Aidan Baker
@aidanbaker.bsky.social
đ€ 2927
đ„ 101
đ 78
Team member,
@eastangliabylines.co.uk
; other writing at
https://blurtmetry.blogspot.com/
pinned post!
My latest for _East Anglia bylines_ is an interview with a retired classics teacher seeking to add a pedunculate oak to the Woodland Trust's Ancient Trees Inventory.
loading . . .
The lesson of the lost oak: why one Suffolk manâs mission matters
Suffolk tree-lover David Hopkins talks about the work of adding to the Woodland Trust's 'Ancient Tree Inventory'
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/environment/the-lesson-of-the-lost-oak-why-one-suffolk-mans-mission-matters/
14 days ago
0
0
0
My poem 'Exhibit at "Inside"' is now published in _Fringe999 poetry forum_
loading . . .
The Fringe 999 Poetry Forum
Volume 3, Issue 1, October 2025Come on Down by Duane Anderson She called on her phone telling the person on the other end to come on down to see us, except that the blood drive was taking place on the...
https://thefringe999.substack.com/p/poetry-forum
10 days ago
0
1
1
My latest for _East Anglia bylines_ is an interview with a retired classics teacher seeking to add a pedunculate oak to the Woodland Trust's Ancient Trees Inventory.
loading . . .
The lesson of the lost oak: why one Suffolk manâs mission matters
Suffolk tree-lover David Hopkins talks about the work of adding to the Woodland Trust's 'Ancient Tree Inventory'
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/environment/the-lesson-of-the-lost-oak-why-one-suffolk-mans-mission-matters/
14 days ago
0
0
0
26 Bridges, Day 19 Westminster Bridge. Poem by me! Artwork by Clare Trowell. 5 Transport for London bus routes cross Westminster Bridge, and I spent a Saturday and a Sunday morning in January riding all of them end to end.
loading . . .
26 Bridges - Westminster - Day 19 - Bloomsbury Festival
Bridge: Westminster Bridge Writer: Aidan Baker Artist: Clare Trowell. Title of poem: Red Title of artwork: Westminster Bridge The work: Framed linoprint, showing red bus crossing Westminster Bridge am...
https://bloomsburyfestival.org.uk/26-bridges-19/
14 days ago
0
1
0
Me reading five colour poems to Mill Road Poetry in Hot Numbers, Cambridge
loading . . .
Colour poems
YouTube video by Aidan Baker
https://youtu.be/CQ7CfRWV55U
26 days ago
0
1
1
The 26 Bridges project (my own assignment was Westminster Bridge) is live.
go.rallyup.com/26bridges/Ca...
. The Westminster Bridge artwork is a fine print by Clare Trowell. My poem will appear, alongside Clare's print, on Wednesday 8 October. Meanwhile -- bid for the print!
loading . . .
đïž 26 Bridges: Raising money for a UCLH specialist clinical nurse
Join me in supporting UCLH Charity: https://go.rallyup.com/26bridges
https://go.rallyup.com/26bridges/Campaign/Details
about 1 month ago
0
0
0
Happy 90th birthday to Estonian composer Arvo PĂ€rt! Here's a poem I wrote some years ago, inspired by his
#CantusInMemoryOfBenjaminBritten
-- a piece which i have loved since I first heard it, probably some time in 1981.
loading . . .
Music by Arvo PĂ€rt
The Estonian composer Arvo PĂ€rt celebrates his 75th birthday on 11 September 2010. Allow me to blog a poem that I wrote in 1987, attempting...
https://bit.ly/9q2WuV
about 1 month ago
0
3
0
And that list doesn't include the Little Ouse Headwaters Project
eastangliabylines.co.uk/environment/...
, whom I wrote about in November 2022. But I think my
#CharityDay
posts are done now.
loading . . .
Looking after the land
A trustee of a charity making waves in Thelnetham explains how they are helping restore the Little Ouse's natural conservation function.
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/environment/looking-after-the-land/
about 2 months ago
0
1
0
And when the war broke out in Ukraine I wrote about the response of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, the professional body for librarians
#CharityDay
eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/world/l...
loading . . .
