Connecting to the land

I’ve been working on a script for a community project conceived as a response to a pageant which was staged in 1938. Prompted by the Leith Hill and District Preservation Society the pageant was staged in the grounds of Milton Court, a local mansion now a corporate headquarters, with a script by E M Forster and music by Vaughan Williams – both local residents. The pageant ldealt with the history of the land and the changing relationship between the peasant class, the lords, and the land itself.

Our response looks at what has happened since, again with particular reference to the land itself and the historical context. A new script, clearly, but still using some of the music written by RVW alongside folk song and more.

What struck me as we explored these issues, the history, and the changes since 1938, was the steady erosion of our connection to the land. Some of this stems from the urbanisation which resulted from the industrial revolution, some from the drip drip of change over the centuries but some results from the changes in our lifetimes and those of our parents – the housebuilding booms of the 30s and 50s, the more recent encroachment on the greenbelt, the death of local shops and their high street successors, the supermarkets, the data centres. The impact of the change from children being allowed to play out and roam to more supervised play and a focus on screen-based activities plays a part too.

The result of all this is a population losing connection with the land and with nature. A population which, courtesy of TV, may be more familiar with the flora and fauna of the Serengeti than of our native North Downs. We have lost a staggering 97% of our wildflower meadows since the second world war, farmland birds are down 58% since the 1970s and a sixth of our assessed species are at risk of extinction. We read these figures and tend to be surprised - our loss of connection means we’re less likely to notice until it’s too late.

This all looks bleak and, to an extent, it is but there are rays of hope. Regenerative farmers are making progress, with positive results, and we can still call a halt to some of the changes which are causing harm – resist the data centres, stop the encroachment on greenbelt, take to the courts to halt airport expansion for example. Crucially we need to work to encourage everyone to reconnect with nature. Yes, we need housing, jobs, the means to live but we also need to ensure survival, not only now but in the future. A better future for our children and grandchildren rather than a degraded one has to be the aim. Our track record to date is not great, as reflected in the poem below, but if we pull together, we can make a difference. There is loss and a degree of change which may be irreversible but there is also hope. Always hope. Let’s make sure it was worth our ancestors emerging from the primeval swamp…

Evolution - A second chance
Take your time
think
do you really
want
to leave the water?
Remember last time
the first steps
the key moments
developing limbs
fire
the wheel
cognition
emotion
love
sex
God
honing intelligence
controlling
exploiting
hating
fighting
killing
electing idiots
drilling
building
destroying the land
so take your time
given a second chance
you could always
just
stay in the water

The project referred to is Whose Green and Pleasant Land? which will be put on at Leith Hill Place, a beautiful National Trust property just outside Dorking on October 4^th. Drama, song, poetry, music and more will all combine to make a stimulating, thought provoking and fun experience. More information, including directions, here