In this episode, we’re joined by the brilliant Mary Reynolds - former Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winner turned rewilding activist and founder of the We Are The ARK movement. Mary shares her powerful journey from designing pristine gardens to championing wild, messy, life-filled outdoor spaces and challenges us to stop seeing ourselves as gardeners and start seeing ourselves as guardians.

Before diving in, we kick off with a quick news round-up: the latest on the voting age change in England, PAN UK’s new pesticide report, plus updates from our campaigns in Wales and our upcoming Urban Nature Day in Newcastle upon Tyne this September.

In our chat with Mary, we explore:

• How she went from garden designer to full-time rewilding activist
• The story behind We Are The ARK and its nine practical steps for restoring life
• Why tidy gardens are bad news for biodiversity
• Ireland’s nature crisis and what it tells us about land use everywhere
• Myths we need to let go of about ownership, control and connecting with nature
• The crucial role of native plants in keeping ecosystems alive
• How building an ARK can turn everyday people into activists
• Mary’s own six-acre ARK in Ireland and the love she’s built with her land
• Why humans must act as guardians if we’re to prevent further ecological collapse
• Her advice for young activists on staying resilient and leading with love

Links:

• PAN UK's new report on council pesticide use: https://www.pan-uk.org/pesticide-free/
• Our latest petition for residents (whether you study, live or work) in Newcastle upon Tyne, calling on the council to ditch pesticides: https://win.newmode.net/ukyouthfornature/stopsprayingnewcastlemakeourstreetspesticidefree
• Our campaign pack for lobbying local councils on pesticide use: https://www.ukyouthfornature.org/your-wild-streets-campaign
• The ARK: https://wearetheark.org/

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