Libraries and the war in Ukraine
Retired librarian Aidan Baker looks at the response of British librarians to Russia's war on Ukraine.
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/world/libraries-and-the-war-in-ukraine/
about 2 months ago
0
3
0
And AgeUK
eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/welfare...
-- an old article but today's
#CharityDay
loading . . .
AgeUK and âPeople at the heart of careâ
Melanie Wicklen tells Aidan Baker what she and her AgeUK colleagues think of what's in the social care White Paper.
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/welfare/ageuk-and-people-at-the-heart-of-care/
about 2 months ago
0
1
0
This is about Granta Chorale
eastangliabylines.co.uk/lifestyle/cu...
#CharityDay
loading . . .
Singing and winning: Saffron Walden fosters young talent
Meet Claire Middleton, first prizewinner in the 2023 Granta Chorale carol competition, a multi-talented musician with a promising future
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/lifestyle/culture/singing-and-winning-saffron-walden-fosters-young-talent/
about 2 months ago
0
1
1
This is an article about City of Sanctuary a few years ago, worth remembering on
#CharityDay
eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/welfare...
loading . . .
How Diss is becoming a âTown of Sanctuaryâ
A movement countering the media portrayal of migrants is putting roots down across the country
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/welfare/how-diss-is-becoming-a-town-of-sanctuary/
about 2 months ago
0
1
0
And I wrote for
@eastangliabylines.co.uk
about the choir I sing in, Cambridge Philharmonic Society
eastangliabylines.co.uk/lifestyle/co...
#CharityDay
loading . . .
Cambridge celebrates the talent of refugee musicians
Iranian refugee Rouzbeh Parsa will premiere his Kamancheh Concerto in Cambridge on 24 May, in a concert of works by refugees
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/lifestyle/community/cambridge-celebrates-the-talent-of-refugee-musicians/
about 2 months ago
0
4
0
Most recent for
#CharityDay
is East Anglian Air Ambulance
eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/health/...
loading . . .
Inside the remarkable, lifesaving world of East Angliaâs Air Ambulance
East Angliaâs air ambulance flies eight times a day â but itâs your donations keeping them airborne
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/health/inside-the-remarkable-lifesaving-world-of-east-anglias-air-ambulance/
about 2 months ago
0
0
0
Today is
#CharityDay
. I've written about quite a few charities for
@eastangliabylines.co.uk
. See coming skeets.
about 2 months ago
0
1
0
For _East Anglia bylines_, I interviewed people who'd taken part in a counter-demonstration outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Diss, Norfolk.
bit.ly/4ftzDOc
loading . . .
Caught in an unpleasant middle
Activists in Diss tell of their counter-demonstration in solidarity with migrants in the Park Hotel, and their plans for the future
https://bit.ly/4ftzDOc
2 months ago
0
3
2
Wrote this for Ledbury carnival programme
bit.ly/4os2G99
loading . . .
Sonnet for Ledbury
Last year Robin Hiseman asked me for something from my back catalogue for the Ledbury Carnival https://ledbury-carnival.co.uk /  programme...
https://bit.ly/4os2G99
2 months ago
0
0
0
I wrote this last autumn, for
@eastangliabylines.co.uk
. I don't know how things have changed in this evening's demo in Diss.
eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/welfare...
loading . . .
How Diss is becoming a âTown of Sanctuaryâ
A movement countering the media portrayal of migrants is putting roots down across the country
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/welfare/how-diss-is-becoming-a-town-of-sanctuary/
3 months ago
0
5
3
As promised this afternoon, an update to
@eastangliabylines.co.uk
bit.ly/4kQmUGC
about potholes in Cambridge. The repair in Mill Road that had become a hump has now been smoothed down. The Race-for-Life-coloured potholes on Riverside now have the council's 'mend in 21 days' yellow round them.
3 months ago
0
2
1
I wrote about potholes for _East Anglia bylines_, and learned on the way some surprising things like the existence of dragon patchers and C roads.
bit.ly/4kQmUGC
loading . . .
