Our flagship Green Scythe Fair Parley* takes centre stage at 2.15pm in the Music Marquee.

*Parley: a discussion, especially one designed to end an argument or hostilities between two groups of people.

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The Parley is now well established in its format and the less confrontational approach has produced some fascinating discussions and reached positive conclusions over the last three years. Our aim is to seek agreement and find the common ground between the opposing positions that are brought to the table. For this we invite two expert speakers who will each make a brief presentation, then take part in a structured discussion, followed by contributions from the floor, all working towards ending the Parley with as much consensus as we can muster.

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The subject this year is as close to home as it could be: “Levels flood management - sinking or swimming?”

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We've just come out of another wet winter causing extensive and prolonged flooding on the Levels. Ongoing and costly works at West Moor Reservoir, just round the corner from our Thorney Lakes site, seem to be controversial with locals who don’t see much or any benefit. Climate change is delivering ever more extremes of weather, with wetter winters, bigger storms, record breaking temperatures, etc. We clearly need to protect our local towns from flooding, but also save our farms and communities from being submerged, and of course we should preserve and enhance the habitats for our wonderful wildlife. It falls to the Environment Agency to manage the consequences of these weather extremes, and it has the unenviable job of sitting in the middle of all this trying to balance the more or less irreconcilable needs of nature and humans in this our complex and delicate environment. What are we trying to achieve on the Levels, what should we be trying to achieve? What is viable and what is unsustainable? How do we, indeed can we, strike the right balance between all the competing elements? 

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We are lucky to have the Environment Agency’s Flood Resilience Engagement Advisor, Emma Giffard, as speaker to explain the EA’s approach. 

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We are also delighted to have Levels local and a founding member of Flooding on the Levels Action Group, Bryony Sadler, to speak on behalf of those who have been affected by flooding. 

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There might be sparks, but there’ll also be humour, open hearts and minds, and for sure plenty of agreement by the end…

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Join us at the Parley at 2pm in the Music Marquee – we look forward to seeing you there!