Keith Harrison
@keithharrison.bsky.social
Charity CEO. Songwriter. Hill-walker (flat-landscapes also good!)
On a day when, for @thebaytrust.bsky.social, I was due to meet local @nationaltrust.org.uk folk (to explore some “soft cooperation”) here’s a good @financialtimes.com piece with Sheila Das from NT talking on approaches I know we use at #ThePinesGarden. Heartening :-) www.ft.com/content/cfb7...
The National Trust’s Sheila Das: ‘We have to be OK with yellow grass’
The charity’s horticultural head has a mission to balance conservation and climate change. Can she bring everyone with her?
ft.com
I’m away from work this week but the @danthompson33.bsky.social blog on seaside towns features the #CrossChannel exhibition he’s curated at @thebaytrust.bsky.social #PinesGarden. From #Romans to the #Geopark - it’s open for the next few months :-) danthompsonstudio.substack.com/p/rich-and-s...
Rich and Strange
Worthing's seaside reinvention
danthompsonstudio.substack.com
This really is a good article by @guyshrubsole.bsky.social. As someone working for a charity that owns land (thanks to actions of a philanthropist) it’s the “sense of belonging” / Norman MacCaig quote section that provokes thought and inspires most.
Guy Shrubsole@guyshrubsole.bsky.social · last mo.Why Manchesterism is a politics of land: new blog by me Andy Burnham's 'place first' philosophy opens up questions of land ownership & access - from his support for public ownership & land value tax, to Manchester's history of pioneering the right to roam: righttoroam.substack.com/p/why-manche...
As an end of the working week post, I’m happy to add that whilst much of this event was around nature restoration, a few hill figures were mentioned (and not just by me) - a couple of horses & four giants! Quite a @ravilious1942.bsky.social, @hedleythorne.bsky.social & @jonwoolcott.bsky.social vibe!
Keith Harrison @keithharrison.bsky.social · 2mo agoAt an enjoyable #BigChalkConversation in Cambridge, for @thebaytrust.bsky.social, today. Offbeat highlights included finding someone who knew of @danthompson33.bsky.social and an ex @rspb.bsky.social officer that had aided work in #GreatBustard reintroduction on #SalisburyPlain. www.big-chalk.org
Our wildflower meadows are blooming, and there's plenty of colour to enjoy this weekend. Pop into the Pines Garden for a quiet moment in nature. The Pines Garden and Café, Beach Road, St Margarets Bay. Open 10am – 4pm. Entry by donation. Dogs welcome on leads. 🌼🌱
At an enjoyable #BigChalkConversation in Cambridge, for @thebaytrust.bsky.social, today. Offbeat highlights included finding someone who knew of @danthompson33.bsky.social and an ex @rspb.bsky.social officer that had aided work in #GreatBustard reintroduction on #SalisburyPlain. www.big-chalk.org
big-chalk.org
A bit of positivity from my @thebaytrust.bsky.social colleagues. The #wildflower mini-meadows are looking, and doing, good just now. You may have seen a post about the next one, in our #GenerationRestoration area, earlier this week too :-) @unep.org #PinesGarden
The Bay Trust@thebaytrust.bsky.social · 2mo agoLast week we celebrated World Bee Day 🐝 We're supporting pollinators in our garden by creating wildflower mini-meadows. In recent years, we've grown several of these pollinator havens, encouraging a beautiful and ever-changing mix of seasonal wildflowers throughout the garden. 🌱🌼
The most enjoyable railway book I’ve read since ‘Parallel Lines’ by @mrmarchant.bsky.social (RIP.) Also includes @birmingham81.bsky.social in the credits; on another platform he came up with #GrumpyWinnie as a hashtag, to describe (splendidly) a statue my day job involves. Small world etc. :-)
Nige Tassell@nigetassell.bsky.social · 4mo agoPUBLICATION DAY! Final Destination, my round-Britain rail odyssey where I stay on trains until the end of the line, is out in paperback today. "Beautifully observed," said @quantick.bsky.social. "First class!" said @imcmillan.bsky.social. Available from wherever you buy your books.
Was fortunate to attend #RHSChelsea today and impressed, as we produce and use it at @thebaytrust.bsky.social #PinesGarden, that #biochar is also an “ingredient” in the @asthmaandlung.org.uk Breathing Space garden (which will be relocating to #Rotherham in due course.) One show highlight for me.
Asthma + Lung UK @asthmaandlung.org.uk · 3mo agoIt's voting time! Don’t miss your chance to vote for our Breathing Space garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026, under the category People’s Choice Best Show Garden. You vote can help us change and improve the lives of people living with lung conditions. Vote here: www.rhs.org.uk/.../award......
