Meet our new pals at the Festival of Nature
4 Apr 2025
Bristol and Bath Festival of Nature is announcing its programme later this month, and we’re delighted to have them onboard as Culture and Sustainability partners for The Beautiful Future is Coming. We had a quick chat with Savita Willmott at The Natural History Consortium, the charity who run Festival of Nature, about why they’re becoming Bristol Old Vic’s newest pals…
Tell us about Festival of Nature – how did it all start? Festival of Nature has been running since 2003! It was created by a group of nine organisations across the city who loved nature and saw the potential of coming together and doing something big for the city. Our charity was founded to run the festival, and support our partners to work together. The rest is history… the partners are still involved 21 years later, and our charity continues to lead it each year, as well as loads of other nature projects.
Can you tell us about this year’s programme?
We’re trying something new this year – we’re doing a theme for the first time. Our festival theme of Water has really captured the imagination of partners and we hope our audience will love it. We have events in Bath, Bristol, online, in community spaces and for businesses. We really hope there is something for everyone!
Why is it more important than ever to be a champion for the natural world?
We are always making progress in getting more people and organisations on board with standing up for nature. More people than ever are passionate about the health benefits of spending time in nature, and lots of businesses are starting to measure their impact on nature as well as their carbon. We can’t slow down yet – nature is still facing threats and challenges – and the UK remains one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.
Bristol has a very active environmental community – what is special about the festival taking place in the West Country?
Bristol was the perfect place to grow the festival, and it wasn’t long before we stretched over to Bath. We’ve used the festival as the site for some of the region’s best environmental moments, such as announcing to the press that the city had won European Green Capital in 2015. Residents and visitors to the area love nature, we’re fiercely proud of our parks and green spaces and all over the city people are coming together with their neighbours to make a difference. Our job is to shine a light on it all!
Why is our show The Beautiful Future is Coming something you wanted to support?
We’re so proud to be working alongside Bristol Old Vic and The Beautiful Future is Coming this year. Our charity is always looking for new and innovative ways to connect people and the environment. We know the arts and culture are one of the key ways we can emotionally connect with big themes and consider things in new ways. A powerful script, a live experience together in a much-loved theatre… it’s a hugely compelling way to hear new stories about our environmental challenges.
