Groundbreakers: The return of Britain’s Wild Boar by Chantal Lyons.

Chantal Lyons and her new book which takes us on a journey of discovery to get up close and personal with these complex and intelligent creatures and revealing what it might take for us to coexist with wild boar.

Big, messy and mysterious – crossing paths with a wild boar can conjure fear and joy in equal measure. Driven to extinction seven hundred years ago, a combination of the species' own tenacity and illegal releases from the 1980s has seen several populations of this beast of myth begin to roam English and Scottish woods once more.

With growing worry over the impacts on both people and the countryside, the boar's right to exist in Britain has been heavily debated. Their habitat-regenerating actions benefit a host of other wildlife, yet unlike beavers, these ecosystem engineers remain unloved by many. Why is there no clamour to reintroduce them across the land? And, with the few boar in England threatened by poaching and culling, why are we not doing more to prevent their re-extinction?

'Full of joy, pathos, warmth, integrity and intrigue.' AMY-JANE BEER

'One of the most notable works of recent nature writing.' HELEN MACDONALD

'A thrilling expedition into a wild, unruly world.' LEE SCHOFIELD

'Gently thought-provoking and beautifully written.' LEIF BERSWEDEN

About the author:

Chantal Lyons is a naturalist, writer and science communicator. Having grown up in the tidy countryside of Kent, her encounters with the growing rewilding movement opened her eyes to the potential for restoring nature in Britain, and inspired her to study the relations between people and wild boar in the Forest of Dean. She currently lives in Cheltenham, never too far from the boar.

The event will start promptly at 7.00pm

Tickets £7

Includes glass of wine/soft drink and discount off the book when purchased on the evening.