Bethany Handley- My Body is a Meadow : Finding Freedom in the Outdoors

3.30 at the Castle Hotel
The inspiring Bethany Handley is back, launching her new book ” My Body is a Meadow ”
Today, nearly one in four people are Disabled in the UK. Public rights of way are blocked in 32,000 places across England and Wales.
My Body is a Meadow writes into this troubling landscape. Passionate and political, it delivers a galvanising call for us to rethink how we live among nature and each other. Lyrical and personal, Bethany Handley invites readers to wheel alongside her as she explores ableism, climate justice and what nature means to her.
On this journey, we discover the feral boar of the Forest of Dean and one of the first places in Britain to industrialise; how the metal and rubber of a wheelchair can become just as much a part of your body as skin and bone; why swifts rarely land and how maps tell a story of exclusion. Unearthing parallels between land ownership and privatised healthcare, loss of biodiversity and social marginalisation, My Body is a Meadow explores the lessons nature can teach us about inclusion and interdependence. This is a rallying cry for us to stop gatekeeping nature and work together to make it open to everyone.
Bethany was without doubt one of the most inspiring speakers at Reading the Wild 2025, we’re delighted to have her back with her new book.
Chair Ella Peel

Ticket & Access information

The earlybird price of £8.00 will continue until the 31 st March, it will then increase to £10.00, unless you live within 10 miles of Llandovery in which case it will remain at £8.00, you can buy the reduced tickets at the shop..

You will be able to collect or buy your very special tickets, an artwork in themselves, from the bookshop, if you buy your tickets online make sure you click local collection or you will be charged for postage, you may want to print off a copy of your order.

The Castle Hotel is fully accessible.