station, Isle of Cumbrae 2011

2015 GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN - MY VISION FOR NATURE

"A Focus on Nature is filled with young people brimming with passion and talent to communicate about nature and to protect it. But as many of us know, decisions about nature don’t always go our (or nature’s) way. This is because those in power don’t feel enough pressure to decide in our favour. As young people, we’re going to suffer the worst consequences of this. When the politicians in power now are retired or dead, we’ll be living in the natural world built by their decisions. That’s why those decisions have to reflect our ambitions."

Matt Williams - AFON

My Vision for Nature

The air we breath, the environment we live in, it's all influenced, and inextricably linked to natural world. However, with increasing population pressure, the ever growing demands of industry and economy, we are beginning to see the cracks appear in the landscape. With a rapid deterioration of ecosystems our own well being, as a species, is suffering. But what can we do, we need solutions that work for people AND wildlife.

Conservation is a word that in many ways could invoke inaction, but conserving must not be confused with preserving. Action needs to be taken to improve our natural environment, not just to preserve what wild places are left. Life has a knack of clinging on, bringing its vitality to the concrete jungle many of us call home. It's this that can be encouraged, improved and increased.

So what is my vision for nature? It's a future where nature is not sidelined. This is not to say I do not believe in building new homes, new schools and businesses, but that this can be done sensitivity and sensibly. There is still so much scope for the nature to be incorporated into our everyday lives. I want to see urban reserves, thriving and connected. Water courses, free from pollution and houses teaming not just with homo sapiens, but also a myriad of other animal life. As well as conserving wild and green areas, we can create new habitats, new build homes can have living opportunities for other animals incorporated into their design, nest boxes for house martins and bat roosts. Rather than the constant displacement that leave so many populations isolated and dwindling.

Wild places teaming with life are not the preserve of the countryside, where often the reality is barren intensive farmland, wild places can be at the heart of the city and in some cases already are. I want to see more of them spring up, and opened up, to be appreciated and enjoyed. This can and needs to be part of the urban development in the 21st Century, trees to cool and clean the air, and nectar rich plants to feed the bees. Modernisation is about learning form the past, not replicating previous mistakes.

So it seems it's up to us, the next generation, to make our visions a reality. We are calling on all political parties in the run up to the elections to take these issues seriously. The youth have a voice and we want to see real policies on the environment and on climate change, that will safeguard the future of this planet for everyone, of all species.

FUNGI FORAGING

Fungi foraged in Sussex, on this particular expedition I was looking for specimens to paint and draw, rather than eat.

MARATHON CHALLENGE - PART 6 A DIFFERENT KIND OF WALL

So I'm back, well back on the blog. It feels like it's been a while, and I think avoiding looking at this Blogger page is a part of a larger problem. I've been avoiding it, and in turn, avoiding running. I mean totally and utterly avoiding running, so I haven't had any updates to give. This is therefore the first stage in getting back on the horse (or into the rhino costume) as the case may be.

I haven't been running recently and today it doesn't look like I'm bucking that trend, I very much think I am a fair weather runner (and its been a shoddy wet westcountry day today). I am coming up with new excuses now, but quickly running out; I can't claim being new to the area any more, because I've been here (Bristol) for three weeks; my friend Kate has shown me a good, leafy and varied route, so I can't claim a lack of inspiration; and my other mates seem quite capable of getting up early and running before work, even when they start earlier than my 9.30am, so that just puts me to shame really. Therefore given these ample opportunities I am now having to face the fact that the only obstacle in my way, is me, and a wall of my own making.

Frankly this is probably laziness, but labelling myself as such is not motivation in itself. So how to break this well constructed and beautifully pointed red brick barrier. I think, in part, it's in overthinking things, it's imaging in far too much detail, just how bloomin wet, cold and down right freezing it is outside. So for the third Monday in a row I am setting myself a challenge, not as tough a challenge as a full blown marathon in a rhino (which is my fate in April), but the very immediate challenge of kicking myself out of bed at least an hour earlier than necessary, heading straight for the crusty trainers and getting out the massive green front door. What makes this different from any of the other three of my Sunday declarations? Well, put simply, I think I feel more accountable when it's in writing. Hence putting finger to keyboard seemed like the first step through this particular wall.

If you are starting to get an idea of how much I am not cut out for a marathon and are therefore concerned for me, why not make a contribution to Save the Rhino on my fundraising page. Because if one thing's for sure, it's for the rhinos that I've got myself into this mess! And it's for the rhinos that I'll drag myself out of bed A WHOLE HOUR EARLIER.

Until next time!

Cheers.

RICHMOND PARK RING NECKS

Where did the parakeets come from?
Ring-necked parakeets have become a common site within many Parks in and around London. They are certainly a colourful and noisy addition to the landscape and no less so than in Richmond Park where there is a healthy population. The warmer than average winter temperatures afforded by the city and a reliable winter food supply has allowed released individuals to persist in the environment and subsequently start breeding (first recorded in 1969). It's not yet know how their increasing population may impact on other native British species through competition for food and nesting sites.

MARATHON CHALLENGE - PART 5 ALL THE GEAR AND ONLY A VAGUE IDEA

I got over my half marathon with a good couple of days rest, then I was off to exercise some different muscles, mix things up a bit. I did some gardening, and this is actually where the fundraising and running cross over. Some proper hardcore gardening for my sister and brother in law in return for an extra generous donation to my fundraising efforts. However, I was not going to get away lightly from my running duties, my brother in law, James, is a veteran marathon runner from 2013 and had plenty of advice and persevered in cajoling me out the door and on another run. He knows how 'not an athlete' I am, and I am suspicious he also knows the well guarded secret that I will struggle to get round the course, particularly in a rhino, particularly with my apathy towards proper preparation.

