Oak trees lend themselves to proverbs and expressions of wisdom. The poet, George Herbert, is said to have written about these mighty trees sinking deeper roots, as a metaphor for resilience and preparedness for the future.

In this conversation, Mark Vernon speaks with Benedict Pollard, founder of the nursery Mighty Fine Oaks, conservationist, and Fellow of The Linnean Society.

Benedict also looks after the trees of St Giles House, Dorset, where the Realisation Festival takes place. He has invited attendees to plant new trees and also to attend to the beetles in the shrubs and on the land, which is another source of fascination for him.

In this conversation, Benedict describes his deep relationship with trees, oaks in particular, as his intelligence meets theirs.

For more on Benedict and his nursery, Mighty Fine Oaks, see https://www.mightyfineoaks.com/our-mission

Damian Hallam is a contributor to the Realisation Festival, both as participant and speaker. He has been named one of the top 5 dressage coaches in the UK and, as a rider, won over 15 national championships, as well as medals for GB.

He has learnt much from his sport and a life lived with horses and other animals.

In this powerful and moving talk, given in January 2026 at the Winter Gathering of the Realisation Festival, St Giles House, Dorset, Damian brings eloquence, expertise and soul to a range of questions. How can humans learn from their engagement with non-human others? What ethical knots are faced by working with animals in sport? Why does Damian say that horses are his greatest teachers?

Understanding AI has is a recurrent challenge. Should we be afraid or more sanguine or some combination of the two?

Ben is a good person to talk to as he works in the front line of AI developments and is alert to the wonder and complexity of things. He found the Realisation Festival through the work of figures such as Iain McGilchrist and John Verveake and brings their insights to bear upon his work and sense of things.

In this conversation, he discusses his own story of moving from a mechanistic and reductive worldview towards one aware of phenomena such as emergence. He explores how notions of quality and the sacred have developed his engagement with the movements such as Effective Altruism.