Dr Julia Mackenzie, Anglia Ruskin University - pre-recorded talk

The breeding success of blue tits and great tits has been studied for over 15 years in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden by scientists from Anglia Ruskin University. The Garden, being full of trees and plants appears to be a great place to raise a brood of chicks, but all is not as it seems. The parent birds often struggle to find the caterpillar food needed by their nestlings, lay fewer eggs and have fewer young fledge the nest when compared to their woodland counterparts.

Dr Chris Whitewoods, Sainsbury Lab, University of Cambridge

Dr Johannes Kromdijk Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge

Prof David Coomes, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge

The UK’s woodlands store 1.1 billion tonnes of carbon and act as a "net carbon sink" that currently removes 5% of the country’s CO2 emissions from the atmosphere.  However, we are one of Europe's least wooded countries and the carbon sink is gradually declining over time.  The government's response is to establish over 30,000 hectares of new woodlands per year by 2025, providing a nature-based solution to the climate crisis whilst benefitting biodiversity and human wellbeing.

Crafting materials at the ready – join us in an online craft club as we create nests together using different techniques, and find out from expert Dr Jenny York how different species of birds create their nests. Share your creations with us after the event! We will be using materials you can find at home, recycling materials where possible, to create a nest you could use as an Easter decoration. We will send information about materials and equipment as well as joining instructions when you book.

This event is suitable for ages 8+

Please join the Friends of Kettle’s Yard for an online evening event with Barley Roscoe, freelance curator and writer and formerly director of the Holburne Museum and Crafts Study Centre in Bath. Barley is the co-author of a recently published bookon Ernest Gimson’s life and work.

Join art historian Sarah Burles for an online afternoon talk on collection artist Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (1891-1915). The talk will put Gaudier-Brzeska’s work at Kettle’s Yard into a wider context as well as discussing Jim Ede’s determination to see him “recognised as one of France’s greatest sculptors”. 

£15 (£5 students), booking required

Click here to book now

This online course introduces learners to the art of choosing the right tree or shrub to suit its garden setting. With a look at how trees and shrubs grow, learners will find out how and why to prune woody plants to get the desired effect. With information about the right time, tools and techniques for pruning as well as plant specific guidance, learners will complete the course feeling confident about the maintenance of woody plants.

Part 1
Location: online
Date: Saturday 12/11/21
Time: 10am-1pm

The first online session introduces learners to the art of choosing the right tree or shrub to suit its garden setting. With a look at how trees and shrubs grow, learners will find out how and why to prune woody plants to get the desired effect. With information about the right time, tools and techniques for pruning as well as plant specific guidance, learners will complete the course feeling confident about the maintenance of woody plants.