Ben and Abbi from the WetFutures UK team are sharing insights from their research in online sessions held as part of the Council for British Archaeology Festival of Archaeology.

On the 21st July Ben and Abbi will host a virtual field-trip to the archaeology and contemporary heritage of the upland peatland landscape of Ilkley Moor
Find out more: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ilkley-moor-archaeology-and-contemporary-heritage-tickets-154525725605

On the 20th July Abbi, along with Dr Karina Croucher (University of Bradford) and Dr Melanie Giles (University of Manchester) will host a workshop on poetry and archaeology in conversation (including a research poem from WetFutures).
Find out more: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/rhyme-and-research-archaeology-and-poetry-in-conversation-tickets-160337887939
 
You can also find out more about other sessions as part of the Festival of Archaeology from the Festival website: https://festival.archaeologyuk.org/

New open-access paper from the WetFutures UK team 
One of the aims of the WetFutures project is to explore the different uses and perceptions of wetlands. Many wetland sites are also recreational landscapes, where people spend their leisure time, and sometimes tourist destinations. ​

By Abbi Flint (WetFutures UK team)

In November last year, Ben Jennings and I published an open  access article in the journal Time and Mind on how the archaeology and folklore of peatlands might play a role in how people engage with and think about these landscapes. 
 
The article is open access, so anyone can read it, but we realise that not everyone wants to read academic articles. As I write poetry outside of my day job, I was keen to explore the potential of using poetry as a creative way of sharing the Ideas we had written about. The poem below aims to do that, creatively responding to key ideas from the article, but exploring these in a poetic way.   

You can watch a video that Ben Jennings has put together, with me reading the poem over images of Ilkley Moor, here: https://youtu.be/o1VlbEuVJOI, and the full text of the poem is below.

In writing this piece, I’ve been inspired by work on poetic inquiry as a research method (e.g. Faulkner, 2020) and as a way of engaging with and communicating research findings (for more examples of this check out the science poetry journal Consilience  and the recent University of Bradford Continuing Bonds creative dissemination project). Of course, this is also part of a rich tradition of writing about archaeology and landscape through poetry (see also our WetFutures Ireland colleagues Ben and Rosie's piece on Seamus Heaney’s ‘bog poetry’). 

What do you think? Is poetry a useful way to share ideas and research about peatland heritage?  

​We’d love to hear your thoughts either in the comment box below or on twitter (@WetFutures)  

In this fourth #WetlandHeritageChat, we’re focusing on the different ways that people use and engage with peatlands. Join us on Wednesday the 21st April (12pm UK/Ireland, 1pm Netherlands) to collectively discuss: 

• What do people do when they spend time in peatlands? 

• What role might cultural heritage play in how people spend time in peatlands? 
• In what ways do these uses impact peatlands and their heritage?  
• What about those people who don’t or can’t access peatlands physically? 

We’re interested in hearing your views whether you use peatlands for leisure activities or have a professional role that involves spending time in peatlands.  

WetFutures team members will be there to share some of what we have learnt from our research, and we’d love to hear your views on how you and others use and engage with these fantastic environments and their heritage. 

If you’ve not joined a twitter chat before it’s a great opportunity to make connections, learn and share ideas and work on a topic.  

How it works 
A twitter chat is simply a collaborative online conversation organised around a central theme or topic. To take part, you just need to be logged in to twitter and use the search function to find the hashtag  #WetlandHeritageChat.  
Over the course of the hour, we’ll prompt discussion with a series of questions (numbered Q1, Q2, Q3 etc) and encourage you to respond by joining the conversation; tweeting your response/reflections using the #WetlandHeritageChat hashtag, and A1, A2, A3, etc to indicate which question you’re responding to. You don’t have to respond to the questions but we hope you will, and your comments, questions and reflections will be valued if you do.  
If you follow our twitter account (@WetFutures) you’ll find it easier to keep track of the questions. 
If you can’t join the twitter chat as it happens, you can still see the discussion (and add your responses) afterwards using the #WetlandHeritageChat hashtag. We will also archive the chat and share the link via twitter. 
Join us! 

