EDITOR-IN-CHIEF STANDS DOWN

Greg Neale, Editor-in-Chief and co-leader of The Resurgence Trust, has decided to stand down from his post after a period of illness.

Greg joined the Trust as senior editor of Resurgence & Ecologist in June 2014, and succeeded Satish Kumar as Editor-in-Chief of the Trust and its websites in August 2016, when Satish stood down after 43 years in the editor’s chair. Greg and Angie Burke, Trust Manager, were appointed co-leaders of the Trust in March 2017.

“It will be a wrench leaving Resurgence unexpectedly early, but I have been privileged to edit this remarkable magazine and work with some very talented colleagues and contributors, as well as enjoying life in the north Devon countryside,” Greg said. He now plans to pursue future editorial and academic projects, initially based in London.

Greg came to Resurgence after a distinguished career in national journalism. He was the founding editor of BBC History Magazine, for which he won two ‘Editor of the Year’ awards from the British Society of Magazine Editors, and had a lengthy spell as environment correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph, reporting from around the world in the 1980s and 1990s. He has also worked for The Times, The Guardian and The Observer among other British newspapers, and was “resident historian” for BBC Television’s Newsnight programme, as well as being an honorary visiting fellow and oral historian for the University of York.

Greg said: “I’m conscious that I’ve been able to follow in the footsteps of previous remarkable editors, including – John Papworth, the peace and civil rights campaigner who founded Resurgence in 1966, and Satish Kumar, who from the 1970s helped it not only survive but to become the artistic and spiritual flagship of the environmental movement, as The Guardian once described us – a role that was confirmed when we merged with the Ecologist to help preserve that similarly illustrious title.

“The issues that have defined the magazine – environment, peace and social justice, informed and illuminated by spirituality and the arts – are, if anything, more important than ever, and I hope that with The Resurgence Trust soon to move into a new home in Hartland, it will continue to fly that flag for many years to come.”

James Sainsbury, Chair of The Resurgence Trust, said: “We were delighted when Greg agreed to join Resurgence & Ecologist. He’s brought a wealth of journalistic skill and experience to the Trust as well as an abiding commitment to our ideals and status as a charity, and we are sorry to be losing him – though I’m equally delighted he is becoming a Life Member of the Trust as we move forward into a new phase of our work. We all wish him every success in future.”

RESURGENCE TEAMS UP WITH BEAFORD FOR HIDDEN HISTORIES PROJECT

The renovations and improvements for the new Resurgence Centre at the former Small School are nearing completion and we will be moving into our new offices in early March.

We are already working on our events programme and on broadening our outreach. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall will officially open the Resurgence Centre on 18 May. We will also be having an open day, when anyone interested can come and see us and what we have been up to!

As part of our programme, we will be working with Beaford community arts project. We are hosting our first event on 27 April, when Bristol-based trio the Boogaloo String Band will be playing their stomping mix of Americana and old-time tunes.

In the autumn, we will be hosting a Hidden Histories project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, in conjunction with Beaford, based around the photographic archive of James Ravilious and Roger Deakins. We plan to host an exhibition of photographs spanning 100 years of the life and times of Hartland parish. We will also be running events where people can share old photographs and stories about life in Hartland. We will be sharing more information on the Hidden Histories project nearer the time.

Meanwhile, we’re looking forward to getting settled in our new premises and to developing the programme of events.

For updates: www.resurgence.org/resurgencefuture