In 2024, Talia Randall was appointed commissioned artist for Epping Forest, in partnership with Epping Forest Heritage Trust and supported by the City of London Corporation. For her commission, Talia spent time in the forest with regular visitors and community groups, walking and talking and recording their stories and experiences.

Voices of Epping Forest, a new podcast by multi-award-winning producer Talia Randall, champions diversity in the outdoors.

Many people in the UK struggle to access nature. Podcaster Talia Randall has teamed up with Essex Cultural Diversity Project and Epping Forest Heritage Trust to encourage more people to enjoy what Epping Forest has to offer. Epping Forest is owned and managed by the City of London Corporation.

Voices of Epping Forest doesn’t shy away from the visible and invisible barriers many people face when getting into the outdoors. The podcast also celebrates the diversity of those who visit Epping Forest. Community voices are at the heart of this podcast — these are the people broadening nature access for everyone.

Broad themes and issues relating to Epping Forest are explored and woven throughout the series, with each of the podcast episodes made in collaboration with community groups and individuals who frequent the forest. Talia’s starting points for the project include (but are not limited to) talking to women of colour who feel empowered by the forest; meeting disabled ramblers; uncovering the history of witches connected to the site; and looking at how children and young people relate to the forest.

Having grown up on a council estate, Talia remembers one particularly prominent barrier to nature – a locked gate to a small nature reserve at the edge of the estate. This sent a clear signal to Talia and her neighbours that people from estates weren’t to be trusted with greenspace; it must be locked us and ‘protected’. Talia now lives close to Epping Forest, where she is free to enjoy and connect with the nature on her doorstep. For Talia, her relationship to nature is very much connected to class and her changing class status. Nature, it seems, is not a neutral subject.

Talia is passionate about helping others explore this vital green space, as well as discussing how issues regarding ableism, sexism and racism intersect and can sometimes prevent us engaging with the nature around us. Through this project, she wants to talk openly about these barriers and issues as well as celebrating diversity and finding creative solutions.

Talia Randall said: “Only recently did I feel like I belong in nature spaces. As someone whose love for nature grows daily, Epping Forest has become a special place. I can’t wait to share the voices of nature lovers who are helping others feel a true sense of belonging in this beautiful place”.

Amy Liu from Epping Forest Heritage Trust said, “A core part of our work is to inspire more people to visit and love Epping Forest, especially those who face unequal access to green spaces. We firmly believe that Epping Forest is for everyone to love, and everyone should be able to participate in the protection of this irreplaceable ancient Forest. We are incredibly excited about this project which celebrates communities’ and individuals’ stories about the Forest. We hope you listen to the podcast, and that the stories inspire you to visit, and perhaps even inspire you to bring other people to visit the Forest we all love.”.

Jo Nancarrow from Essex Cultural Diversity Project said “It’s been delightful working with Talia and to team up with Epping Forest Heritage Trust on this project. Through her commission Talia has captured the spirit of place, given people a voice, connected communities and provided a platform for them to tell their own stories, in their own words.”

Each episode of this four-part podcast series explores a different theme related to diversity in the outdoors:

Episode 1: ‘Looking Over Your Shoulder’

Barriers to nature related to gender and sexuality. Featuring:
· A conservation day for women and non-binary folk with Epping Forest Heritage Trust.
· Amira Patel, founder of Wanderlust Women, an outdoor adventure group for Muslim women.
· A guided walk for LGBTQ+ folk with Epping Forest Pride.

Coming soon…

Episode 2: ‘Birdsong and Chips’

What does ‘access’ mean? Featuring:
· A day out with The Epping Forest Sunflower Group along an easy-access trail at High Beach, Epping Forest
· A discussion of how we can broaden the definition of what ‘access’ means with Francesca Turauskis, founder of The Outdoors Podcast Club
· An exploration of neurodiverse experiences in nature, including Talia’s own experience

Episode 3: ‘This Place is Magic’

Modern-day magic in the forest. Featuring:
· Local historian Amy Stock explores artefacts related to Essex’s witchy history, including a mummified cat found in the walls of Waltham Abbey.
· An interview with a witch who has faced prejudice when practising her craft in the outdoors.
· A ceremony led by a witch wanting to give thanks to the forest.

Episode 4: ‘Woodlice and Ducks’

Helping children feel belonging in nature. Featuring:
· Gearies Primary School in Ilford, who are embedding nature play into the curriculum.

About the Artist

https://taliarandall.com/

Talia Randall is a neurodivergent poet, performer and podcaster. Her work deals with themes of power, belonging and revealing the hidden. She is driven by an unwavering conviction that everyone should have equitable access to the arts and to nature.

Her BBC commissioned podcast Blossom Trees and Burnt-Out Cars asked the question why isn’t nature for everyone? The podcast was recommended by the Guardian, selected in Pod Bible’s ‘Best Podcasts of 2022’, was awarded silver at the British Podcast Awards 2023 and Gold at the Audio Production Awards 2023 . Talia was an inaugural member of BBC Sounds Audio Lab, a podcast development programme designed to amplify the next-generation of podcasters.

Talia has performed comedy, poetry and theatre across the UK including at Southbank, Bristol Old Vic, Roundhouse, Glastonbury, Wales Millennium Centre and at Larmer Tree festival. Talia is also the creator of What Words Are Ours? A poetry knees-up that features Deaf and hearing artists on the same stage. Talia’s work has been called “refreshing and brilliant” (The Guardian), “absolutely sublime” (dig.com) and “distinctive” (The Upcoming).

Talia’s debut poetry pamphlet Proverbs for a Woman Drinking Alone was published by Broken Sleep Books in February 2023 and her debut collection Eighty-Two was published in November 2023, also with Broken Sleep. Her poetry has also been published in The Guardian Children’s Book of the Year anthology Poems from a Green and Blue Planet by Sabrina Mahfouz (Hachette Children’s Group) and Everything is Going to be All Right curated by Cecilia Knapp (Trapeze).

Since 2007 Talia has worked with children and teenagers to develop their voices through drama, poetry and healthy relationship projects. These community and education projects are integral to Talia’s artistic work.