The Lost Rainforests of Britain - Guy Shrubsole 

We start our reading list with James Cropper Wainrights prize winner for writing on conservation. In this awe-inspiring investigation, Guy Shrubsole travels through the Western Highlands and the Lake District, down to the rainforests of Wales, Devon, and Cornwall to map these spectacular lost worlds for the first time. Shrubshole was joined in in the 2023 winners list by the Nature Writing Prize winner Amy-Jane Beer, a Yorkshire-based biologist, writer and  campaigner for equality of access to nature for Flow: Rivers, Water and Wildness and Kiran Millwood Hargrave and illustrator Tom de Freston from Oxford Children’s Writing on Nature and Conservation Prize winners for Leila and the Blue Fox

Nature is a Human Right – Edited by Ellen Miles  

Nature is a Human Right is an international, intergenerational manifesto – an anthology of original writing from world-leading scientists, activists, artists and more. Each contributor explores the significance of nature contact and threats of nature deprivation through a unique lens, from mental health to anti-racism, climate activism to disability. Recommended by Kirsty Tyler - Nature and Wellbeing Communications Officer

Basic Nest Architecture - Polly Atkin 

This striking debut collection by Polly Atkin is full of vigorously intelligent, lively and entertaining poetry. Already a prize-winner in a number of competitions, Atkin weaves dense metaphors and sensitive observations of the natural world into her original poems. She is often inspired by the Lake District, where she has lived for a decade. Recommended by Megan Kelsall - Partnerships Officer 

Reconnection - Miles Richardson

A widening separation of people from nature threatens our physical health, our mental wellbeing and the very survival of our civilisation. Miles Richardson poetically and expertly explores this monumental issue of our time and how we might go about fixing it. Recommended by Danny English - Forest School Trainer

Waterlog - Roger Deakin 

A seminal blend of nature writing, travelogue and cultural history, Deakin’s account of his swimming odyssey through the British Isles stands as one of the great reflections on the British people’s relationship to their environment. Recommended by Simon Wakefield - Buildings Operations Officer 

Bird Therapy - Joe Harkness

Unflinchingly honest and enormously affecting, Harkness’s account of how ornithology saved his life is one of the most perceptive literary testimonies of mental illness. With an insightful foreword from Chris Packham, Bird Therapy engages and moves profoundly.  Multiple recommendations from all over the Trust. 

The Wilding, The Return of Nature to a British Farm - Isabella Tree 

In Wilding, Isabella Tree tells the story of the 'Knepp experiment', a pioneering rewilding project in West Sussex, using free-roaming grazing animals to create new habitats for wildlife. Part gripping memoir, part fascinating account of the ecology of our countryside, Wilding is, above all, an inspiring story of hope. Recommended by the team at the Bolton Environmental Resource Centre who are passing this gem around. 

Back to Nature - Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin

We hope this list has given you some inspiration to dig into nature a different way, but if you are still unsure where to start there is still time to JOIN US as a Lancashire Wildlife Trust member and enjoy your free book in the post. Back to Nature by Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin, a beautifully written reminder of the fragility and the wonders of wildlife, and what we have to lose if we don't choose to actively protect it. We know that the natural world is in trouble - we also know first-hand how spectacularly nature can bounce back if we give it the chance. When you join as a member of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust in September*, we will send you a copy of Back to Nature, so you can learn how to love life - and save it.

*offer ends 02.10.2023