Shelly Dennison
@dennisonshelly.bsky.social
Writer & Comms Consultant supporting not-for-profits.
Trustee @johnrayinitiative.bsky.social
Website: https://shellydennison.co.uk/
Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/shellydennison
Trustee @johnrayinitiative.bsky.social
Website: https://shellydennison.co.uk/
Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/shellydennison
Pinned
The second post in my ‘A brief history of Bedfordshire in plants and animals’ imagines a Mesolithic feast in Houghton Regis.
shellydennison.substack.com/p/a-prehisto...
#LocalHistory
shellydennison.substack.com/p/a-prehisto...
#LocalHistory
I was beginning to think I was being melodramatic about the lack of sun this year but apparently not.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Most consecutive days of rain since 1908, Reading University says
The only Januarys wetter than this year's were in 1939, 1995 and 2014, meteorologists say.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 6, 2026 at 11:04 AM
I was beginning to think I was being melodramatic about the lack of sun this year but apparently not.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Shelly Dennison
HUGE congratulations to the longlistees & the judges, who have delivered a wonderfully rich, wide-ranging & eclectic choice of books for the @climate-fiction.bsky.social. Having loved being a judge last year, it's so exciting to see this prize, readership & themes grow. Better get reading!
The Climate Fiction Prize 2026 longlist is here! 🤩📚
This longlist shows the limitless scope of climate fiction, from gripping thrillers to experimental literary works, folklore and reimagined myths to science fiction and generational family saga.
Full list here: climatefictionprize.co.uk
This longlist shows the limitless scope of climate fiction, from gripping thrillers to experimental literary works, folklore and reimagined myths to science fiction and generational family saga.
Full list here: climatefictionprize.co.uk
February 5, 2026 at 5:41 PM
HUGE congratulations to the longlistees & the judges, who have delivered a wonderfully rich, wide-ranging & eclectic choice of books for the @climate-fiction.bsky.social. Having loved being a judge last year, it's so exciting to see this prize, readership & themes grow. Better get reading!
The second post in my ‘A brief history of Bedfordshire in plants and animals’ imagines a Mesolithic feast in Houghton Regis.
shellydennison.substack.com/p/a-prehisto...
#LocalHistory
shellydennison.substack.com/p/a-prehisto...
#LocalHistory
February 5, 2026 at 9:54 AM
The second post in my ‘A brief history of Bedfordshire in plants and animals’ imagines a Mesolithic feast in Houghton Regis.
shellydennison.substack.com/p/a-prehisto...
#LocalHistory
shellydennison.substack.com/p/a-prehisto...
#LocalHistory
One of the questions I sometimes get asked by prospective clients is will I work with organisations that aren't registered charities? The answer is absolutely yes!
My latest blog post explains why and how I can help.
shellydennison.co.uk/2026/02/04/d...
My latest blog post explains why and how I can help.
shellydennison.co.uk/2026/02/04/d...
Deep dive: sharing local stories
Helping community and grassroots groups with communications.
shellydennison.co.uk
February 4, 2026 at 3:40 PM
One of the questions I sometimes get asked by prospective clients is will I work with organisations that aren't registered charities? The answer is absolutely yes!
My latest blog post explains why and how I can help.
shellydennison.co.uk/2026/02/04/d...
My latest blog post explains why and how I can help.
shellydennison.co.uk/2026/02/04/d...
Niche post of the day.
I'm not saying that I'm a frustrated novelist but I do occasionally find myself getting over invested in personas I'm creating as part of comms strategy work... 😂
I'm not saying that I'm a frustrated novelist but I do occasionally find myself getting over invested in personas I'm creating as part of comms strategy work... 😂
February 4, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Niche post of the day.
I'm not saying that I'm a frustrated novelist but I do occasionally find myself getting over invested in personas I'm creating as part of comms strategy work... 😂
I'm not saying that I'm a frustrated novelist but I do occasionally find myself getting over invested in personas I'm creating as part of comms strategy work... 😂
Reposted by Shelly Dennison
My latest blog post, as Writer in Residence for the very exciting Kintbury Chase and Eco Centre, is up. Here are Bullfinches, Colour Charts, Cages & Song, the Bullfinch-breast pinking of oak cotyledons & taxonomic guides to pre-photography identification kintburyecocentre.org/webpage.php?...
February 3, 2026 at 7:54 PM
My latest blog post, as Writer in Residence for the very exciting Kintbury Chase and Eco Centre, is up. Here are Bullfinches, Colour Charts, Cages & Song, the Bullfinch-breast pinking of oak cotyledons & taxonomic guides to pre-photography identification kintburyecocentre.org/webpage.php?...
Go on then.
5 classes you took in university.
