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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260620T140000
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SUMMARY:Anywhere But Here
DESCRIPTION:Nicola Kelly\nAnywhere But Here\nSaturday 20 June\, 2.00pm\nChelmsford Cathedral\, New Street\, Chelmsford\, CM1 1TY\nFrom an award-winning journalist comes the hugely timely story of Britain’s broken asylum system and the search for belonging in Britain today. With unique and unparalleled access\, former Home Office insider Nicola Kelly takes us behind the scenes what happens when you arrive here in the UK\, from boat to shore to holding room and beyond. \nTickets: £15 / £12 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948 \n\n\nEvent Information\n💬 The event will include an audience Q&A session.\n📚 Copies of the book can be ordered online from Chelmsford Cathedral. Copies of the book will also be available to buy at the event.\n🖊️ After the event there will be an opportunity to get the book signed by the author.\n🪑 Seats are unallocated.\n☕ Refreshments will be available to buy at this event – cash and card payments taken\n🚗 Chelmsford Cathedral is a 5 minute walk from the train station and bus station. The Cathedral does not have its own car park but there are a number of public car parks within a short walking distance: https://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/parking-and-travel/car-parks/.\n♿ The venue is wheelchair accessible. There are disabled facilities on site.\n📸 We will be filming and taking photos at this event. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nNicola Kelly\n\nPhoto of Nicola Kelly © Alice Zoo \n\n\nNicola Kelly is an award-winning investigative journalist and writer focused on UK immigration and asylum. Her reporting regularly appears in the Guardian\, Observer\, Independent\, OpenDemocracy and elsewhere. Before moving into journalism\, she worked as a diplomat for the Foreign\, Commonwealth and Development Office\, with postings in Brussels and Istanbul. Later\, she moved to the Home Office\, working in their press office\, before leaving the civil service during the rollout of the hostile environment policy. Her reporting has been referenced in several legal challenges against Conservative Home Secretaries\, as well as submissions and human rights reports. \n  \nBluesky: @nicolakellywrites.bsky.social \nX: @NicolaKelly \n\n\n\n\nAnywhere But Here: Stories of the Search for Belonging in Modern Britain\n\n\nFrom an award-winning journalist comes the hugely timely story of Britain’s broken asylum system and the search for belonging in Britain today. \nLonglisted for the 2025 Moore Prize for Human Rights \nWhat is it like to arrive on our shores with nothing and to be pushed to the margins? \n\n\n‘Brilliant and hugely timely.’\n– Caroline Lucas\, author of Another England\n\n\n‘Will ignite both your compassion and your rage.’\n– Grace Blakeley\, author of Vulture Capitalism\n\n\nEach year tens of thousands of people risk their lives to cross the Channel in small boats hoping to find safety in Britain. Yet the very system designed to protect them has all but collapsed. \nWith unique and unparalleled access\, award-winning journalist and former Home Office insider Nicola Kelly takes us behind the scenes what happens when you arrive here in the UK\, from boat to shore to holding room and beyond. \nHere we meet the under-resourced coastguard overseeing search and rescue operations. The decision-makers hired from fast food outlets to conduct ‘life and death’ asylum interviews. The immigration barristers securing last-minute reprieves for deportees. The people rioting outside asylum hotels because ‘nobody is listening’. And we step inside the Home Office corridors as ministers and advisors respond to emerging crises and scandals\, from Windrush and Rwanda to the ‘one in; one out’ policy. \nSituated on the beaches and the ports\, in the hotels\, the courtrooms and the detention centres where futures unfold\, these are the extraordinary stories of struggle\, survival and hope that come in the search for belonging in Britain today. \n\n‘Puts the stories of displaced people front and centre.’\n– The Herald\n\nBuy a copy of the book from Chelmsford Cathedral\n\nPraise for Anywhere But Here\n\n‘A tour de force of reporting\, a harrowing tale of human experience and a devastating indictment of serial failures by Britain’s political class. With her roadmap for reform\, Nicola Kelly’s book should be required reading for every incoming Home Secretary.’\n– Ben Rawlence\, author of City of Thorns\n\n\n‘Sharing the powerful human stories behind the statistics\, Kelly shines an unflinching spotlight on the scale of injustice and incompetence at the heart of Britain’s broken asylum system … Beautifully written\, bold and brave\, Anywhere But Here … should be on every desk not just in the Home Office\, but throughout government.’\n– Caroline Lucas\, author of Another England\n\n\n‘A stunning expose of the UK’s broken asylum system … This book will ignite both your compassion and your rage.’\n– Grace Blakeley\, author of Vulture Capitalism\n\n\n‘An urgent and searing expose of the British immigration system and its failings\, Anywhere But Here draws from a range of eyewitness accounts from refugees\, politicians\, coastguards\, and more to reveal the full extent of the injustices and tragedies of the small boat crisis.’\n– Waterstones\n\n\n‘Kelly’s book\, Anywhere But Here\, brings such a human and humane perspective to an issue that is politicised and toxic.’\n– The Guardian\n\n\n‘Kelly remains poised\, articulate and informed by exhaustive knowledge. Above all\, to read Anywhere But Here is to follow her in the search for justice.’\n– New Statesman\n\n\n‘A deeply reported\, richly textured expose… This isn’t just a story about how Britain’s asylum system fails those it is supposed to protect\, it’s a vital account of how a broken system fails all of us.’\n– Peter Geoghegan\, author of Democracy for Sale\n\n\n‘Reporting the subject of asylum\, and telling the stories of those who try to claim it\, is essential work\, but in Kelly’s hands it is also elegant\, gripping and lucid … This is a remarkably human book.’\n– Sophie Elmhirst\, author of Maurice and Maralyn (winner of the Costa Book Award)
