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Bethany Handley talks to Nicola Cutcher

My Body is a Meadow: Finding Freedom in the Outdoors

Hay Festival 2026, 

Since childhood, poet Bethany Handley felt most at home out in the wilds of the Welsh countryside. That all changed when she became a full-time wheelchair user in her twenties and suddenly found herself padlocked out of the landscapes she belonged to. Public rights of way are currently blocked in 32,000 places in England and Wales. Handley talks to investigative journalist Nicola Cutcher about My Body is a Meadow, describing what nature means to her and why we all need to work together to make the countryside open to all.

Handley is an award-winning writer and poet who campaigns for disability rights and better access to nature. Nicola Cutcher is an investigative journalist living on the Welsh/English borders.

Bethany Handley talks to Nicola Cutcher