Julia Hailes MBE

Sustainability Pioneer

Stop Destroying Bembridge (Jul24)

Is all housing good housing? I think not. Look what’s happening in Bembridge on the Isle of Wight. Building has already started on 58 new homes on green field sites and another 130 are waiting for approval. Will the old oaks be chopped? Will the hedges be obliterated? It seems likely. But the issues relating […]

Come to Cafe Bridge in Bridport! (17Nov24)

WHAT IS CAFE BRIDGE? Some of you will already know that Cafe Bridge is a pairs tournament where you play each round in a different restaurant, hotel or cafe. We are making sure that there will be a good lunch wherever you’re playing at that time. We’re following a similar format to last year. The […]

Payment Details for Cafe Bridge Bridport 2024

It’s £42 per head or £84 a pair. This includes bridge all day, a 2-course lunch and prizes! Here’s how to pay. Please email cafebridgebridport@gmail.com to confirm that you have paid – when, how and who for. Last year somebody paid but didn’t tell us who they were, so I wasn’t able to confirm any […]

Shameful BBC Totally Ignores Nature March – jun24

What possible reason could there be for the BBC totally ignoring up to 100,000 nature protestors yesterday? The ‘Restore Nature Now’ march, organized by Extinction Rebellion (XR) and numerous wildlife and conservation bodies, doesn’t even feature in the BBC search engine today. I know it happened because I was there. Thankfully, it did get some […]

Swansong of our first Green MP – Caroline Lucas – Jun24

Have you ever heard Caroline Lucas, our first Green MP, speak? If not, you’ve missed out. She’s just stepped down after 14 years of representing the Brighton constituency. I recently attended her farewell speech at the Green Alliance event, “Reflections and Lessons from a Green MP,” held at the Southbank in London. It’s hard to […]

Wilding Weekend – June 2024

Full steam ahead for our third Wilding Weekend. It will be on 15th and 16th June in sunny West Dorset, near Beaminster! Opening hours will be 10.30am to 4.30pm. The garden is wild. Come and have a look. We have wildflower meadows, a cascade of ponds, insect homes, a medieval walkway, a bat-egg (!), mown […]

Wilding Weekend 2024 (Apr24 Update)

Full steam ahead for our third Wilding Weekend. It will be on 15th and 16th June in sunny West Dorset, near Beaminster! Opening hours will be 10.30am to 4.30pm. The garden is wild. Come and have a look. We have wildflower meadows, a cascade of ponds, insect homes, a medieval walkway, a bat-egg (!), mown […]

Saving frogs and forests in Ghana (mar24)

Do you love frogs? You’re not alone. I love them too. Last week, I met an inspiring man – Dr Caleb Ofori-Boeteng – who has made it his life’s mission to champion the cause of frogs in Ghana. We were in London at an event organised by Rainforest Trust UK which is supporting him and his work. […]

To burn or not to burn (Mar24)

Are fires the best way of getting rid of garden waste or clearing landscapes? I believe that the answer is generally ‘no’! But garden bonfires are ubiquitous and even conservation bodies are using burning as part of their land management plans – for example burning the brash from hedge-laying or trimming and site clearance of […]

Sky News interviews me on e-waste (Jan24)

Are you concerned about e-waste? If not you should be! Over half a billion small electrical items ended up in landfill last year in the UK.  And to give another perspective, a person born in 1980 will generate around 500kg of e-waste in their lifetime – or 8 times their body weight. If you calculated how […]