Tuesday 7th May, 7.30pm 2024, Samuel Worth Chapel in the General Cemetery – Insects in the City: A talk by Stuart Campbell
Pollinating insects provide important ecosystem services but face numerous environmental stresses, including habitat loss/degradation, climate change and pollution. Many of these stresses are stronger in cities, yet our understanding of urban insect diversity remains relatively poor, especially for “less charismatic” species like moths and flies. In this talk, I will summarise some of my lab’s recent research on pollinating insects in urban environments, comparing how moths, bees and flies are coping with the stresses of city life. In the first part of the talk, I’ll discuss how urbanisation intensity is negatively affecting pollinator abundance and diversity in the UK (including Sheffield). I’ll then discuss a study in which we compared flower visitation patterns of moths and bees to see whether pollination networks are affected by urbanisation, a study with implications for how we design interventions to support pollinators. Finally, I’ll highlight a few experimental results showing how stresses like pollution and pest damage are undermining the quality of flowering plants for insects in cities.
Saturday 27 April 2024, 10am, meet at Northtown Kitchen, Abbeydale Road – Where is the River Banner?
Back by popular demand, this walk will be led by Mark James. In this walk, we will explore the southern boundary of the NESST area – Bannerdale. The river Banner is one of Sheffield’s “lost rivers.” It exists, but where is it? While searching for the Banner, we will reflect upon the area’s landscape, points of interest, habitat and biodiversity, as well as potential sites for food growing and tree planting. Meet by the North Town Kitchen, 699-701 Abbeydale Road, Sheffield, S7 2BE. The walk will take about 2.5 hours and ends back at the North Town Kitchen.
Thursday 11th April 2024, 6pm, meet at the junction of Chippinghouse Road and Staveley Road – An evening walk around the new street trees NESST has funded in Highfield and Lowfield
Paul Selby will lead a relaxed pace walk around the Highfield and Lowfield streets, stopping by the new trees to both admire them, but also to explain the efforts it has taken to achieve this success. It’ll also be a chance for NESST members to find out more about some of the streets they have perhaps rarely or never walked on before, taking in the many under-loved green and brown spaces that have so much potential.
Tuesday 19th March 2024, 7.30pm, at On the Brink (Brincliffe House) on Osborne Road – All about Swifts with Flora Jeferzade and Chet Cunago
Flora Jeferzade and Chet Cunago of the Sheffield Swift Network will talk about why swifts have captured their hearts and minds! Why our swifts are in trouble, the work the network is undertaking to halt the decline of Sheffield’s swifts, and offer solutions to what we can do as individuals to help. After the talk, Chet will show her film ‘Every Swift Counts’ about her trials and adventures rehabilitating grounded swift at Sheffield Swift Rescue.
Tuesday 13th February 2024, 7.30pm, at On the Brink (Brincliffe House) on Osborne Road – Heat Pumps: Busting the myths with Emma Bohan
Emma Bohan is a resident of Nether Edge and Managing Director of MCS Accredited and Which? Trusted Trader heat pump installation company – IMS Heat Pumps. She is also Vice-Chair of the Ground Source Heat Pumps Association and will be presenting ‘Heat Pumps, Busting the Myths’ on Tuesday 13th February and will be on hand to take any of your questions afterwards.
Tuesday 5th December 2023, 7.30pm, Regather, 57-59 Club Garden Road, S11 8BU – Educational Talk and Festive Social – Winter Flowering Nectar Plants that are good for wildlife, by Fran Halsall
Loyal NESST member Fran Halsall will do a short talk about winter flowering nectar plants. Winter can seem like a barren time in the garden, particularly for any insects that might emerge during mild periods. But there are a range of excellent plants that can help “refuel” those insects and help them survive. As well as brighten up those gloomy winter days. After the talk, we’ll have an informal mingle, a chance to share ideas and successes. To catch up with old friends, and make new contacts.
Tuesday 24th October 2023, 7.30pm, The Psalter Pub on Psalter Lane, NESST Annual General Meeting 2023
The NESST AGM will be a good chance to reflect on NESST achievements this last 12 months as well as conducting the usual formal business. Paul will then give an educational talk about wildlife holidays in Europe. Paul has been on 20 such trips this last 7 years, and will talk about the stunning scenery, butterflies, other wildlife that can be seen.
Saturday 23rd September 2023, 10am (meet outside Northtown Deli and Kitchen, 701 Abbeydale Road) – A re-run of the “Lost Brooks of Nether Edge” Educational Walk
A re-run of the walk in May – a walk around Nether Edge seeking to highlight the five lost streams/brooks in the area, some you may know the names of, some you probably won’t have! The walk will be led by our very own Mark James, who led the highly popular “Where is the River Banner” walk in early March 2023 (and in the autumn 2022).
