Peat-Fest South-West Bogcasts

Cycles of Life is our final bogcast (podcast) for Peat-Fest South-West and celebrates the young people’s voices from around the South West, brought together as their Manifesto.Created by Art and Energy CIC and RE-PEAT for Peat-Fest South-West, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.Credit:AMBSwmp Westhay Moor Nature Reserve Early Morning Ambience by ermine -- https://freesound.org/s/790605/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

Small Giants: Bogcast 6 looks at the climate crisis and our role and responsibilities as small but significant parts of our planet’s history. We think about eco-anxiety and how it might be tackled by staying connected with each other and with our natural environment. We’ll look to small life forms found on peatlands for guidance. Credits:AMBSwmp Westhay Moor Nature Reserve Early Morning Ambience by ermine -- https://freesound.org/s/790605/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0CD_CONTACT_013FX_Magic_moon by kevp888 -- https://freesound.org/s/708810/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

In this episode we will explore the way that stories, songs and celebration can connect us to our land. We will hear some of the folk traditions that celebrate our ancient relationships with the rhythms of the world.Recorded by Art and Energy and RE-PEAT for Peat-Fest South-West and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Life Force is our fourth bogcast, join us as we explore voices that have fought for change and taken action against the climate crisis. We will learn how small actions taken to restore and advocate for peatlands have contributed for a greater force for hope and change. We will look at how we can all become part of this movement. Recorded by Art and Energy, RE-PEAT and our Peat-Fest South-West collaborators. Funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Recorded by Art and Energy and RE-PEAT and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Wetlands is the second of seven bogcasts (podcasts) sharing our love of peatlands through the Peat-Fest South-West project. Wet Land, our second bogcast reveals the wettest and flattest areas in the Southwest – the Somerset Levels.  The Avalon Marshes team, as well as the marshes themselves tell us how the peatlands have been lived in over thousands of years and about ancient wooden walkways skimming the surface of the water between settlements.  They explain how  the impact of climate change is causing more frequent flooding in winter and drier summers and how it challenges the careful peatland restoration, modern day living and farming the land.  The sound of Hot Poets and the Somerset wetland punctuates this bogcast giving ideas to think through and share with your friends.Recorded by Art and Energy and RE-PEAT with support from the Peat-Fest South-West partners and collaborators.Funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Recorded in 2025.

Beginnings is the first of seven bogcasts (podcasts) sharing our love of peatlands through the Peat-Fest South-West project. From the launch of the festival to our first workshops this summer, this first bogcast, called ‘Beginnings’ gives an idea of the many different voices involved in this celebration of peatlands. From the fantastic specialists and peatland restorers to our young and older participants, with their history and stories to tell, this bogcast asks ‘what is peat?’, encourages curiosity as to why peat is so special and how it reduces the impact of climate change. You will hear facts, fiction and folksong, alongside passion!Funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Recorded in summer 2025.