Dartmoor event brings together young voices to celebrate and protect peatland heritage

A special event celebrating peatlands across the South West will take place this weekend, bringing together young people, artists and conservation teams who have been working to highlight the importance of these rare landscapes.

“Our Peatland Connections” will be held at Plymouth’s Market Hall this Saturday (22 November), from 1pm to 3pm. 

The gathering marks the end of Peat-Fest South-West, a series of projects focused on the bogs, fens and moorland peatbeds found from Dorset to Dartmoor.

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Dartmoor National Park staff, including Community Engagement Ranger Kats Koster Shadbolt and Outreach and Engagement Officer Andy Bailey, will be there to share stories, research and community work linked to Dartmoor’s own peat bogs. 

These wetlands store vast amounts of carbon, support carnivorous sundew plants, and provide habitat for dragonflies, damselflies and other wildlife.

Readings, performances and creative work will all feature at the event, produced by young people who have spent the past year exploring peatlands around the region. 

Organisers say the work reflects both the natural heritage of these places and young people’s concerns about the future of the climate, with a developing “young persons’ manifesto” also being shared.

“This week is a chance to celebrate everything Peat-Fest South-West has grown, from the Mossy Carpet to the stories and performances that have bubbled up from young people exploring the peatlands of the South West,” an organiser said.

The event forms part of “How to Bury the Giant”, a week-long retrospective from the Art and Energy Collective, running from 17-23 November at the same venue. 

ABOVE: The Mossy Carpet on Dartmoor (Credit: Naomi Wright)

This wider exhibition includes the Mossy Carpet Grand Finale, an installation previously covered by The Moorlander during its Dartmoor tour. 

Thousands of contributors helped create the 75 metre long Mossy Carpet to highlight small, everyday climate actions. 

Visitors can drop in throughout the week to explore interactive artworks, audio installations and partner displays, with artist talks scheduled daily at 3pm. 

Entry to the exhibition is free, and booking is only required for evening events or talks.

For the peatland celebration on Saturday, organisers say booking is helpful but not essential, and anyone interested in Dartmoor or South West peatland conservation is welcome to attend.