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Nature Connections 2026

16 July 2026

The Cavendish Building Agard Street, Derby, DE1 1DZ

About the event

Nature Connections 2026 will take place on 16 July at the Cavendish Building, Agard Street in Derby, bringing together researchers and practitioners interested in nature connection to share and discuss the latest research, ideas, and applications.

Nature Connections is hosted by the University of Derby’s Nature Connectedness Research Group (NCRG), which aims to advance our understanding of human-nature relationships and ways to improve them for the well-being of humans and the rest of nature.

Over a decade on from the first Nature Connections, the event has grown into something special, and for 2026, we look forward to welcoming you to a brand-new venue by a tributary of the River Derwent in Derby City, still within easy reach of the railway station. Keynote speakers and a variety of talks and workshops will be held on the same site.

Event details

Date: Thursday 16th July 2026
Time: 9.00 am - 5.00 pm
Venue: Cavendish Building, Agard Street, Derby

Location and How to Find Us

The Cavendish Building is conveniently located in Derby City Centre and is easily accessible by car and public transport. Full directions will be provided in advance of the event.

Accommodation

Take a look at the latest hotel deals or explore some of our suggestions. We currently have a 15% discount code set up at Leonardo Hotel Derby and Holiday Inn Derby. To find out more information, please email conference@derby.ac.uk.

Refreshments and catering

Light refreshments and lunch are included in the ticket price, with breaks scheduled throughout the day. Don't forget to let us know about any dietary requirements at the time of booking.

Price

£125 VAT exempt per delegate

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Agenda

Please note this agenda is subject to change

Time Session
8:30 am Registration and Refreshments
9:00 am Welcome Address from Prof. Kathryn Mitchell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby 
Keynote: Tony Juniper, Natural England
Keynote: Kirsten McEwan, University of Derby
10:30 am Break
11:00 am Paper Presentations
Workshop
12:20 pm Lunch
1:30 pm Paper Presentations
Panel Discussion
Workshop
2.50 pm Break
3.15 pm Paper Presentations
4.30 pm Keynote: Miles Richardson, University of Derby
5.00 pm Close


Key Speakers

Tony Juniper CBE

Our keynote speaker for the morning will see the return of Tony Juniper CBE. Tony is a prominent environmental figure active in the defence of Nature for more than 40 years. He has run global campaigns, written many books, and advised at the highest levels. He has led a number of major organisations and is currently chair of Natural England. It will be 10 years, 1 month, and 1 day since Tony opened Nature Connections in 2016. It’ll be interesting to reflect on how things have moved on since then.

A man wearing a dark grey raincoat smiling at the camera, with woodland in the background

Professor Kirsten McEwan

Nurturing Connections through Forest Bathing & Compassionate Mind Training

Kirsten McEwan, Associate Professor of Health and Well-being is one of the world’s leading authorities on forest bathing. Author of over 80 research papers, she brings together her passion for the outdoors and health and well-being research through her work as a Forest Bathing researcher and certified practitioner. Most of her current research focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of Forest Bathing and making it accessible to wider audiences, such as those living with income and health inequalities, and children in foster care. She also leads a Special Interest Group that advises Compassion Focused Therapy clinicians on how to take their clients outdoors and combine it with Forest bathing.

Professor Miles Richardson

First Wave, Shared Signal: Nature Connectedness at Scale

Hosted by Miles Richardson, this talk brings together the first wave of large-scale studies to show how our relationship with nature is shaped not just by personal experience, but by slower cultural and societal forces such as urbanisation, economic change, and shifting beliefs across generations. Drawing on global data, modelling, and new work on the foundations of mental health, it reframes nature connectedness as a societal condition - helping explain long-term decline while pointing to where change is possible.

Professor Miles Richardson smiling whilst wearing goggles on his head

Workshops

Evaluating nature-based projects

Join Dr Caroline Harvey and Dr Fiona Holland from Derby's Nature Connection Research Group as they give practical advice based on a successful mixed methods evaluation of nature-based projects. They will share tips and resources, and suggest important questions to consider whether you are evaluating in-house or with external partners.

Please check back for more details about other workshops.

What's On in Derby

CULTIVATE is a city-wide celebration of creativity, ecological citizenship, and community action taking place across Derby from 14th - 16th July 2026. Bringing together researchers, artists, organisations, and local communities through events at Electric Daisy Community Gardens, the University of Derby, and the Museum of Making, CULTIVATE showcases Derby as a place of collaboration, ideas, and sustainable futures.

On Tuesday 14th July, take part in a research-focused day at Electric Daisy Community Gardens, bringing together researchers, artists, and community partners to explore environmental practice and ecological futures.

On Wednesday 15th July, join the free EC Festival 2026 at the Museum of Making for a day of conversations, workshops, and hands-on activities exploring ecological citizenship in action. The Festival will be followed by an evening social at the Electric Daisy site in Derby.

Please note that these events require separate registrations to Nature Connections 2026, so be sure to register for each event individually using the relevant booking links.

Book your place

We're looking forward to welcoming you to Nature Connections 2026

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