Tuesday 25th July 2023, 7.30pm, The Psalter pub on Psalter Lane – Plants from an insects point of view – A talk by Fran Halsall
From pollinators to plant-eaters, this 90 minute long session looks at which plants you should include to attract insects to your wildlife garden. The talk will cover plant type, flower shape, flower colour, specific insect plant relationships, and much more. There will be time for questions and a discussion. Come a bit early to get a drink from the bar. Free to all, but donations for the project on the door.
Fran has a Masters in landscape architecture from the University of Sheffield. She specialises in ecological design and management, building upon a lifetime of gardening experience and a deep affinity with nature. She is Garden Services manager at Regather, combining this role with a Research Associate position with the Urban Agriculture Task Force, part of the South Yorkshire Sustainability Centre. She is also the co creator of the Sheffield Woodland Connections project, which teaches people about the importance of trees and woodland. Fran was also the advisor on the wonderful Kenwood Hotel kitchen garden where Nether Edgers grew vegetables for food works during lockdown.
Tuesday 27th June 2023, 7.30pm, The Psalter pub on Psalter Lane – Hedgerows for Nature and Wildlife – A talk by Ian Rotherham
This illustrated talk will introduce the idea of a ‘hedge’, the history of hedges, and why they are so important. Within the countryside (both urban and rural), hedges provide vital linkages in the landscapes and essential wildlife corridors too. Sometimes these older hedges occur in people’s back gardens as remnants of a lost countryside swamped by urban development. Whilst many urban and suburban hedges are poor lumps of the exotic garden privet, beech, or Portuguese laurel, these sometimes mix with older native-species hedges from forgotten countryside. However, even the poorest hedges can easily be enhanced and ‘improved’ for nature and to look better too, and we will find out how. The evening will include a display and sale of selected books, and a short question and answer session.
Monday 22nd May 2023, 7pm, meet at Northtown Kitchen on Abbeydale Road – The lost brooks of Nether Edge
A walk around Nether Edge seeking to highlight the five lost streams/brooks in the area, some you may know the names of some you probably won’t have! The walk will be led by our very own Mark James, who led the highly popular “Where is the River Banner” walk in early March (and autumn 2022).
Tuesday 18th April 2023, 7.30pm, The Psalter pub on Psalter Lane – More Bees Please
Come and meet David from More Bees Please. A bee farmer from Sheffield who will tell us all about the importance of honeybees on the environment, the roles they have in the hive, and more interesting facts about these amazing insects. This is a very informative but fun talk about the bees. David also produces Honey & beeswax products, such as body butters, lip balms, soaps, candles, wax melts etc, which he will bring along for you to look at and try.
Wednesday 5th April 2023, 5.30pm, meet on the junction of Montgomery Avenue and Montgomery Road – The new street trees in the NESST area
A walk around part of the NESST area, led by Paul Selby, stopping off at many of the new street trees to discuss some of the interesting facts about the different species and how they were funded, as well as admiring the difference they make to the street scene.
Tuesday 14th March 2023, 7.30pm, The Psalter pub on Psalter Lane – Habitat creation for butterflies and other pollinators
A special screening of one of the most comprehensive, inspiring and interesting video guides to pollinator habitat creation. Paul Selby will be hosting the 75 minute video lecture presented by Dr Dan Danahar, with a question and answer session at the end.
Saturday 4th March 2023, 10am – Where is the River Banner?
meet outside Northtown Kitchen & Deli (699-701 Abbeydale Road)
As a result of popular demand, this will be re-run of the walk conducted by Mark James on 10th September, for those who couldn’t attend the first one. In this walk we will explore the southern boundary of the NESST area: Bannerdale. The River Banner is one of Sheffield’s “lost rivers.” It exists but where is it? While searching for the Banner, we will reflect upon the areas landscape, points of interest, habitat and biodiversity, as well as potential sites for food growing and tree planting.
Tuesday 21st February 2023, 7.30pm, The Psalter pub on Psalter Lane – Planting trees, not painting trees: Contemporary Art and the Natural Environment
Artist and former art school lecturer Rob Gawthrop will talk about ways artists have made work that engages with the natural world. He will discuss how modern and contemporary artists moved away from traditional methods of making and exhibiting in favour of working critically and conceptually. Richard Long’s walks, Jenny Holzer’s text-based work, Giuseppe Penone’s tree sculptures and the films of Chris Welsby will be considered in relation to paintings by Thomas Gainsborough, Claude Monet, and Paul Nash. He will also set this in the context of political actions that have taken place at Greenham Common, in Paris 1968 and recently by Extinction Rebellion.
image top: Claude Monet Poplars on the Bank of the Epte 1892
image bottom: Joseph Beuys 7000 Oaks 1982