Why not block the date in your diary and join us over lunch on the 21st April (12-1pm in UK and Ireland, 1-2pm in the Netherlands)? ​

​Following the Irish and English survey, WetFutures has recently started a survey in the Netherlands that measures how people experience Dutch peatlands. By participating in an online questionnaire people can indicate which values they associate with these landscapes. What do peatlands mean to their visitors? With this research we aim to inventory current values associated with peatlands. The study includes six peatland areas in different parts of the Netherlands: Fochteloërveen, Bargerveen, Korenburgerveen, Wooldse Veen, Groote Peel, Mariapeel and Deurnese Peel. The results of the study allow us to compare the current views of peatlands to how they were perceived in the past. Similarly, the results may  contribute to future management of Dutch peatlands. It is the first time that this type of research is conducted in the Netherlands. If you wish to read more about or participate in this study, please click the link below (Dutch). We will post an update when the results have been analysed.

• ​What art and literature do peatlands and wetlands inspire? 
• What might folklore tell us about peo​ple’s relationship with wetland and peatland landscapes? 
• How have the traditional uses of wetlands and peatlands changed over time? 

(Image: Public Domain review)

All of these can be considered part of what UNESCO describes as the ‘intangible cultural heritage’ of wetlands – including local traditions and beliefs, songs and stories, art and crafts.  
 
If you’re interested in peatlands and wetlands please join us on twitter on Wednesday the 10th February (12-1pm in UK and Ireland, 1-2pm in the Netherlands) to discuss these and other issues in the next Wetland Heritage twitter chat. 
You don’t have to have a professional role in peatlands and wetlands to join the chat, this is an opportunity for anyone who’s interested in these landscapes to be part of the conversation, so please join us and make your voice heard. 
If you’ve not joined a twitter chat before it’s a great opportunity to make connections, learn about work that’s going on in this area and share your ideas and experiences.  
If you’re interested in this topic you may enjoy some recent publications by the WetFutures teams: 

• Rosie Everett and Ben Gearey wrote a paper exploring the bog poetry of Seamus Heaney in relation to archaeology and gender, published in the Journal of Wetland Archaeology 
• Abbi Flint and Ben Jennings explored the folklore associated with peatlands in a paper published in Time and Mind (open access)
  

How it works 
A twitter chat is simply a collaborative online conversation organised around a central theme or topic. For this #WetlandHeritageChat the topic will be wetland art, crafts and folklore.  You just need to be logged in to twitter and use the search function to find the hashtag #WetlandHeritageChat.  
Over the course of the hour, we’ll prompt the discussion with a series of questions (numbered Q1, Q2, Q3 etc) and encourage you to respond by joining the conversation; tweeting your response/reflections/comments using the #WetlandHeritageChat hashtag, and A1, A2, A3, etc to indicate which question you’re responding to. You don’t have to respond to the questions, but your comments, questions and reflections will be valued if you do.  
If you follow our twitter account (@WetFutures) you’ll find it easier to keep track of the questions. 
If you can’t join the twitter chat as it happens, you can still see the discussion (and add your responses) afterwards using the #WetlandHeritageChat hashtag. We’re also planning to archive the chat and share it here. 
Join us! 
Why not block the date in your diary and join us over lunch on the 10th February (12-1pm in UK and Ireland, 1-2pm in the Netherlands)? 
We’d love to read your contributions to the #WetlandHeritageChat and your thoughts on wetland art, crafts and folklore! 

At the end of last year the WetFutures teams looked back over 2020 and shared some highlights from their work in the Netherlands, UK and Ireland as a festive countdown via twitter. 
In case you missed it, here are the first 8 highlights and links to where you can find out more.
1. Why not listen to WetFutures UK introduce the importance of tangible and intangible heritage of peatlands https://www.moorsforthefuture.org.uk/the-latest/recent-news/moorlife-2020/the-heritage-of-peatlands-webinar 
2. Insight from the WetFutures Netherlands team about their work in Schokland  

Last month, Ben and Abbi from the UK WetFutures team, contributed to a Heritage of Peatlands Webinar, hosted by Europarc Atlantic Isles and the Moors for the Future Partnership.

If you missed it you can watch the recording at the Moors for the Future website here

The presenters discussed the nature of peatland archaeology and some of the heritage features of peatlands in the Peak District National Park, the intangible heritage of peatlands, the challenges faced by peatlands and their heritage from wildfires, and the ways that archaeology and conservation professionals can work together to ensure the cultural and natural heritage of peatlands are valued and protected. Over 100 people joined the webinar and asked great questions that led to a fascinating discussion. 

We'd love to read your views - what is your favourite peatland archaeological site or feature? What does peatland heritage mean to you?