Geographers Inspired by lectures at Bristol University

Published by St Mary's Calne on Tuesday 7th of October 2025

Last week proved to be an enriching experience for our A Level Geographers, with two exciting events: the Royal Geographical Society’s Monday night lecture series and the Geographical Association’s first lecture of the season at Bristol University.

On Monday, students attended the RGS lecture by Sacha Dench, also known as the 'human swan'. A world-record-breaking biologist and conservationist, Sacha is Ambassador for the UN Convention on Migratory Species and CEO and founder of Conservation Without Borders. She aims to shift the narrative around the climate crisis toward ambition, energy, and enthusiasm for solutions. Her talk about flying alongside Bewick’s swans from Russia to the UK by paramotor was captivating, and students were enthralled by the highs and lows of this daring journey, undertaken to raise awareness of the fragility of these beautiful birds.

On Wednesday evening, the Geography department visited Bristol University’s Department of Geographical Sciences to hear a talk from Steve Phillips, a film editor. Steve encouraged young people to engage with films about climate change, highlighting the pressing issues of overfishing, poaching, plastic pollution, carbon emissions and more. He explained how documentaries often present our world as a 'pristine wilderness', omitting its fragility, and shared insights from his work on Blue Planet II, which helped raise public awareness about overfishing and plastic pollution. Steve also discussed his experience writing scripts for David Attenborough for COP26 and demonstrated the power of film and imagery to inspire change. The talk left students inspired by both his creativity and the potential of media to tackle climate challenges.

It was a week full of insight, inspiration and new perspectives on how to understand and address the climate crisis—an experience our students will carry forward in their studies and beyond.

Wednesday night write-up by Quitterie P
Monday night write-up and summary by Ms Mathias-Williams