A Focus On Nature, Advent Calendar, Now for Nature
AFON
My grandad to NowforNature – Georgia Locock
Welcome to our 2016 Advent Calendar series (#AFONAdvent)! This year, our theme is “The Gift of Inspiration”. For each day, one of our members has written a blog post about someone who has inspired them, and how that inspiration has lead to them being where they are today. Each member is a shining example of a young person who is acting Now for Nature. We hope that you enjoy the series and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
It was a Saturday in early summer, and my grandad and I were on one of our adventures. Wainwright began by exploring the Lake District, but we had Cannock Chase.
Georgia Locock’s grandad
That morning we caught the 825 bus service and got off at Milford. By 11am we were walking through the Sherbrook Valley. As I trailed behind my grandad, convincing him every now and then that I was fine despite my little legs slightly aching, I thought about how the word ‘Sherbrook’ reminded me of the stash of sherbet lemons in my pocket. Despite only being about 10 miles from home; the abundance of heathland mosaics, dense woodland consisting of mainly pine and birch trees, and my grandad’s endless tales about the history of different areas brought me into a new world.
“In the Sherbrook Valley [I] heard two cuckoos again and a green woodpecker, which I hear a lot over the Chase. Went through Sherbrook Valley three times. We used our map a lot and I went to a few places which I hadn’t been before. We stopped at a checkpoint and got lost as it wasn’t on the map”.
I’m sure that checkpoint was on the map, and what I should have written is ‘grandad let me use the map’. That short anecdote and quote above is from a 2010 entry in my ‘Walker’s Notebook’. After discovering the work of Alfred Wainwright through my grandad, he brought me this notebook so I could begin to do the same that Wainwright did after one of his adventures. It’s wonderful to re-live the walks with the charming anecdotes I wrote. Not forgetting the harsh cake rating too!
‘There is a nice café in Whittington, beware it’s closed on Sunday’s. Cake isn’t that good but a bit moist, about 5/10″.
We went on our first outing when I was seven. My grandad was forever telling me about the walks he’d been on which included the things he’d seen, the people he’d met and so on. Therefore, I begged him to take me with him. From that five mile walk we did, we promised that when he was 65, and I was 18, we’d take on a proper adventure. Next year, we’re going to be doing the North West Way which is a 191 mile trek across five counties in the North of England. For me, this is a huge adventure and I’m very excited. I’m sure he is too, but this is nothing new for him. His list of accomplishments is incredible, some include: cycling from Land’s End to John o’ Groats, walking the Pennine Way, Heart of England Way, and the Three Peaks, and at the age of 63, he walked 60 miles from London to Brighton in 22 hours and 32 minutes!
From these experiences, he has a lot of stories to tell. He may not be incredibly knowledgeable of the natural world, but his enthusiasm and obsession with being outdoors is wonderful. Combined with his support of getting myself outside too, this has no doubt influenced my passion for the outdoors. It also had an impact on how I see the countryside. Our outings have held many new experiences for me. Our following of public footpaths took us deep into the countryside where I saw new species and went to places for the first time.
A young Georgia Locock whilst on a walk with her grandad
It made me realise how important and unique our countryside and wild places are, and this is why I try to stand up tall now. These places inspired me with their wonder and attraction as a child, and still continue to do so. As a result, my interest provoked my efforts of campaigning and conservation as it’s important these areas can thrive so future generations can enjoy them. Writing my blog has been a big part of this. I wanted to share the entries that I would write in my notebook with others, and this is how my blog and real passion for writing began.
Georgia Locock
From the woodland church yard that we walked through on our way to the bus stop, to the stream I paddled in once we were on Cannock Chase. It has opened my mind to how varied the countryside is; not just the country lanes and nature reserves but endless footpaths that provide incredible opportunities and have been, and will continue, to be explored for many years.
Georgia Locock speaking at a Badger Trust event, (c) Emily Lawrence
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