URL:https://essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/anywhere-but-here/
LOCATION:Chelmsford Cathedral\, New Street\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM1 1TY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Biography,Non-fiction
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260610T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260610T203000
DTSTAMP:20260610T085223Z
CREATED:20260326T090015Z
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UID:11531-1781116200-1781123400@essexbookfestival.org.uk
SUMMARY:Common Treasures: Ambitious Thinking About the Future of Rural Communities
DESCRIPTION:Giles Smith\, Hana Loftus and Ken Worpole\nCommon Treasures: Ambitious Thinking About the Future of Rural Communities\nWednesday 10 June 2026\, 6.30pm – 8.30pm\nThe Commons Community Kitchen & Café at The Minories\, 74 High Street\, Colchester\, CO1 1UE\nGiles Smith\, founding partner of the architecture and design collective Assemble\, Winner of the 2015 Turner Prize\, will be discussing the Common Treasures project and accompanying books with writer\, designer\, and Essex-based planner Hana Loftus\, and writer and social historian\, Ken Worpole. \nCommon Treasures in an anthology that offers a credible and compelling vision of what life in a rural future might look like. \nTickets: £10 / £8 concessions (students\, under 27s and unwaged)\nBox Office: eventbrite.co.uk \nThis event will be chaired by Joanne Ooi\, founder of @eafestivaluk & EA Sustain\, events about environment\, culture\, literature\, art & more and Chair of @creativecolchester.  Follow Joanne @culture.vlog. \n  \nCommon Treasures – The Project\nAmbitious thinking about the future of rural places\nCommon Treasures explores the challenges faced by rural communities by bringing together people with a broad range of different skills and experiences who are committed to a form of rural development that prioritises communities over profit\, promotes sustainable agriculture and land stewardship\, and combines lasting economic impact with ecological and social values. The project has emerged from ongoing conversations between members of the architecture collective Assemble and Common Ground\, which focussed on alternative approaches to rural housing — rethinking how it is developed\, designed and built — and emerged through the Raise the Roof project. \nFind out more about the Common Treasures project at commontreasures.org. \nCommon Treasures – The Books\n \n  \nPublished by Little Toller Books\, Common Treasures emerged from ongoing conversations between members of the architecture collective Assemble and the arts organisation Common Ground\, seeking fresh\, connected approaches to rural housing\, land and livelihoods. \nVol. 1 – Common Treasures: Land\, Food and Farming (July 2025) explores food systems\, regenerative agriculture and rural livelihoods. Contributions range from reviving British wool and flax production to more sustainable farming methods\, community-led land ownership and strategies for strengthening local economies.\nContributors: Maria Benjamin\, Philip Trevelyan\, Megan Willoughby\, Charlotte Hollins\, Stella Peyerl\, Stephen Davies\, Jez Ralph\, Clare Hill\, Alice Clark\, Colleen McCulloch\, Stefan Laxness and Kaye Song \nVol. 2 – Common Treasures: Housing\, Planning and Construction (September 2025) focuses on rethinking housing development\, planning policy and building methods to support rural regeneration. Essays cover community land trusts\, sustainable construction materials\, and collaborative approaches to housing delivery.\nContributors: Rebecca Smith\, Rob Hopkins & Frances Northrop\, Ruth Munns\, Andrew Kirby\, James Shorten\, Loretta Bosence\, Hana Loftus\, Barbara Jones\, Kim Squirrell\, Ken Worpole\, Tim Crabtree and Summer Islam \nThe Common Treasures series bridges architecture\, agriculture\, planning and community action\, offering practical blueprints for resilient rural futures. Across both volumes\, farmers\, architects\, planners and campaigners share lived experience and tested strategies\, making this a vital resource for anyone shaping life in the countryside. \nBuy a copy of the book from: commmontreasures.org. \nFollow Common Treasures on Instagram: @commontreasures_ \n  \nCopies of Common Treasures volume 2\, which Hana Loftus and Ken Worpole contributed to\, will be available for sale at the event. \n  \nCommon Ground\nCommon Ground is charity based in Dorset\, which has been at the forefront of community conservation and environmental education in England for the last thirty years. We are not a think tank or political pressure group. We are a small\, grassroots organisation that collaborate openly to reconnect people with nature and inspires communities to become responsible for their local environment. \nWe believe that enjoying where you live and celebrating the connections people have with the wildlife and landscape on their doorstep\, is at the root of meaningful conservation. \nFind out more about Common Ground at commonground.org.uk. \nGiles Smith\nPhoto of Giles Smith by Hannah Thual \nGiles Smith