James Roose-Evans Memorial Lecture: Nicola Cutcher - ‘One wild and precious life’ – becoming a River Guardian and other stories of care, creativity and connection

More information

(Due to unforeseen circumstances Gwyneth Lewis is unable to present the 2026 lecture. Nicola Cutcher presents in her place.)

‘One wild and precious life’ – becoming a River Guardian and other stories of care, creativity and connection

Nicola Cutcher is an investigative journalist, writer and documentary producer living near Hay-on-Wye. She has worked for the BBC on programmes, including Newsnight and Panorama, and writes for national newspapers and magazines. A sense of care and responsibility has motivated her work and the stories she has chosen to tell.

She is one of the founders of Friends of the River Wye which was formed by local people coming together in 2020 in response to a major algal bloom, moved by a shared love of their river. Cutcher will share how this has spawned an army of citizen scientists and a burgeoning movement of river guardians, alongside many similar groups emerging across the UK.

Her talk will explore how rivers in particular unite and connect people and will ask how should we face this time of loss of both a stable climate and innumerable species? How can we best be of service to the living world and each-other? What are our responsibilities in the places we live and love?