Outreach & Initiatives

Image of children making art in the Cambridge Botanical Gardens - Wide angle shot with building in background and flowers in foreground

Connecting communities, research, and creativity to reimagine our landscapes.

At the Centre for Landscape Regeneration, our outreach and events bring research to life by connecting communities, schools, and the public with the landscapes we study. Through hands-on activities, creative collaborations, exhibitions, and public talks, we share knowledge, spark curiosity, and explore new ways of imagining the future of the Fens and beyond. From working with local pupils and artists to engaging with global conversations on climate and biodiversity, our events showcase how science and community come together to shape sustainable futures.
 

2025

🌾🧑‍🔬Future Leaders Programme 2025

In collaboration with CambridgeZero, the School of Clinical Medicine, Biological Sciences, and the Future Homes Hub, eight paid project assistant positions were offered in 2025, two of which had placements with the CLR:

  • Fenland Plant Project Assistant – Joseph de Laubenque, working with the CLR's Jérémy Fonvielle
  • Fenland Biodiversity Project Assistant – Ellie Moscrop, working with the CLR's  Neil Mahon

📓🦉CLR Fen Pals Nature Journals, Museum of Zoology

Part of the CLR partnership with the Museum of Zoology. Fen Pals Nature Journals featured works created by pupils from two Fenland primary schools with artist Rebecca Cahill Roots, exploring children’s connections to the Fen landscape. Using natural objects, pupils printed the covers of their journals and imagined how the Fens might look in the future.

🤝🎨CZ Community Day

We joined Cambridge Zero’s Community Day 2025 with hands-on activities exploring the Fens and our research into this unique landscape, alongside partners from the Museum of Zoology, Cambridge Science Centre, Cambridge Curiosity & Imagination, sound artist Frazer Merrick, and the McDonald Institute.

🦶🌍The World Beneath our Feet

Working with Cambridge Curiosity & Imagination, we explored the hidden beauty of the Fens with local schoolchildren, culminating in a pop-up exhibition in Soham.

🌊🎶The World Beneath the Water

In collaboration with Cambridge Curiosity & Imagination, CLR supported Wilburton Primary pupils to create a futuristic soundscape for Wicken Fen, blending live underwater recordings with imaginative storytelling.
 

2024

🎓✨Future Leaders Programme 2024

Seven project assistants joined the programme in 2024, these roles offered participants the chance to contribute to an ambitious programme of research exploring nature-based solutions to regenerate the British countryside.

Roles placed within the CLR included:

  • Fenland Biodiversity (Beetles) Project Assistant
  • Fenland Biodiversity (Pollinators) Project Assistant
  • Landscape Scenario Modelling Project Assistant (Scotland) – x2
  • Scottish Forests (Tree Biomass) Project Assistant
  • Scottish Forests (Root Biomass) Project Assistant
  • Scottish Peatlands Project Assistant

The CLR actively documented these placements in the Fieldnotes from Future Leaders communications initiative. View the special edition newsletter HERE

🦆🌿Wetlands & Wildlife, Museum of Zoology

In partnership with the Museum of Zoology, we engaged over 240 Fenland pupils in exploring local wildlife and showcasing their work in a summer exhibition seen by nearly 39,000 visitors.

🎉🌱Festival of Plants

CLR researchers joined the Festival of Plants at the Botanic Garden with an event inviting the public to share their perspectives on the future of the Fens. The Cambridge Science Centre provided an activity for children and our researchers gave talks about trees and climate change.

🎤Ely Museum Exhibition and Talk

CLR researcher Neil Mahon delivered a talk titled Predators and Pollinators, exploring the wild species living in and around the working landscapes of the Fens. Alongside his talk, the CLR contributed to their exhibition which highlighted how local farmers combine food production with nature-friendly practices to support wildlife in the region.

🌍🗣️COP29

Dr Shaun Fitzgerald represented the Centre for Landscape Regeneration on a panel with colleagues from the University of Leicester and the Land Use for Net Zero Hub, discussing how changes in land management practices can help reduce emissions.
 

2023

🎓📚Future Leaders Programme 2023

The 2023 programme involved nine researchers working for eight weeks on diverse environmental and climate-related projects. Their research covered topics such as the impact of farming styles on insect and plant biodiversity, greenhouse gas mechanisms and soil chemistry, the creation of educational content, and mapping climate-related research across the university.

Helen Driver from CLR praised the high quality of their research, noting its immediate impacts and potential to contribute to future publications and research outcomes.
Read more about the 2023 programme HERE.

🌎🖌️Dear Planet Earth, Cambridge University Botanic Gardens

As part of Cambridge Zero’s Dear Planet Earth event at the Cambridge University Botanic Gardens, held during the #SummerWithTheMuseums campaign, the Centre for Landscape Regeneration contributed to a day of climate-focused activities, engaging visitors of all ages with science, storytelling, and creative workshops.

🎪🌿Cambridge Festival

The CLR hosted a panel discussion on The Future of the Fens with panel members including the farming community, researchers, and the Environment Agency. Attended by over 100 members of the public, the event featured a lively debate and Q&A session.