Potholes, dragons and pothole slayers â Cambridgeshireâs massive challenge
Potholes in roads: Cambridgeshire repairs up to 66,000 of them in a year, but they are still a nuisance to drivers and cyclists
https://bit.ly/4kQmUGC
3 months ago
0
0
0
I interviewed East Anglia Air Ambulance people for _East Anglia bylines_ about their work.
bit.ly/4kON2lu
loading . . .
Inside the remarkable, lifesaving world of East Angliaâs Air Ambulance
East Angliaâs air ambulance flies eight times a day â but itâs your donations keeping them airborne
https://bit.ly/4kON2lu
5 months ago
0
0
0
I covered demo and counter-demo for
@eastangliabylines.co.uk
add a skeleton here at some point
5 months ago
0
3
1
For _East Anglia bylines_ I interviewed Rouzbeh Parsa, who premieres his _Kamancheh concerto_ with the Cambridge Philharmonic orchestra on 24 May.
bit.ly/45bDFHW
loading . . .
Cambridge celebrates the talent of refugee musicians
Iranian refugee Rouzbeh Parsa will premiere his Kamancheh Concerto in Cambridge on 24 May, in a concert of works by refugees
https://bit.ly/45bDFHW
5 months ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Aidan Baker
Samantha's Silver Earrings
5 months ago
Excellent thread on the true nature of democracy. Pls read!
add a skeleton here at some point
1
7
2
@karenmca.bsky.social
You might be interested in this update of something you pointed me to, nine years ago.
add a skeleton here at some point
6 months ago
0
0
0
Following a conversation with Clare about pontiffs and bridges, I've dug out my own poem regarding the Forth Bridge, and updated the links in its blog post.
bit.ly/24fFTiy
loading . . .
Solids and gaps
SOLIDS AND GAPS (National Galleries of Scotland) The bridge, though in no Bible, often makes a Christian symbol, as in pontifex ....
https://bit.ly/24fFTiy
6 months ago
0
0
1
Five river poems of mine, read to the Mill Road Poetry Group last night in Hot Numbers
bit.ly/4jsMEce
loading . . .
River poems
Five poems read by me to Mill Road Poets, Hot Numbers, Cambridge, 24 April 2025: Uncle Mark's typewriter Fording the Humber Clearness in England Fluid A typology of river poems Filmed by Clare Sansom, and used with permission
https://bit.ly/4jsMEce
6 months ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Aidan Baker
Bylines Network
6 months ago
Why settle for flag-waving when you can celebrate with memes? Weâve collected the best of today's St Georgeâs Day memes, from cheeky jabs at nationalism to witty nods to England's patron saint. Check them out now! —ïž
@eastangliabylines.co.uk
loading . . .
The cross we bear (one meme at a time)
St Georgeâs Day returns, bringing questions of identity, nationalism â and a very English wave of online mischief
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/lifestyle/humour/the-cross-we-bear-one-meme-at-a-time/
1
10
3
@yorkshirebylines.co.uk
Happy Birthday!
#TruthToPower
6 months ago
1
3
2
reposted by
Aidan Baker
East Anglia Bylines
6 months ago
Our big sister, Yorkshire Bylines, celebrates 5 years of publishing đ„đ The first of the 10 regional Bylines in the Bylines Network, we wish a
#HappyBirthdayYorkshireBylines
If you value our regional
#TruthToPower
citizen journalism please support us all with a donation.
@yorkshirebylines.co.uk
loading . . .
Donate - Bylines Network
By donating to the Bylines Network you are helping us become a stronger, more sustainable power for good! Donate directly via your bank account to avoid us paying fees Payments are processed through o...
http://bylinesnetwork.co.uk/donate
0
65
27
reposted by
Aidan Baker
Bylines Network
6 months ago
#HappybirthdayYorkshireBylines
. The first of our 10 publications launched five years ago today. Here's editor in chief Louise Houghton to tell you all about it. Help @BylinesNetwork celebrate five years of speaking
#TruthToPower
- send @YorksBylines a birthday wish today. 1/2
loading . . .
3
68
43
Completely different from the orchard/busway spat, but by me and in _East Anglia Bylines_ -- a interview with musicians reviving a cantata not heard for perhaps a century
bit.ly/42sOt1B
loading . . .
