The Keene Series: Evenings of Conversation on Creation and Climate

Our Keene series in this autumn programme asks the question: how can we respond to climate crisis with both urgency and faithful expectation. What is asked of us practically, and how do we live well with the uncertainty of the times and the pressing needs of the future?

Our three speakers bring different insights to these timely questions, from Anna Jones’ analysis of the divide in perception between urban and rural, to the Revd Hannah Malcolm’s contemplation of how the life of prayer can assist our love for this fragile earth, to Fr John Bloomer’s consideration of the links between science and theology in our approach to creation.

All three evenings are free events with refreshments available.  Pre-booking is recommended

Revd John Bloomer
Tuesday 15 September 2026 7.00pm - 8.30pm
Creation in Relationship: Science, Theology and Our Place in the
Living World

Fr John is a parish priest, scientist, and entrepreneur in the agricultural technology industry, focusing on development of technologies that underpin more sustainable and climate resilient plant-based agriculture. He is currently serving as interim Priest-in-Charge at St John’s church, Moulsham Street, alongside his secular work. Fr John has a particular interest in eco-theology and reflecting theologically and scientifically on the diverse and interconnected nature of the world we live in, and the place of humans within this. He also serves on the Church of England’s national Environmental Working Group.

Anna Jones
Friday 02 October 2026 7.00pm - 8.30pm
Divide: The Relationship Crisis between Town and Country

Anna Jones is a rural affairs journalist, author, educator, and founder and CEO of Just Farmers™ Community Interest Company. She’s also a farmer’s daughter from the Welsh Borders.

She produced and directed BBC One’s Countryfile, Channel 4’s Our Dream Farm with Matt Baker and is a familiar voice on Radio 4’s Farming Today and On Your Farm. In 2025, Anna drove across the Midwest of America listening to the views of rural communities on President Trump for the Radio 4 documentary Corn Belt People.

Anna founded Just Farmers™ after completing a Nuffield Farming Scholarship looking at the coverage of agriculture in the mainstream media. She developed her own training model to give farmers and growers the practical skills and confidence to tell their own stories, in their own words.

Revd Dr Hannah Malcolm
Tuesday 06 October 2026 7.00pm - 8.30pm -
Priests of creation: the life of prayer and love for the earth

Hannah is a priest in the Church of England, currently serving her curacy in the diocese of Newcastle. Her doctoral work was concerned with the contribution of Christian theology to understandings of climate and ecological grief. She is the editor of Words for a Dying World: Stories of Grief and Courage in the Global Church (SCM Press, 2020) and author of Christian Theology and Ecological Grief: Sorrow for the Earth (Routledge, 2026). She sits on the board of Operation Noah.

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