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Culture Club: Looking at Peatlands Through Art and Ecology

Join us as we bring artists and ecologists together to discuss the wonder of peatlands and what restoring this vital habitat looks like.

Date
16 Jun 2026
Time
10:00 – 11:30
Free
Book your place here
Grass of Parnassus at Munsary Peatlands

Step into a space where art and ecology meet.

Whether you’re an artist, scientist or somewhere in-between, we invite you to join a community of creative and curious minds exploring the world of peatlands together.

No rules or expectations – just a relaxed space where you can chat, type, sketch, listen or simply soak it all in. You can join the first session of Plantlife’s Culture Club however feels right for you.

So, what do peatlands mean to you? From their rich cultural significance to their fascinating biodiversity – peatlands have so many stories to tell. With the power of art and culture, we will explore how creativity can transform the way we look at peatlands and reflect on the impact we have on them.

Join us as we bring artists and ecologists together to discuss the wonder of peatlands and what restoring this vital habitat looks like.

You’ll discover how these boggy brown habitats are brimming with wildlife and look at ways in which creativity can change perceptions. All against the backdrop of the urgent need for government to ban peat use in horticulture. Now is the moment for people, across the sectors, to come together and collectively protect our precious peatlands.

Facilitators

A headshot image of Sally Nex, Peat-free Campaign Advocate. Sally is in the centre of the image with beautiful bright green foliage surrounding her

Sally Nex – Peat-Free Campaign Advocate

Sally is the Peat-free Partnership’s advocate, campaigning for an end to the sale of peat in horticulture. She’s also an award-winning garden writer and professional gardener. She’s written four books on sustainable gardening, as well as articles in magazines such as BBC Gardeners’ World magazine and RHS The Garden about gardening without peat.

Photograph is a headshot of Frankie Tuck. She has light brown hair in a bob style and is wearing a brown t shirt with a tie-dye pattern.

Frankie Tuck – Network and Restoration Coordinator at RE-PEAT

Frankie is a facilitator, organiser, and co-founder of RE-PEAT. Committed to building networks that support long-term positive social and ecological transformation, Frankie has helped develop projects that combine education, art, and grassroots organising. In particular, she is interested in how peatlands can be active collaborators, what the role of grief is for social change, and how storytelling can shift our relationship with the world and politics around us.

Speakers

Photograph shows a woman lying down on her back in a peatland, looking up at the sky

Manon Awst – Artist

Manon Awst’s sculptural practice is informed by her background in architecture and shaped by environmental concerns, Welsh poetry tradition and site-specific research in rural north Wales. Her creative work on peatlands began in 2022, and a Future Wales Fellowship (2023-25) enabled this peaty work to continue in collaboration with Wales’s National Peatland Action Programme. She is representing Wales at the Venice Art Biennale this year, in collaboration with Dylan Huw, with a project connecting local peatlands and the Venetian lagoon.

Photograph is a headshot of Alistair Whyte. He has dark hair and a beard. He is wearing a green hoody.

Alistair Whyte – Ecologist / environmentalist

Alistair is an environmentalist with over twenty years’ experience working in nature conservation in Scotland. He managed Plantlife’s Munsary Peatlands nature reserve for seven years and is now the Chief Executive of the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs Countryside Trust. He is a keen naturalist and has a great interest in the ways that people and the rest of nature interact. He sits on the BSBI Committee for Scotland and the Scottish Wildlife Trust Conservation Committee.

Photograph is a headshot of Caroline Vitzthum. She has dark short hair with a fringe, and wears a black long sleeve shirt. She is standing in a greenhouse.

Caroline Vitzthum – Artist

Caroline Vitzthum is a UK-based peatland artist whose practice spans performance, social practice, and film. Working closely with environmental charities, scientists, and community groups, her work addresses urgent questions around climate change, ecological care, and more-than-human relationships. Since 2020, her practice has explored peatlands and the communities who protect these landscapes. She is a member and project coordinator with RE-PEAT and serves on the Venice Agreement on Peatlands Organising Committee.