Proper preparation? I have discovered it's more than just practicing the ancient art of bipedal movement. It means nutrition, hydration and other vaguely technical words that ultimately come down to giving your body the best chance it can, to keep up with the mind. So this comes down to the running gear, what modern man has invented to assist specifically those with some primeval desie to experience the pain of running for miles, once running down prey I suppose, now a medal.

James talked me through THE WALL and how to try an avoid hitting it for as long as possible. The key, apparently, is that your body can only assimilate a limited number of calories at a time, after which it runs out unless you consume more. If you fail to give your body more calories to burn, then your brain says run and your legs kind of sag and stutter, unable to complete the intended movement. One of the best ways to imbibe extra calories on the run is energy gels, so James has kindly donated a box for me to try out. Now I have got some of the gear, but where to put these glucose gel sachets while running. Here's the ingenius part, a tiny tiny belt, a bit like a workman's belt for tools, but much less practical on a building site. This is able to just about hold enough gels and possibly a cereal bar, to get me round the 26 or so miles, even while rhinoed up. I hope.

I will try these out in due course, and I'll let you know how it goes: if I'm sick; if it gives me the boost to smash through the invisible wall; or even if it has no discernible effect.

Until then.

If you would like to sponsor me for this madness please donate online by clicking here.

MARATHON CHALLENGE - PART 4 HALF MARATHON = DONE

Accidental! I did an accidental half marathon! Surely a good sign. This 13 ish miles was just my normal 4.5 mile route but three times. I've had a break from running for a few days and started off planning to ease back in with the normal route round the village, (a simple right at every turn, which comes out as about 4.5 miles). As I approached the end of the first lap, I decided to continue and go for a second. no biggy, legs were aching but not collapsing under me. I ploughed on through, waving to the workman cutting the hedge for a second time. Tramping the now well worn path along the side of the lane.

I have done two circuits before, and it was while nearing the end of round 2 that I decided I could go the whole hog, make it a third, make it a half bloody marathon, why not. So it was after mile 10, soon after proclaiming outloud that I was going to go for it, that my body started giving up. The memory of the single piece of marmite toast that was fuelling my run came to mind and I regretted this meagre breakfast. But I had to finish now, I had no idea how long I had been out and suddenly I just really wanted to know the time, with no watch, I think this is partly what got me round in the two hours. I was determined to know how I was doing.

Finish line in sight, down the track, the house was approaching, or rather I was approaching it. I stopped, staggered and just about kept upright as I wound down to a walk. What I havent yet mentioned is that the dog was by my side the whole way. She didn't bat an eyelid, in fact after 13.5 miles she was bounding about like nothing had happened, at least she did alright, for an accidental half.

If you are marginally impressed by my effort so far, feel free to donate to my challenge here

MARATHON CHALLENGE - PART 3 FIRE AND BRIMSTONE

Well that was particularly traumatic. I'm in Cornwall, land of dramatic cliff drops, emerald waters, sandy beaches and open skies. However, today was far from picturesque, the weather was shocking, like really really terrible. Thunderclouds, heavy air, whipping wind, the lot. All of it thrown at me for my morning run, when I say run... I mean there were times I was clinging to the fence for fear of being blown off the cliff, elemental was the word I was told and this certainly seems to sum it up. But, once I got into it I warmed up a bit, the too close for comfort cliff edge adding an element of je ne sais quoi.

Then the hail came. Just as I was trying to NOT regret the decision to run a marathon. Huge hailstones pummelling down, I ran/stumbled to a bit of tufty grass (yep there was not a lot of cover) and crouched trying to protect my stinging ears with my hands. In this vulnerable state I discovered the power of profanities, which did quite a lot to relieve the situation. This was my turning back point, I have no idea how far I had gone, but ran like mad back, sometimes crouching like a bright blue commando to lower my centre of gravity, which I genuinely thought would stop me blowing off the cliff face.

I made it back, rejoice and hooray, I am alive, and feel slightly more alive than ever. Despite the fire and brimstone chucked at me from sea and air. Although, I might not do it again, not until the sun is well and truly out.

Click here if you would like to support me in my Marathon

MARATHON CHALLENGE - PART 2 (ACTUALLY RUNNING)

So I did it, yep I went on a run, I could avoid it no more. The New Year has been hailed in, resolutions made. The first one was pretty painful, not gonna lie, it sucked. It was cold, icy and I really find stretching tedious. However it happened. I went 5 miles (approx) and this successful endeavour encouraged me to continue, so I left it a couple of days (don't want to be too keen) and did it again. So now I feel like I'm building stamina or something similarly technical.  Which lead me to thinking I'd try to run 10. Yep 10 whole miles.

Well I can safely say I am in pain, not that ole 5 mile pain, more aching, more permanent, more creaking knees. I didn't time myself, don't need that kind of pressure just yet thank you, just pushed on through, could have been more like a quick walk for all I know. But.. crucially, I'm feeling encouraged. I might be able to do it. I really could be in with a chance of completing the London Marathon.

If you want to sponsor my challenge, just click here for my Virgin Money Giving page