Trevor Dines. Photo: Plantlife

I was driving along a motorway yesterday morning (as I was on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday too, and as I will be later today) and listening to Today on BBC Radio 4.

My journey was greatly enhanced by listening to Trevor Dines from Plantlife, talking to Martha Kearney about meadows. You can hear what he said on the BBC iPlayer 1hr 43mins into the programme.

There are two things about radio interviews: what did the person say and how did they say it.

Trevor talked about the loss of meadows in the countryside and about the fact that rewilding won’t work everywhere for everything particularly plants) and all that was skilfully done.

But it is the way that Trevor speaks that is so impressive. He sounds as though he is a nice bloke who is having a chat to a million and more people individually; sharing his knowledge and his enthusiasm willingly. He does not sound, as so many from conservation organisations do, like a corporate spokesperson who has got their list of three points that they must get out on air, come what may. He sounds authentic.

I’ve met Trevor only once or twice but I well remember a quite wonderful and perfectly-judged speech he made at this event at the Royal Society in September 2016 where although he was on stage alongside Sir David Attenborough and the new Secretary of State for Defra his was the most memorable speech of the day. Plantlife are lucky to have him.

Whenever I get the opportunity to listen to Trevor Dines I take it (could we hear him more often please?) because he is, these days, for what it’s worth, and in my opinion, the very best wildlife NGO spokesperson out there.

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