The North Wessex Downs National Landscape’s Annual Forum 2026 was filled with inspiring speakers, thought-provoking discussions and excellent food, all focused on one of the biggest challenges facing our landscape: climate change. The event was held at Hungerford Town Hall on the 15th of October.
Annual Forum Overview
The event was introduced by Gill Haggarty, Chair of the NWDNL Council of Partners, this was followed by a progress update by NWDNL Director Henry Oliver.
Presentations were then shared by Clare Downing from the National Landscapes Association, Chris Panter from Footprint Ecology and Simon Geikie from the Landscape Observatory. Topics included the science and impacts of climate change, the NWDNL Climate Change Assessment, climate-smart adaptive management, and an introduction to the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework. Delegates then took part in an interactive workshop, exploring landscape management decisions across the North Wessex Downs (see below).
After a delicious lunch provided by Eliane Café, the afternoon was kicked off by a quick fire session featuring a series of inspiring short presentations (see below). Feedback from workshop discussions was captured and shared, before an insightful Q&A session brought the day to a close.
Presentations from the Annual Forum 2026 can be found on our resources page.
Thought Provoking Workshop Session
One of the highlights of the day was an interactive workshop exploring how the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) approach could help inform climate smart landscape change and management decisions over time. Each table was allocated one of four landscape character areas within the North Wessex Downs and asked to consider how the landscape may change under future climate scenarios. Delegates were encouraged to explore potential impacts, management responses and adaptation options, over different timescales.
The opportunity to share experiences, knowledge and ideas was extremely valuable. The North Wessex Downs team intends to utilise outputs from the workshop to help inform future climate planning and decision-making.
Quick Fire Session
The short presentations showcasing local climate action were both inspiring and informative. We thoroughly enjoyed hearing about:
- Growing and producing local food, by Wendy Marshall from Shalbourne Community Growers
- Climate action in the Pewsey Vale, by Sylvia Watt (Green Vale chair)
- Rain gardens and sustainable drainage, by Wendy Allen of Wendy Allen Designs
- The Kennet Wetland Project, by Jonathan Welfare from Hungerford Town and Manor
- Lowering your carbon footprint, by Carbon Literacy trainer Pat Glover
- Promoting sustainable food in the community, by Penny Locke from Hungerford Food Community
Thank you to all those who contributed to such a fantastic forum and helped make the day a success.
Find Out More
The programme for the day and speaker details can be found here and presentations can be found on our resources page. Look out for a short video of the day coming soon.
