Vivienne De Courcy, environmentalist film director of ‘Dare To Be Wild’, as well as Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medallist, Mary Reynolds, herself the focus of De Courcy’s film, have joined with The Woodland Trust to head a call to action for everyone to plant one tree in their garden this Autumn/Winter, to help reverse climate change.
‘Dare To Be Wild’ will have its UK premiere tonight at London’s Notting Hill Gate Cinema, with its UK and Ireland cinematic release this Friday, September 23.
Vivienne De Courcy, a former US corporate finance attorney, gave up her law practice after a family tragedy. She poured her energies into raising awareness for the wilderness, and her directorial debut, ‘Dare To Be Wild’, is merely the start. Vivienne and Mary Reynolds are supporting the UKs Tree Charter, championed by The Woodland Trust, and hope to raise awareness of the difference people can make to climate change, by simply planting one tree in their garden. She explains:
“Evidence has shown that planting trees could help to slow or reverse climate change. Right now humans are producing carbon dioxide faster than the environment can absorb it, which could be catastrophic for the whole world. This is not helped by the mass deforestation in some countries – the devastating effect of which is highlighted in the desertification of places like Ethiopia, a plight which is highlighted in Dare To Be Wild through Mary’s real life experience of supporting reforestation in the country. By simply planting a tree in your garden to absorb carbon dioxide, we can fight against one of the greatest threats to this world and protect our environment for future generations.”
‘Dare To Be Wild’, a romantic adventure story about landscape designer, Mary Reynolds, tells of her rapid rise from rank outsider to Gold Medal Winner at 2002s Chelsea Flower Festival. Reynolds believes we can preserve – and regenerate – wild nature, and in so doing, save ourselves; if we experience the atmosphere of wild nature in our own backyards, we will be more likely to protect the wilderness:
“Hawthorns are sentinel trees. They grow very quickly in their initial years and their thorny stems are designed to protect the more delicate growth of larger parent trees such as oak or ash from wind and grazing damage. Hawthorns are one of natures guards, or protectors. They retain a strong energy of a warrior, the warrior spirit of nature. We need that energy to rise up in all of us now. We need to become natures guardians, her sentinels, as those in power are not playing their part. Embrace the spirit of the hawthorn and become a sentinel in natures army. Plant trees, it is one of the most gentle and powerful things you can do. Specifically plant locally sourced native trees to provide future sanctuaries for all the creatures that live above and below the soil.”
Adding to this, Matt Larsen-Daw of The Woodland Trust explains how ‘Dare To Be Wild’ highlights the deep-rooted connection between people and the natural wonders around them:
“It is no exaggeration to say that we are at a crisis point for the UK’s trees and woods – a perfect storm of threats, changing lifestyles and apathy. Trees and woods improve life for people in so many ways, and yet their true value is rarely recognised. As a result, they are disappearing from our lives and landscapes due to man-made and natural threats, and a lack of commitment to planting new trees and woods for the future. Beneath the surface, however, I believe there is a deep-rooted love of trees and woods that just needs to be re-awakened and made visible. That’s why the Woodland Trust is leading more than 50 organisations in calling for a Charter for Trees, Woods and People to bring trees to the centre of decision-making and public consciousness where they belong.
“We hope that audiences will go and see Dare To Be Wild at the cinema. This beautiful film illustrates the transformative power of nature on an individual, and I am sure will cause many people to reflect on their own connection to the trees and other natural wonders around them. The aim of the Tree Charter campaign is to get people talking about how trees touch their lives. We are delighted that Vivienne DeCourcy and Mary Reynolds are supporting us in doing this.”
Vivienne and Mary are asking people to share pictures of their newly planted trees on their own social media sites, accompanied by the hashtag, #DTBW
If you can’t do this, or perhaps as well as doing this, there are many other ways you can help the planet. You might switch to LED bulbs at home, or ensure you recycle as much as possible. You could even look into having an electric vehicle. There are many benefits to this apart from the eco-friendly aspect; electric vehicle road tax is mostly non-existent, for example.
‘Dare To Be Wild’ stars Emma Greenwell as Mary Reynolds, Tom Hughes as Christy Collard, and also features Alex Macqueen, Janie Dee, Christine Marzano, Alaa Safi, and Michael Hough. It’s in cinemas across the UK and Ireland from 23 September. Check the film’s official Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts for further details.
