Advertise on podcast: Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s Podcast

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Our podcast is hosted by Head of Nature Reserves, Joe Murphy, who talks with a guest each episode. The podcast features interviews with staff and volunteers from across Cumbria. Cumbria Wildlife Trust cares passionately about wildlife and wild places. We’re here to put wildlife back into our land and seascapes to make Cumbria a wilder county with more space for nature. We restore and connect wild places, work with nature to tackle the climate emergency and support people to take local action for wildlife. Our skilled and dedicated staff work closely with volunteers, partners and thousands of supporters to create a wilder future for Cumbria. We are a registered charity part of a UK-wide grassroots movement made up of 46 individual Wildlife Trusts who all believe that we need nature and nature needs us. Thank you to all our members who are helping put wildlife back into our land and seascapes to make Cumbria a wilder county with more space for nature. If you’re not yet a member, you can sign up here https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/join

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Check latest episodes from Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s Podcast podcast

Episode 25: Growing trees for Skiddaw Forest

2026/10/13

Gathering tree seed this autumn for our new nurseries across Cumbria to grow on is not as simple as it might seem. Hear from Rowan Sharpe, Community Tree Grower and Gardener, about seed genetics, mast years, and working with volunteers to get the right seed and how we grow it. Joe Murphy, Head of Nature Reserves, talks to Rowan about how we're learning to get this complex task right to grow the 600,000 trees needed to create a new temperate rainforest at Skiddaw Forest.

Episode 24 - Wildlife Gardening in Cumbria

2026/08/19

This month we're talking about wildlife gardening, with interviews from our community nature reserve at Cold Springs and with Emma and Craig at the beautiful wildlife garden at Hylands House, Kendal.

Episode 23: Limestone pavement at Hutton Roof Crags Nature Reserve

2026/07/15

The limestone pavement at Hutton Roof Crags Nature Reserve is some of the best in Britain. It's home to a number of specialist rare ferns and flowering plants, and the very thin limestone soil is ideal for dark-red helleborine and juniper to thrive. Host and Head of Nature Reserves, Joe Murphy, meets Scott Petrek, Southern Reserves Officer, to take a tour of this very special place.

Episode 22: Reintroducting the white-faced darter dragonfly

2026/06/18

The population of rare white-faced darter dragonfly has expanded across Cumbria thanks to David Clarke of the British Dragonfly Society. Previously only found in one location in Cumbria, this dragonfly has been introduced at two of Cumbria Wildlife Trust's peatland nature reserves and are thriving. Our host and Head of Nature Reserves, Joe Murphy, speaks to David and Northern Reserves Officer, Jack Dryden.

Episode 21: Smardale Nature Reserves – it's flowers and geology

2026/05/18

Our host and Head of Nature Reserves, Joe Murphy, talks to reserves officer Andrew Walter and geologist Sylvia Woodhead about the flora that can be found at this unique reserve and how the geology has a direct influence on the species found.

Episode 20: Pine marten reintroduction to Cumbria

2026/04/08

This month Joe talks to conservationists and volunteers about their efforts to bring back the pine marten to Cumbria. Hear about the challenges and rewards of their work, and find out how reintroduction projects like these are helping this rare and enigmatic species to make a comeback.

Episode 19: Protecting South Walney's coastal wildlife from disturbance

2026/02/26

Staff and volunteers work really hard to keep habitat at South Walney Nature Reserve's the ideal place for wildlife to rest, nest or to pass through on migration. Our host and Head of Reserves, Joe Murphy, talks to reserve volunteer, Sue Hannan, South Walney Warden, Paul Waterhouse, and Walney Bird Observatory volunteer Colin Raven.

Episode 18: A Wilder Cumbria approach to working with communities

2026/02/02

Cumbria Wildlife Trust is taking a new approach to working with people and we're calling it Wilder Cumbria. It's about individuals, communities and organisations taking action to help nature in their area, with support from our team. Marian Jones, Head of Community joins our host, Joe Murphy, Head of Nature Reserves and they chat about the changes we're making and how this approach has worked at one of our newest nature reserves Cold Springs. We also hear from Joe Harper, Allonby Bay Community Engagement Officer, about how he's talking to people about the benefits of the Allonby Bay Highly Protected Marine Area.

Episode 17: 2025 End of Year Round-Up

2025/12/18

What an amazing year we've had at Cumbria Wildlife Trust! In this episode we re-visit some of the staff we've talked to over the last year and hear how their nature conservation projects and community work is progressing. Hosted by Head of Nature Reserves, Joe Murphy, with guest host and CEO, Stephen Trotter.

Episode 16: A Year On - Skiddaw Forest

2025/12/01

It's been a year since Cumbria Wildlife Trust purchased Skiddaw Forest and created England's highest nature reserve. Joe, our host and Head of Nature Reserves, talks to the key people involved in the landscape scale transformation of this Lake District fell into a haven for wildlife. Listen and you'll learn about what we've discovered so far and how our 100-year vision is progressing.

Episode 15: Eycott Hill Nature Reserve

2025/09/18

This year we're celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Cumbria Wildlife Trust's ownership of Eycott Hill Nature Reserve. In this episode Joe Murphy, host and Head of Nature Reserves is joined by Kevin Scott, Northern Reserves Officer, and they chat about Eycott Hill's transformation over this time into a much wilder farmed landscape.

Episode 14: Incredible invertebrates

2025/08/20

This month Joe is in conversation with butterfly expert Martin Wain. Now North of England Conservation Manager with Butterfly Conservation, Martin explains how butterflies are great indicators of the state of habitats. Scott Petrek, our Southern Reserves Officer introduces you to the variety of invertebrates found at Lowick Common near Ulverston, including one very special resident (clue: it’s found in Leech Tarn …)

Episode 13 - Peatland, high and low

2025/07/30

Despite covering much of Cumbria's uplands and areas around Morecambe Bay and the Solway, many people aren't aware of this special habitat. Close-up, peatlands are full of small but beautifully formed plants including insect-eating sundews. They're also our county's most important carbon-storing habitat. Listen to two of our peatland team, Mel and Grace, explain the work they do to restore damaged peatlands and learn more about these special places from our host and Head of Nature Reserves, Joe Murphy and his guest host and Acting Peatland Team Manager, Susie Webb.

Episode 12 - Species-rich grasslands

2025/06/27

Learn more about our beautiful grasslands, species-rich grasslands and pollinators with the help of Tanya St Pierre, from our Grasslands and Pollinators team. Recorded at our Bowber Head Farm Nature Reserve, home to one of the rarest and most threatened wildlife habitats in Cumbria: northern upland hay meadows.

Episode 11 - Protecting coastal birds

2025/05/22

We are so lucky to have such a huge variety of wildlife on our coastline. In this episode, you’ll find out more about some of birds you are likely to see. We joined Steph Leow from the RSPB, who is working on monitoring and protecting ringed plover nests, Christian at Foulney Island Nature Reserve who talks all things terns, and Joe and Bekka at South Walney Nature Reserve as they discuss more of the bird species on our coasts.