Northumberland nature and gardening podcast shortlisted for award
A nature and gardening podcast produced in Northumberland has been shortlisted for an award.
The Nature Garden is in the running for Best Regional Podcast at the Independent Podcast Awards 2026.
Created, hosted and edited by Carl Stiansen with volunteer contributors, The Nature Garden celebrates wildlife, gardening, dialect, landscapes and heritage.
Carl, who lives on Holy Island said: “We’re thrilled that The Nature Garden has been shortlisted for Best Regional Podcast.
“The programme is proudly rooted in Northumberland - our people, wildlife, gardens, dialect and heritage - so this recognition means a great deal to our small team of volunteer contributors. Since beginning during lockdown, we’ve grown into a global community while staying true to our unmistakably local voice.”
Through relaxed conversations that feel like chats between friends over the garden fence, the podcast explores gardening across the seasons, birds, wildlife, conservation and local history.
Regular contributors bring specialist knowledge and enthusiasm: Tom Pattinson on gardening, Tom Cadwallender on ornithology, and Steve Lowe on wildlife and conservation. The podcast also gives regional and national wildlife charities a platform to share their work.
With more than 36,000 downloads across 80 episodes, The Nature Garden reaches listeners all over the world.
Gardening contributor Tom Pattinson, from Lesbury, said: “When Covid restrictions kept us out of the Lionheart Radio studio in Alnwick, we could no longer present our programme, The Weekending Show. We began the podcast as a passionate offshoot, and it remains a homespun production rooted in Northumberland while reaching listeners around the world.”
Winners will be announced at Kings Place, London, on Wednesday, November 4. The full shortlist is available at independentpodcastawards.com.