1. Latin Christendom
2. The Medieval English Countryside
3. History and Heritage
4. Popular Heresy in the High Middle Ages
5. Heroes
5 classes you took in university.
1. Latin Christendom
2. The Medieval English Countryside
3. History and Heritage
4. Popular Heresy in the High Middle Ages
5. Heroes
5 classes you took in university
1. Introduction to Byzantine History
2. Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon Cultural History
3. The Reformation in Mecklenburg
4. German literature of the Crusades
5. NT Greek
1. Introduction to Byzantine History
2. Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon Cultural History
3. The Reformation in Mecklenburg
4. German literature of the Crusades
5. NT Greek
5 classes you took in university:
1. Invertebrate anatomy
2. Environmental biology
3. Evolutionary psychology
4. Symbiosis and parasitology
5. Dissertation: Self directed behaviour in the Sulawesi Black Crested Macaque.
1. Invertebrate anatomy
2. Environmental biology
3. Evolutionary psychology
4. Symbiosis and parasitology
5. Dissertation: Self directed behaviour in the Sulawesi Black Crested Macaque.
February 1, 2026 at 12:15 PM
Go on then.
5 classes you took in university.
1. Latin Christendom
2. The Medieval English Countryside
3. History and Heritage
4. Popular Heresy in the High Middle Ages
5. Heroes
5 classes you took in university.
1. Latin Christendom
2. The Medieval English Countryside
3. History and Heritage
4. Popular Heresy in the High Middle Ages
5. Heroes
Reposted by Shelly Dennison
A rock concert, a tattered jacket and a more sustainable way to shop. Check out our latest blog from rock fan and pre-loved fashion newbie James Watterson. jri.org.uk/a-tattered-j...
A rock concert a tattered jacket and a more sustainable to shop
Credit: Spencer Davis - Unsplash
It was near midnight on a Northern Line train out of Manchester Picadilly when I first dipped my toe into the world of pre-loved fashion. Manchester Arena had just ...
jri.org.uk
February 1, 2026 at 10:13 AM
A rock concert, a tattered jacket and a more sustainable way to shop. Check out our latest blog from rock fan and pre-loved fashion newbie James Watterson. jri.org.uk/a-tattered-j...
Popped into town to run a couple of errands and dived into a cafe when it started to rain. A couple of minutes later we were watching hail bouncing in the road outside whilst drinking tea and eating cake. And I picked up a treat in Oxfam Books. #TinyJoys
January 31, 2026 at 3:06 PM
Popped into town to run a couple of errands and dived into a cafe when it started to rain. A couple of minutes later we were watching hail bouncing in the road outside whilst drinking tea and eating cake. And I picked up a treat in Oxfam Books. #TinyJoys
Since leaving CPRE Beds at the end of last year I've been trying to convince the Facebook algorithm that I am no longer interested in planning system posts and it's not going as well as I would like. I know I was there for nine years but even so...
January 29, 2026 at 2:48 PM
Since leaving CPRE Beds at the end of last year I've been trying to convince the Facebook algorithm that I am no longer interested in planning system posts and it's not going as well as I would like. I know I was there for nine years but even so...
I hate writing conclusions to anything. Probably because I always feel the need to finish by saying something meaningful but it does mean I just end up staring at the screen for ages in a vaguely despairing kind of way.
January 29, 2026 at 10:28 AM
I hate writing conclusions to anything. Probably because I always feel the need to finish by saying something meaningful but it does mean I just end up staring at the screen for ages in a vaguely despairing kind of way.
Reposted by Shelly Dennison
Good, uplifting, hopeful news from @patrickbarkham.bsky.social, predicated by the extraordinary determination & action of a brilliant woman. Bravo @hannahbournetaylor.bsky.social! You absolutely rock!
Great news from Scotland: a LAW to ensure new buildings have swift bricks. (Contrary to Labour spin, there is no law and no guarantees that builders or planners will incorporate bricks in England.)
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Swift bricks to be installed on all new buildings in Scotland as MSPs back law
Rest of UK has resisted calls to make builders install bricks that provide nesting for swifts and other endangered birds
www.theguardian.com
January 28, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Good, uplifting, hopeful news from @patrickbarkham.bsky.social, predicated by the extraordinary determination & action of a brilliant woman. Bravo @hannahbournetaylor.bsky.social! You absolutely rock!
Good thread.
So @dennispatton.bsky.social asked yesterday: why are the Greens (and other environmentalists) supporting the Local Plan in Sheffield?
The answer to this goes to the heart of everything that's wrong with the current planning system and its relationship to nature.
The answer to this goes to the heart of everything that's wrong with the current planning system and its relationship to nature.
the sun is shining through the trees and a fern is in the foreground
ALT: the sun is shining through the trees and a fern is in the foreground
media.tenor.com
January 28, 2026 at 9:52 AM
Good thread.
