Ripon duo’s short films to aid climate change bid

The Future Talks scheme was the idea of Gary Lawson and Ian Kendall, who run Intelligo Media.

Ian, company director, said: “Anyone who has watched David Attenborough will know the power film can have on raising awareness of climate change.

“We want to tap into the power of the medium on a more local level, to actively engage and reach young people in Yorkshire.”

Funded by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) and the Sustainable Development Fund, the films explore key conservation activities by the national park, from farming for biodiversity, flood management, and peat bog restoration.

Showing real world environmental impacts, the films aim to help young people connect to the natural world.

Professional videographers and photographers, Gary and Ian’s award-winning agency has worked with many charitable and educational organisations, as well as in the national media, including BBC Countryfile.

The Future Talks films, which are free on YouTube, feature Bradford primary school children learning about the impact of flooding in Swaledale, an Asian youth group from Leeds helping a sustainable farmer in the Dales, as well as profiling the youth representative for the National Park Management Plan, Joe Hudson.

Gary Lawson said: “Film dominates our digital world.”

“We passionately believe that film can help us connect to, and care for, nature.

“As we face the climate crisis, it’s incredibly important the next generations are inspired.

“We want them to fall in love with the Yorkshire Dales, because what we do not love, we do not save.”

The Future Talks films are also being used to support the geography curriculum in schools.

To view the films: https://www.intelligo.media/future-talks