Rupert Sheldrake PhD, Melissa Hemsley, Alice Vincent and Head of Programmes at The Newt, Arthur Cole explore how we can foster belonging, meaning and a deeper sense of place in an increasingly fragmented world. Recorded in-front of a live audience at the Gather & Grow: Connections Festival 2025. We bring together a stellar line-up of thought leaders, writers and experts for three days of relevant, impactful discussions. The three-day event was packed with wellness sessions, workshop tasters (for adults and children), live music, BBQs, foodie pop-ups, Sunday lunch with Ana Ortiz and Gill Meller, and an inspiring series of panel talks. Join Hannah MacInnes (broadcaster & journalist, Times Radio, How To Academy) as she chairs the talks and introduces us to fascinating speakers: Rupert Sheldrake PhD is a biologist and author best known for his hypothesis of morphic resonance. At Cambridge University he worked in developmental biology as a Fellow of Clare College. He was Principal Plant Physiologist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in Hyderabad, India. From 2005 to 2010 he was Director of the Perrott-Warrick project for research on unexplained human and animal abilities, funded by Trinity College, Cambridge. Melissa Hemsley is a former private chef turned food columnist, best-selling cookbook author, real food activist and sustainability champion who is passionate about spreading the power of feel-good food. Melissa's most recent book, 'Real Healthy', is available now in all good bookshops. Alice Vincent is a writer, broadcaster and multi-platform storyteller fascinated by the often-overlooked parts of life. A career journalist, she was a writer and editor on the arts desk of The Telegraph before joining Penguin as an editor. Now a columnist for The Guardian and Gardens Illustrated, Alice has offered readers her fresh approach to nature, gardening and life in the city as a columnist for The Telegraph and The New Statesman. Alice This May, at The Newt, we are hosting the Great Garden Show. From the ninth to the seventeenth of May, gardeners, growers and curious visitors are invited to join a programme of talks, demonstrations and hands-on workshops exploring everything from trees and ornamentals to edible growing and biodiversity. Leading voices from the gardening world will join our own gardeners to share their knowledge, offering practical tips, fresh ideas and a deeper understanding of the craft of growing. Before we continue, a quick invitation from The Newt. This May we’re launching The Great Garden Show – a new nine-day celebration of gardening, running from the ninth to the seventeenth of May. Across the estate you’ll find talks with leading horticultural voices, practical workshops, garden tours and hands-on sessions exploring trees, ornamentals, edibles and biodiversity. There’ll also be plenty to enjoy between the programme, from picnics on the lawn to BBQs in the garden to fresh stra The Newt Podcast is created by the team at The Newt in Somerset and produced by Harry Coade at Sound Matters. If you enjoyed this episode, follow The Newt Podcast to enjoy more walks and talks across the estate, or better still become a Newt Member to visit our estate yourself, stay the night, or shop The Newt online. Your 12-month membership also gives you free entry to The Newt's 17 national and international Partner Gardens and inspirational Sister Estates. Follow us on Instagram @thenewtinsomerset
