21st January 2026 - Matt Phillips & Jamie Lloyd

The Moors at Arne Project

The project team at Arne Moors is working to adapt low-lying grasslands into diverse wetlands through constructing 4,300 metres of new embankments which will be 500 metres further inland, creating 78 hectares of new intertidal habitat, a new 15 hectare freshwater habitat area and two shallow saline lagoons of 35 hectares.

Over time, the movement of the tides will help create features such as saltmarsh and mudflats, ensuring the vast array of wildlife the coastline is home to will remain protected for decades to come.

There has been an extensive amount of archaeological excavation carried out with finds dating from the Iron Age and Roman Britain discovered and the team is working closely with archaeological experts to share the history of the site with the local community.

The site is home to many rare species of plants and animals including water voles, sand lizards and a wide variety of birds, botany and invertebrates, with work creating enhanced habitats for plants and animals already on site while adding new habitats for a wider range of species.

When the project is complete new walking paths will allow visitors to explore the site and see the difference the new habitats have made - and enjoy the wildlife.

15th April 2026 - Phil Judkins

New Maps of Hell

Phil Judkins traces the history of naval drones and missiles, and defences against them, over the last century – a story with many surprises.

In the Second World War, Germany’s devices, little recorded in history, sank one battleship, crippled two more, sank one heavy cruiser and crippled two more; even less recorded is that Britain’s first response was using electric shavers to jam radio command signals.

Not admitted for over 20 years was the biggest single loss of life at sea to US forces, which occurred in an almost unknown battle between 40 German missiles and two US shipborne radio jammers.

20th May 2026 - Michelle Spruce

Podiatry & Iron Deficiency - The Hidden Epidemic

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18th March 2026 - TBA

TBA

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17th June 2026 - TBA

TBA

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15th July 2026 -  Elizabeth Cozens

The Great Wildebeest Migration

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18th February 2026 - Rodney Calvert (by video link)

Wildlife Management

Management of wild species in the environment when natural predators are absent raises many issues. Within the UK a particular example is deer. There are six species of deer living wild in the UK, all of which are increasing in numbers and range.

Good deer management means different things to different people and the weight given to the various components associated with this will be influenced by landowner aims and objections. However, without a sound knowledge of the legislation that underpins all of this, it will be difficult to achieve the desired goals.

This presentation aims to interpret the requirements of the Deer Act 1991 into understandable language that practitioners can apply to real-life situations to enable them to better manage the impacts that an ever-increasing deer population has on the environment.

Rodney Calvert has been working in the deer industry for over 30 years, ever since he studied the impacts of Fallow Deer in Northern Ireland.

After moving to Surrey in 2000 to take up a position as a Wildlife Management Adviser in the Ministry of Agriculture, Rodney has continued his career in Government and is currently a Principal Officer – Wildlife Management for Natural England, with Deer Specialist being one of his roles.  

Actively involved in deer management in the Southeast of England, Rodney sees this as a huge advantage to understanding what practitioners want when it comes to legislation and licensing and applies this knowledge when advising on licence applications and Government policies.