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Enjoy our animations, short films and podcasts that bring to life the wildlife and heritage of the Trent Valley in Staffordshire.
Our landscapes, natural as they may seem, are completely affected by thousands of years of human activity. Understanding our past helps us to understand the landscape we see today. The Trent Valley holds some of our most enigmatic sites from mysterious prehistoric earthworks to post-industrial landscapes.
In this series, we are exploring the weird and wonderful tales from the Staffordshire Trent Valley and how these stories shape our sense of identity as well as what they can tell us about the landscape around us.
Welcome to our first video in our series about the Weird and Wonderful Histories, Stories and Folktales about Staffordshire and the Trent Valley. Dr Mark Knight and Louise Morris enjoy a cosy chat about the Vampires of Drakelow, exploring the story as told by Geoffrey of Burton, the history of the period and our interpretation of the tale. A blog accompanies this video if you want to find out more.
Thanks to Paul L.G. Morris, a volunteer with our project, for filming and editing. This work is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) Licence Please attribute as “Trent Valley Past and Present (2026) by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, licensed under CC BY 4.0“
Enjoy our series of short animations that explore our natural environment and the important work being carried out in the Trent Valley by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and our partners.
A short animation exploring beavers and their reintroduction to Britain
Created by Fuzzy Duck and Transforming the Trent Valley Narration by Nicola Lynes Funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund
A short animation exploring flooding and the benefits of renaturalising our river channels
Created by Fuzzy Duck and Transforming the Trent Valley Narration by Dr Mark Knight Funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund
A short animation exploring the nature crisis and Nature Recovery Networks Created by Fuzzy Duck and Transforming the Trent Valley Narration by Louise Morris Funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Rachel Howfield Massey from Other Ways to Walk discovers some of the species found along the River Trent with Nicola Lynes, Community Engagement Officer from Transforming the Trent Valley. They investigate riverside and woodland habitats, moving slowly and taking time to discover the details of their surroundings – and they are rewarded by a series of beautiful discoveries – and there’s the regular update about robin behaviour as summer turns to autumn. At the end of the podcast Rachel guides a mindful drawing exercise.
This episode was recorded in 2021 at Branston Leas Nature Reserve on the Staffordshire/Derbyshire border in The National Forest.
Red Admiral Butterfly
The Lost Words, Robert McFarlane and Jackie Morris
Listen Hear is a podcast about creativity, nature, mindfulness and wellbeing by Rachel Howfield Massey from Other Ways to Walk. Six episodes are commissioned by the National Forest Company and include interviews with a range of experts and enthusiasts who live, work, or spend time in The National Forest. The five other episodes can be listened to here.
