Filmmaker Mairead Cahill is standing in a glade in the ancient rainforest on the Leighon estate in Dartmoor national park. As she breathes in the cool air, listens to the birdsong and trains her microphone on a babbling brook, a broad smile spreads across her face. We’re witnessing the healing power of nature in action, captured by Cahill in her inspiring documentary, Sea, Land and City, which is released on 17 October.
As the founder of multimedia business Wonderoom, Cahill knows from experience the value of nature. She spent many years working overseas and, on her return to the UK, was experiencing burnout: “It was nature that helped me get through it,” she says. She was inspired by the healing power of the natural world, but also aware that the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, having lost over half of its biodiversity in the last 50 years. So Cahill decided she wanted to do something to protect the remaining natural landscape.
She knew there were nature-based solutions that could help to bring about climate resilience and support biodiversity while also doing social and economic good. And she knew that she, with her storytelling skills, could inspire people and businesses to engage with these solutions.