is an architect\, writer and educator. He is a founding partner of the award-winning architecture practice Assemble\, where his work focuses on socially-oriented projects at scales that range from furniture and events to complex buildings and masterplanning. Much of this work intersects with cultural infrastructure which builds on his experience as the chair of trustees for a South London Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation. As well as Assemble\, Giles has co-founded the celebrated play project Assemble Play (now Playworks Studio) and the organisation Common Treasures which undertakes projects relating to contemporary challenges in rural communities. He has taught at numerous institutions and currently teaches at the University of Cambridge. \nHana Loftus\nPhoto of Hana Loftus by Polly Alderton \nHana Loftus is a planner\, designer and writer based in Essex. She co-directs HAT Projects\, an architecture and planning practice based in Colchester\, and as a writer has been published in Apollo\, Icon and widely in the architecture and planning press. Her first full-length book\, Sixteen Acres\, will be published by Profile Books in 2027 and an early version was shortlisted for the Fitzcarraldo Editions Essay Prize in 2025. \nHana contributed an essay to Volume 2 of Common Treasures. \n  \nKen Worpole\n \nWriter and social historian Ken Worpole is ‘a literary original\, a social and architectural historian whose books combine ‘the Orwellian ideal of common decency with understated erudition\,’ according to The NewStatesman. Ken has pursued a lifelong interest in the social history of London’s East End and its relationship to the Thames Estuary and coastal East Anglia. His two most recent books are No Matter How Many Skies Have Fallen: Back to the land in wartime Britain (2022)\, and Brightening from the East: Essays on landscape & memory (2025)\, the latter being chosen by Geoff Dyer as one of the New Statesman’s ‘Books of the Year’ 2025. \nKen is a contributor to Common Treasures. \n 
URL:https://essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/common-treasures/
LOCATION:The Commons Community Kitchen & Cafe at The Minories\, 74 High Street\, Colchester\, Essex\, CO1 1UE\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Discussion,Non-fiction,ONLY A FEW TICKETS LEFT!
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20240613T130000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20240613T140000
DTSTAMP:20240418T085552Z
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SUMMARY:Taking the Long View - Rural
DESCRIPTION:Rebecca Smith\, Rural\nIn this beautifully observed book\, Rebecca Smith paints a picture of the working class lives that often go overlooked. Living in rural areas means being surrounded by natural beauty\, but for many it also demands hard work\, precarity\, fewer opportunities and – increasingly – being pushed out of the place your family might have called home for generations. \nIn conversation with Festival Director\, Ros Green\, (who grew up in Charsfield in East Suffolk in 1960s and 1970s: the inspiration for Ronald Blythes’s Penguin Classic Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village) they will discuss the relations between nature and human nature\, the land\, education\, class and welfare. \nThis event will include an audience Q&A. After the event there will be an opportunity to get your book signed by the author. \n  \nThursday 13 June\, 1.00pm \nVenue: Chelmsford Cathedral\, New Street\, Chelmsford\, CM1 1TY\nTickets: £10 / £8 concessions (Students\, Under 27s and Unwaged)\nBox Office: Box Office: essexbookfestival.org.uk or Mercury Theatre 01206 573948 \n  \n\n  \nRural: The Lives of the Working Class Countryside by Rebecca Smith\nPublished 6 June 2024 (William Collins) \n \nOrder a copy of Rural at bookshop.org \nWork in the countryside ties you\, soul and salary\, to the land\, but often those who labour in nature have the least control over what happens there… \nIn this beautifully observed book\, Rebecca Smith traces the stories of foresters and millworkers\, miners\, builders\, farmers and pub owners\, to paint a picture of the working class lives that often go overlooked. \nLiving in rural areas means being surrounded by natural beauty\, but for many it also demands hard work\, precarity\, fewer opportunities and – increasingly – being pushed out of the place your family might have called home for generations. \nIn Rural\, Rebecca Smith brings together the reasons we all love nature with the histories of life in its midst\, and a prescient look at the dynamics for rural areas today. Why are our farmers struggling to make a profit on a pint of milk? What has Airbnb done to small communities in places like the Lake District? \nIn a gorgeous tour of Scotland\, England and Wales\, this is a book for anyone who loves and longs for the countryside\, whose family owes something to a bygone trade\, or who is interested in the future of rural Britain. \n  \nAbout the Author\nRebecca Smith worked for BBC Radio for over a decade\, producing live and pre-recorded programmes and researching titles for BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week and The Fiction Serial. In 2021\, she was shortlisted for the Scottish Book Trust’s Ignite Fellowship. She currently writes for various publications and reviews for BBC Radio Scotland’s The Afternoon Show. \n  \n \nPhoto of Rebecca Smith © Lina Hayes \n  \n \n  \n 
URL:https://essexbookfestival.org.uk/event/rural/
LOCATION:Chelmsford Cathedral\, New Street\, Chelmsford\, Essex\, CM1 1TY\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:In Conversation,Non-fiction
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