OUTDOOR enthusiasts will have the chance to hear from a well-known Clacks nature writer as he gives a free talk this weekend.

Author Keith Broomfield, who has been enriching the Advertiser's pages with his weekly column over the years, will be hosted by Dollar Community Development Trust on Saturday, January 29, at 7pm.

A zoology graduate, Keith has had a lifelong interest in the outdoors with a passion for everything in the natural world.

Offering the talk for free at The Hive in Dollar, Keith will share stories about the River Devon, the subject of his recent book If Rivers Could Sing.

The book, which was nominated for a First Book accolade in the prestigious Scotland’s National Book Awards 2021, is for all who love wildlife, wild places and have a passion for natural heritage.

The author said in a blog post: “If Rivers Could Sing is a personal Scottish river journey, where I delve deeper into my own local river to explore its abundant wildlife and to get closer to its wild beating heart.

“Among the creatures featured are beavers, otters, kingfishers, and salmon.

“If Rivers Could Sing also focuses on the Devon’s historical past, where its tributary burns helped to power the mills along the Hillfoots villages.

“This, along with coal mining and other industrialisation put huge pollution pressure on the river and its wildlife in the 19th and 20th centuries.

“If Rivers Could Sing is all about getting close to nature and connecting with our precious environment.

“I am thrilled it has been shortlisted for such a prestigious award, which I hope will provide encouragement to other first-time book writers to pick-up a pen and get writing.”

Keith latest book, A Scottish Wildlife Odyssey, is also set to be published next month.

Visit bit.ly/33G83Nw to reserve a space for this weekend's talk.