Green Martinstown’s Annual Supper Evening
On Saturday, October 12th, I had the pleasure of attending Green Martinstown’s annual supper evening at the Village Hall, themed “Soil: The Foundation of Life.” An enthusiastic gardener and eco-conscious individual, I was really looking forward to what promised to be an educational and fun evening.
The evening began with folk music by local duo A Long, Long Walk, followed by a thought-provoking TEDx talk by Dutchman, Youri Post, a friend of Colin Tracy. Sharing his transformative journey on a smallholding in Ibiza, Youri passionately described the vibrant colours, textures, and scents of the soil. He explained how his connection to the earth helped him overcome addiction and deepened his sense of belonging in the world.
After a delicious home-cooked supper, we heard from Professor Mark Kibblewhite, Chair of Trustees at the Dorset Wildlife Trust and a leading soil expert. Mark emphasized that “soil is not simply inanimate dirt—it is teeming with life.” He invited us to envision ourselves shrinking down, like Alice in Wonderland, to a microscopic level to appreciate the hidden life within the soil. Mark explained that soil experiences time differently, evolving over spans that make our lifetimes seem brief. He likened soil to a living engine, a crucial reservoir of carbon that sustains an endless cycle of life and death.
The evening’s message was clear: soil is a living entity, a vibrant habitat in its own right, that supports our ecosystem. Perhaps we should all take a quiet moment to engage our senses, dig our hands into the earth, and recognise the significance of this vital resource for life on our planet. A special thanks to Trilby and Pete who played superbly and managed to successfully engage the whole hall in song… we sounded pretty good! Thank you to all who helped create such a good evening.
Charlotte Beare
Open Meeting Thursday 5th December 7.00pm The Manor House
On Thursday 5th December we are hosting another Open Meeting at the Manor House. Our Open Meetings are open to anyone (as the name suggests!) There will be 2 short talks on Fungi and Bird Ringing. We will present updates on our current projects and events, including an update on the ongoing Community Asset Transfer of the Dorset Council owned land north of the church and St. Martinsfield. We also welcome your ideas for projects and possible new directions to do with sustainability and care for the Earth.
Please come and join us – there will be drinks and nibbles provided along with a warm welcome.
Positive News (From Positive News Magazine)
The Iberian Lynx has been removed from the endangered species list as conservation work has allowed their numbers to rise from 93 in 2002 to 2,021 in 2023.
The Flow Country in Scotland, a 4000 square kilometre pristine blanket bog, has secured world heritage status. It stores around 400 million tonnes of carbon – more than all of the UK’s woodlands combined.