A short film from my @thebaytrust.bsky.social colleagues for #WorldBeeDay :-)
The Bay Trust@thebaytrust.bsky.social · 3mo ago🐝 World Bee Day: A Call to Action 🌱 Let’s work together to ensure a future where bees can flourish. Here's how you can help: 🌼 Plant bee-friendly flowers in your garden. 🌼 Avoid using pesticides. 🌼 Support local environmental charities like ours.
Attended day 2 of the @museumsandheritage.com Show today, for @thebaytrust.bsky.social. In terms of our 27-30 (and beyond) plans, the case study sessions from #HistoricDockyardChatham and @foodmuseumuk.bsky.social were very worthwhile and I’m looking forward to visiting both before too long.
Museums + Heritage@museumsandheritage.com · 3mo agoCouldn't make it to the Museums + Heritage Show today? We'll be covering sessions throughout the day, giving you a taste of what's on offer. https://museumsandheritage.com/advisor/posts/what-you-might-have-missed-at-mh-show-2026/
Really good to be at #WordsChangeThings (organised by @danthompson33.bsky.social) today. Got to talk about @thebaytrust.bsky.social #PinesCalyx, praise the #restoringnature aspect of @nationaltrust.org.uk 2035 strategy & show off @sulkrooms.bsky.social ‘Rewilding’ CD, among other things :-)
I’m doing a little something for this festival on Friday. Obviously @thebaytrust.bsky.social will be promoted but @unep.org @asbpuk.bsky.social @nationaltrust.org.uk @sulkrooms.bsky.social & @grindrod.bsky.social may all get a nod in my conversations… I’ll report back here :-)
Dan Thompson@danthompson33.bsky.social · 3mo agoBooks, ideas, and actions - Words Change Things is a mini-festival in Margate this weekend. Robin Ince, Ellen Jones, Dougald Hine, John Grindrod, Travis Elborough, Emily Buchanan, Christopher Beanland ... mrdanthompson.wordpress.com/2026/03/19/w...
Encouraging to see this at @nationaltrust.org.uk #Sissinghurst yesterday - not a million miles from our #hugelkultur beds at @thebaytrust.bsky.social #PinesGarden. Tomorrow I’m meeting local NT staff on ways we can help each other further - and their 2035 Strategy sets a very positive context :-)
We may be a few weeks away from #VolunteersWeek, but it’s never a wrong week to be thankful for the work #volunteers do for charities. #PinesGarden @thebaytrust.bsky.social
The Bay Trust@thebaytrust.bsky.social · 4mo agoAn ambitious wheelbarrow load from our volunteer, David... 🌿
As a present from my Dad, I now have a subscription with @nutmegmagazine.bsky.social - the first Scottish orientated football publication I’ve taken since #TheAbsoluteGame (and that was initially a joint sub with @wsc.co.uk.) The first copy arrived yesterday; it’s lovingly produced and written :-)
Nutmeg Magazine@nutmegmagazine.bsky.social · 5mo ago👀 Well look at this. It's only the lovely cover of our World Cup special issue. That's right, WORLD CUP SPECIAL. 📖Published late March. 🛒 Get in early and pre-order yours: tiny.cc/rgrz001
Belatedly joining the final @tansleyjames.bsky.social music challenge - #ExitMusic - today. I’ll post five final sections over each of the next five days and then a “top five” at a rate of one per day thereafter. 🧵 below…
With news today of the opening of the King Charles III England Coast Path, it seems opportune to say that the route passes through @thebaytrust.bsky.social #PinesGardens and we’re included as a #HiddenGem on its website too… #coastalpath www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/attrac...
The Pines Gardens - National Trails
Visit the Pines Garden which uses both old and new models for sustainable land management and the garden has been run organically since 2002.
nationaltrail.co.uk
These upbeat @yorkshiredales.org.uk #FIPL podcasts got a mention at last week’s @thebaytrust.bsky.social staff meeting; work on our #GenerationRestoration project (title nod to @unep.org!) was #KentDowns #FIPL aided its 1st stage & we were discussing our story; stage 2 planting happening today :-)
Yorkshire Dales National Park@yorkshiredales.org.uk · 7mo agoWelcome to the fifth episode of FiPL Farm Diaries. In this episode we focus on practical habitat creation and 3 land managers who are restoring ponds, wetlands, and meadows 📻 Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/episode/3bChjn33Wmak4XZkL1tNUl?si=GjFAji2OQy2VO936gAI24Q #YorkshireDales #FiPL #Defra
I’ve been away from work for a week, but am looking forward to hearing from my colleagues at @thebaytrust.bsky.social - on Monday - how this event went. I knew they’d planned it well; looks like the delivery was every bit as good :-)
The Bay Trust@thebaytrust.bsky.social · 5mo agoWhat a joy to welcome 25 incredible creative practitioners from across Kent to The Pines Calyx for Creative Practitioners Day yesterday! 🌞 Thank you for the vibrant conversations, fresh ideas, and shared energy. It was a true pleasure to meet you all. 🌿 📷 Nicki Setterfield & Dan Thompson
A bit of floral colour to start the week at @thebaytrust.bsky.social - crocuses/croci in #ThePinesGarden. Elsewhere everything from a grant funding panel to proposals for tea ceremonies are in this week’s diary…
The Bay Trust@thebaytrust.bsky.social · 6mo agoCrocus - the first sign of Spring. Evolved to withstand February's unpredictable weather - even snow! ❄️ And a colourful reminder of things to come, in our landscapes and in our gardens. 📍 Visit us at St. Margaret’s Bay, Kent 🌿 Explore the regenerative Pines Garden. 🌱 Volunteer. Learn. Be inspired.
