Headwaters: our connections with chalk stream head waters

Our Online Nature Lectures are a seasonal online talk to help us learn more and connect with the natural world. All funds raised from these talks goes towards the charitable trust.

Join ecologist Tim Sykes for an insight into how chalk stream headwaters that sometimes dry-up, and called winterbournes or lavants, can have an impact upon our mental health.

The winterbournes which dot the rolling landscape of Hampshire, Dorset, Sussex and Surrey are some of its most precious hidden gems. These enigmatic streams are fed by underground aquifers, causing them to ebb and flow in response to response to accumulated winter rainfall. In full flow, they share the rich biodiversity and awe-inspiring beauty of the perennial chalk streams they resemble. At other times, they can dwindle into small pools or even disappear entirely.

Tim wears two hats when it comes to environmental issues. He is part of an Environment Agency team covering fisheries, biodiversity, and geomorphology across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, and the Solent. He is also undertaking a part-time PhD at Southampton University on the cultural contributions of chalk stream winterbournes and aquifers.

In this talk, ecologist Tim Sykes will explore insights emerging from his research into the mental health benefits some people gain through their kinship with temporary chalk stream headwaters. These winterbournes afford a range of non-material benefits to people such as enhanced social connections, life perspective, a sense of place and mental health benefits. Tim will ask if these lived experiences resonate with you and how we can expand such benefits to wider society.