The whole thread is extraordinary but this map in particular is magnificent.
Gemini has given up and Yorkshire has taken over the whole of England and Wales. Labels are just in random places now. I salute this version of Yorkshire!
20/n
20/n
January 27, 2026 at 2:10 PM
The whole thread is extraordinary but this map in particular is magnificent.
This month’s round up of some of the things I’ve been writing, reading and doing includes the joys of discovering a new author or series, a walk by the sea, a bookish exhibition and some reflections on my first month as a freelancer.
shellydennison.substack.com/p/january-2026
shellydennison.substack.com/p/january-2026
January 2026
A round-up of some of the things I’ve been writing, reading and doing this month.
shellydennison.substack.com
January 27, 2026 at 9:55 AM
This month’s round up of some of the things I’ve been writing, reading and doing includes the joys of discovering a new author or series, a walk by the sea, a bookish exhibition and some reflections on my first month as a freelancer.
shellydennison.substack.com/p/january-2026
shellydennison.substack.com/p/january-2026
This is a fascinating mix of history and linguistics from @wwtworldwide.bsky.social
www.wwt.org.uk/discover-wet...
www.wwt.org.uk/discover-wet...
What’s in a name? The hidden history flowing through Britain’s rivers
By Professor Christian Dunn, WWT Trustee and Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor at Bangor University
www.wwt.org.uk
January 22, 2026 at 10:08 AM
This is a fascinating mix of history and linguistics from @wwtworldwide.bsky.social
www.wwt.org.uk/discover-wet...
www.wwt.org.uk/discover-wet...
Spent less than half an hour this afternoon doing an under the bonnet job on my website that I've been putting off for months because I thought it'd be a nightmare to sort out. I'm kicking myself but I'll take the win.
#TinyJoys
#TinyJoys
January 21, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Spent less than half an hour this afternoon doing an under the bonnet job on my website that I've been putting off for months because I thought it'd be a nightmare to sort out. I'm kicking myself but I'll take the win.
#TinyJoys
#TinyJoys
Reposted by Shelly Dennison
If you're having a bad morning I promise this will make you feel better (unless you dislike grumpy claymation penguins)
Italian voice actor Carlo Bononi was the voice of all of the characters on Pingu. A trained clown by trade, he used a theater technique called grammelot, which consists of "speaking" in a mix of babbled gibberish noises. He improvised all the voices live and unscripted.
January 21, 2026 at 10:03 AM
If you're having a bad morning I promise this will make you feel better (unless you dislike grumpy claymation penguins)
Reposted by Shelly Dennison
Start your day with this refreshing @theguardian.com country diary by @rsmythfreelance.bsky.social.
#countrydiary #naturewriting
#countrydiary #naturewriting
Country diary: I see 38 bird species in a day – but does it matter? | Richard Smyth
Swillington Ings, West Yorkshire: I’m counting, but not counting. The highlight, though, has to be those those gentleman thugs, the greater black-backed gulls
www.theguardian.com
January 21, 2026 at 8:15 AM
Start your day with this refreshing @theguardian.com country diary by @rsmythfreelance.bsky.social.
#countrydiary #naturewriting
#countrydiary #naturewriting
My brain seems to have decided to go on strike this afternoon.
January 20, 2026 at 3:21 PM
My brain seems to have decided to go on strike this afternoon.
Worth a read if you're working in comms in the charity sector.
How are charities using X in January 2026?
My latest research findings, just out.
My latest research findings, just out.
Another round of charity Xodus – January 2026
An update into the charity sector’s use of X in January 2026. Use it to help benchmark your use.
madlinblog.wordpress.com
January 17, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Worth a read if you're working in comms in the charity sector.
The RSPB confirming what we all suspected. The birds know... 😂
'Alright pal, got plans for the #BigGardenBirdwatch?'
'Nah, just the usual... hang out of sight whilst she's doing the count, then touch down once the hour's over. You?'
'Classic. Planning some fly-bys with a few of the boys, but we'll only land one at a time.'
'Niiice.'
'Nah, just the usual... hang out of sight whilst she's doing the count, then touch down once the hour's over. You?'
'Classic. Planning some fly-bys with a few of the boys, but we'll only land one at a time.'
'Niiice.'
January 17, 2026 at 8:28 AM
The RSPB confirming what we all suspected. The birds know... 😂
My husband has changed his regular wfh days for 2026 and I no longer have office days on account of being completely freelance so neither of us have any idea what day it is anymore.
January 15, 2026 at 1:18 PM
My husband has changed his regular wfh days for 2026 and I no longer have office days on account of being completely freelance so neither of us have any idea what day it is anymore.