Given I work for a charity that has had a very modest capacity to generate some green energy for the past couple of decades, it’s probably no surprise that I find the #LocalPowerPlan to contain encouraging ambitions (including of socioeconomic nature too.) Worth a read. www.gov.uk/government/p...
Local Power Plan
The Local Power Plan ensures that communities directly benefit from the energy they help to produce.
gov.uk
In the new #gardenofcuriosities exhibition (curated by @danthompson33.bsky.social) at @thebaytrust.bsky.social #PinesGarden there’s a little bit on necessary movement of populations from places destabilised by a changing climate. This article makes for timely reading alongside it IMHO.
The Guardian@theguardian.com · 6mo ago‘To live a normal life again, it’s a dream come true’: UK’s first climate evacuees can cast off their homes and trauma
With all the excitement (and lovely feedback) surrounding the Cafe & Visitor Centre at #ThePinesGarden @thebaytrust.bsky.social - including the #GardenOfCuriosities exhibition - we can report work is still going on in the gardens themselves. Here’s something from behind the scenes.
The Bay Trust@thebaytrust.bsky.social · 6mo agoThis week we’ve been sowing early crops in the greenhouse of our garden. Kent’s milder winters mean you can often sow outdoors a week or two earlier than the UK average - but for us, the greenhouse is always a good place to start 🌱
My first 2026 music challenge, the @tansleyjames.bsky.social facilitated #OrchestralManoeuvres, starts tomorrow. Songs with string arrangements, in random order. No instrumentals, so the wonderful ‘Façades’ #PhilipGlass (from ‘Glassworks’) misses out. 🧵 begins here… en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasswo...
Glassworks (composition) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
If you live within a few miles of Europe’s first “cradle to cradle” designed events centre - #PinesCalyx at @thebaytrust.bsky.social - you could win free hire of it for a community event. Info below :-) #volunteering #RammedChalk #Guston #Langdon #StMargaretsBay
The Bay Trust@thebaytrust.bsky.social · 7mo agoWhat would 𝐲𝐨𝐮 do if you had our stunning eco-venue, the Pines Calyx, to use as you pleased for the day? Enter the Pines Community Initiative for your chance to find out! More info at baytrust.org.uk/pines-commun... or email nicki@baytrust.org.uk 🌱
My @thebaytrust.bsky.social colleagues, working with @danthompson33.bsky.social, have done a phenomenal job in setting up The Pines Café & Visitor Centre. The story of #ThePinesGarden, the charity’s work and some very fine cakes (savoury delights available too) in one place :-)
The Bay Trust@thebaytrust.bsky.social · 7mo agoWe are officially open! As of today, our new cafe and visitor centre is the place to start your visit to the Pines Garden (and end it, too!). It connects the work of the Bay Trust, the story of the Pines Garden, and the heritage of St Margaret’s. 🌱
#10UpbeatPosters day 10 is @tansleyjames.bsky.social. There are numerous good music challenges to provide happy diversion on #BlueSky and James runs many that I’m not only tempted to participate in but sometimes actually do!
James Tansley@tansleyjames.bsky.social · 7mo ago#Reverberations Starts 1st February. A month-long celebration of all things guitar. From 80s Indie and Alt-Rock, to Shoegaze and Grunge and beyond, up to the present day. Think My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Pixies, Cocteau Twins, Hüsker Du, Nirvana, DIIV, Just Mustard…
#10UpbeatPosters day 9 is @samreadbookseller.bsky.social. I only get to go here if on holiday nearby and their posts are often a reminder of good times. The music book edit is very good - I’ve bought works by @simonreynolds.bsky.social @juderogers.bsky.social & @willsergeant.com here.
Sam Read Bookseller@samreadbookseller.bsky.social · 8mo agoThe extraordinary sight of sun on bookshop!
#10UpbeathPosters day 8 is @eurostarjustin.bsky.social. There’s some good rail content on #BlueSky - @everylaststation.bsky.social & @jenonthemove.com are further examples - and Justin’s often brings the “distinctly continental” home, like a good book might.
Justin on eurostar@eurostarjustin.bsky.social · 7mo agoTimeline cleanser: Sunshine, snow and mist from the rear of a eurostar train heading from Paris to London.