PEAR FEST ‘24Put the date in your diary. Tickets available from April

Rebecca Hosking, a trailblazer in Britain’s regenerative farming movement, will be returning to Pear Fest this year. After a distinguished career as a wildlife camerawoman, Rebecca turned her focus towards pioneering holistic farming practices. Over the past decade, she has been at the forefront of a growing movement that integrates the health of our ecology with agricultural practice. Today, Rebecca’s passion lies in the cultivation and benefits of wild foods. With her insightful talk, she’ll take you on a journey exploring the importance of foraged foods for our health and the vitality of the ecosystems we depend on.

Our CEO will be talking about the journey he is on to use agroecological methods on the land at our HQ in Worcestershire to improve the soil and biodiversity and how this ties in with improving the health of our citizens and cutting the burden of chronic disease. He will show how the technology that Black Pear pioneers can aid in social prescribing of lifestyle interventions to make this available to patients at scale alongside work he is doing as a trustee of the PHC.

Dr. Jenny Goodman, a seasoned ecological doctor, will also grace our festival with her expertise. With over two decades of experience, Dr. Goodman is a strong proponent of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine. Her philosophy is grounded in the belief that diet, reduced toxin exposure, and lifestyle adjustments are critical in treating chronic conditions and improving overall well-being. Dr. Goodman will not only share her insights into ecological medicine but will also give us a preview of her upcoming book, which promises to be a significant contribution to the field.

Prepare to be inspired by these extraordinary individuals who are not just experts in their fields but also passionate about sharing their knowledge to make a difference in the world. Their sessions are designed to be a transformative experience for anyone interested in the intersection of health, diet, and sustainable living.

Giancarlo and Kate Caldesi had a string of successful Italian restaurants and cookery schools across London but their life was changed when Giancarlo was diagnosed with diabetes. Suddenly the energetic Italian chef was overweight and depressed with excruciating pain. But when a nutritionist friend suggested he do the unthinkable and drop the pizza, pasta and bread in favour of a low carb diet his condition was transformed. Now the couple have co-authored a low carb cookbook to combat diabetes and created gluten free pasta recipes as well as finding alternatives to pastry, bread and pizza. You can read about their healthy recipes at https://www.thegoodkitchentable.com/. They will be doing a demonstration of how to prepare some of these as well as helping to provide the food at Pear Fest so you can sample first-hand how healthy food can also be delicious

We are proud to introduce Roger Morgan-Grenville, a distinguished new addition to the Pear Fest ’24 line-up. Roger is a prolific writer, eloquent speaker, and dedicated campaigner on issues pertaining to nature and biodiversity, particularly within the United Kingdom. His work is driven by an acute awareness of the stark biodiversity loss that has occurred within our lifetimes, with the sobering statistic that we have effectively lost half of what we once had.

Roger approaches his mission with a unique blend of hope and realism, intertwining science with personal anecdotes to craft narratives that resonate with humanity's role in both the degradation and potential restoration of nature. He is a staunch advocate for the Eurasian Curlew, working tirelessly to restore Britain’s largest wader to a robust population. Moreover, he campaigns fervently to re-establish Natural History as a core element of education for all children, ensuring that knowledge and respect for the natural world is not a privilege, but a right.

Before dedicating himself to the conservation of nature, Roger served with distinction in the Royal Green Jackets for nine years, with deployments across five continents. His adventurous spirit led him to lead the first successful expedition retracing Shackleton’s remarkable journey across South Georgia, showcasing his leadership and tenacity.

Monique Parker is a qualified nutritionist and author of the book ‘Conversations on the Lost Connection with Nature’. She is passionate about nature in all its forms, especially the effects it has on our life, health, and well-being.

Having experienced the healing qualities of nature herself and having witnessed it in her clients and many other people, she always wanted to share the message about the special relationship we all have, consciously or unconsciously, with nature, the benefits for our health and well-being, and the necessity to restore this lost connection to save our planet and our future.

Monique has a strong interest in food, not just the growing, cooking and eating of it, but also the issues of our broken food system, and of course the link between food and health, which also features in her book.

She will be talking about the how and why of the book, her relationship with nature, and about the inspiring people who contributed to her book.