Dame Fiona Reynolds to deliver public lecture
DAME Fiona Reynolds will deliver a public lecture at Aberystwyth University as part of the celebrations to mark the institution’s 150th anniversary.
Drawing on her long career in the voluntary conservation sector, Dame Fiona Reynolds will deliver a talk The Fight for Beauty – why it matters more than ever on Thursday at 5pm in Aberystwyth Arts Centre Cinema.
Her lecture will question why beauty matters, and how beauty can be important when crises in climate, economy, nature and public health loom large.
She will make a case for the fight for beauty and consider how ideas of beauty from the past can help us towards a better future.
Dame Fiona Reynolds draws on her wealth of experience as directo-general of the National Trust, director of the Women’s Unit in the Cabinet Office, the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Campaign to Protect National Parks.
Dr Louise Marshall, head of the Department of English and Creative Writing, said: “Dame Fiona Reynolds’ distinguished career and experience has provided her with a unique overview of the struggle between economic progress and conserving the beauty of the world we live in. Her lifelong belief in the immense value of natural beauty to the human spirit has made her a passionate advocate for the need to balance public policy with the conservation of cultural heritage and the natural environment.”
Dame Fiona’s talk will be preceded by the launch of Aberystwyth University’s new Centre for Creative Wellbeing.
Based in the Department of English and Creative Writing, the centre works with writers, artists, craftspeople and researchers to provide practical wellbeing opportunities and impact policy in settings such as health, education, youth work and community groups.
Researchers from the centre are working on projects exploring how creative activity can change approaches to anxiety, sleep, chronic pain, and mental health.