“Sometimes you have to check,” writes Ruth Pavey in her book, A Wood of One’s Own, “just in case life means you to do a somersault.” Join us at WoodWords 2018 to hear about her own modest upheaval – buying a piece of land at auction on the Somerset Levels with a view to creating a new woodland.

A Wood of One’s Own, by Ruth Pavey

‘Pavey’s love for her small patch of land shimmers off the page [in this] narrative of warmth, honesty and great spirit made all the more beautiful by Pavey’s own lively and accomplished drawings… this lovely book is itself a gift encouraging country-dweller and townie alike to marvel at the infinite possibilities at the heart of a single tree’ The Daily Mail, Book of the Week

‘Practical and full of helpful advice which has been artfully baked-in throughout. If someone asks you what you’d like for Christmas or a birthday don’t hesitate to reply, A Wood of One’s Own‘ Woodlands.co.uk

WoodWords 2018

Ruth Pavey is one of five top environmental authors talking about their books at our unique WoodWords 2018 event.

Tickets limited and selling fast – buy yours now!

24th May: 6.30pm at the Sylva Wood Centre (Ox14 4QT)

Ruth Pavey is a gardening journalist and writer based in London. After years spent living amid its urban thrum, Ruth yearned to reconnect with the British countryside and she endeavoured to realise her long-held dream of planting a wood. Touring to the West Country in the late 1990s, she found herself in the Somerset Levels. On seeing this expanse of reclaimed land under its wide, soft skies she was struck by its beauty and set-out to plant a wood, tree by tree. She bought four acres, and over the years transformed them into a haven where woodland plants and creatures could flourish an emblem of enduring life in a changeable world. A Wood of One’s Own (Duckworth) is the story of how Ruth grew to understand and then shape this derelict land into an enduring legacy a verdant landscape rich with wildlife.