WILDING [PG] 75mins
Tuesday 14 January 7.30pm William Loveless Hall

Moving Image starts
the New Year with a hopeful documentary. The story is from the book Wilding by Isabella Tree and she features in it, alongside her husband Sir Charles Burrell who inherited the Knepp estate. The plan was to follow in the family tradition of farming, but the heavy clay soil at Knepp didn’t suit modern intensive methods so, in 2000, £1.5m in debt, Burrell and Tree sold the cows and let everything go to seed. Species virtually extinct elsewhere have sniffed out Knepp and are thriving: from purple emperor butterflies to turtle doves and nightingales. Amazingly, the first wild storks born in the UK in 600 years hatched at Knepp. And they introduced beavers, to return the river running through their land to its natural run.
Rewilding is a buzzword today, but Burrell remembers the outraged reaction of neighbouring farmers back in the early 00s. He was accused of being irresponsible, and unpatriotic for not doing his bit to feed the nation. The couple have introduced native breeds to Knepp where Tamworth pigs, Exmoor ponies and cows roam free. The first winter the couple held their breath: would the domesticated creatures survive? But look, there’s a mummy pig tucking in her piglets under a duvet of moss and fallen leaves. She knows exactly what to do. Knepp is a heartwarming speck of biodiversity good news.
No booking, tickets on the door – doors open 7.00pm, arrive in good time to be sure of a seat
£7 (non-members) £5 (members)
Young people and students FREE
2025 Membership £12
Wine, beer, soft drinks and delicious ice-creams available
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