Trees A Crowd

Dr Katherine Brent from Wotton-Under-Edge has danced the Morris since she was 18 years old for sides including Red Stags, Winterbourne Down, Rag Morris and Madcap Morris. She also teaches beekeeping for Rory’s Well, a charity dedicated to regenerating the local economy of an area in Sierra Leone. In this conversation, she describes the history and traditions behind morris dancing and the origin of the colourful rag coat. She explains why she is passionate about the introduction of Inga alley farming in Sierra Leone, which regenerates the soil removing the need for the traditional “slash and burn” cultivation, and argues the badger cull is neither “scientific nor successful” in reducing TB, which is why she remains opposed to it.