A weekend of forgotten voices and dancefloor memories
From sacred cantatas to forest raves â a weekend of rediscoveries, memories and local favourites worth celebrating
https://bit.ly/42sOt1B
6 months ago
0
0
0
By me in
@eastangliabylines.co.uk
: interview with Anna Gazeley about Coton Orchard and the planned busway
bit.ly/3XRxrsp
loading . . .
Busway vs. biodiversity: the battle for Coton orchard
The owner of an orchard west of Cambridge challenges plans for a busway that would fell 500 of her trees
https://bit.ly/3XRxrsp
6 months ago
0
7
3
The poetry magazine
#Orbis
has published a contribution of mine!
bit.ly/41qHR38
loading . . .
Clearness in England
Clearness in England Humbler than lodestar claims: citizens fossicking for water standards, where itâs made worse than brackish at each pr...
https://bit.ly/41qHR38
7 months ago
0
1
0
reposted by
Aidan Baker
Bylines Network
9 months ago
At a time when billionaires and oligarchs own the majority of our press, when local journalism is in decline, and social media is rife with misinformation and abuse, there has never been a greater need for citizen journalism. Support our crowdfunder here - or just read and share our articles!
loading . . .
Support powerful citizen journalism - we need it now, more than ever
At a time when billionaires and oligarchs own the majority of our press, when local journalism is in decline, and social media is rife with misinformation and abuse, there has never been a greater nee...
https://chuffed.org/project/bylinesnetwork
2
427
240
A poem I wrote some years ago and have now blogged, for reasons explained in the blog.
bit.ly/4aiKIzj
loading . . .
Greengrocers and the apostrophe
GREENGROCERS AND THE APOSTROPHE To stop us looking down our noses at greengrocers, the man proposes to phase out the apostrophe, s...
https://bit.ly/4aiKIzj
9 months ago
0
7
1
For
@eastangliabylines.co.uk
I reported on a demo in London
bit.ly/4fXn8Jt
loading . . .
Mould and fire-risk in Cambridge and a blockade in London
A community union's reasons for demonstrating outside the London office of a housing provider â and where it got them
https://bit.ly/4fXn8Jt
9 months ago
0
7
3
The article version of that talk I gave to CILIP ILIG last February -- 'Citizen journalism: what it is, why it is, and how I got involved' -- is now out in _Focus_!
www.cilip.org.uk/members/grou...
. and click on 'Latest edition'
loading . . .
https://www.cilip.org.uk/members/group_content_view.asp..
9 months ago
0
0
0
My article for
@eastangliabylines.co.uk
on Radio Tirana and other stations of the 1970s is now up:
bit.ly/4haCoDH
loading . . .
Distant voices in the night
History may not recur but it often has resonance. Has the internet supplanted the romance of listening to distant radio stations on medium wave?
https://bit.ly/4haCoDH
9 months ago
0
1
0
reposted by
Aidan Baker
East Anglia Bylines
10 months ago
East Anglia Bylines would like to wish all our readers & supporters a very Happy New Year. 2025 promises to be just as 'interesting' as 2024, so please keep following us - we will endeavour to keep you informed of what is going on regionally and nationally. đŸđ„
0
75
11
And I did another thing for
@bylineseast.bsky.social
, about Christmas carols.
bit.ly/4fCEOda
loading . . .
Refugees â the focus for Granta Choraleâs 2024 competition
Granta Chorale's seasonal competition attracts talented young composers. They contribute to a rich musical heritage
https://bit.ly/4fCEOda
10 months ago
0
5
2
@bbcradio3.bsky.social
Interested to hear what you said about Peak District mist. Wife Clare and I travelled yesterday from Wirksworth in Derbyshire to Mirfield in West Yorkshire and the mistscape varied hugely. Sometimes we were in it, sometimes under cloud, sometimes amid bright clear fields.
10 months ago
0
2
0
My way with Christmas cards, in
@bylineseast.bsky.social
bit.ly/49TtcBt
loading . . .
The dilemma of Christmas cards
Balancing tradition and convenience, Aidan and Clare's Christmas card system combines handwritten cards with tailored e-cards. How do you do yours?
https://bit.ly/49TtcBt
10 months ago
0
3
2
reposted by
Aidan Baker
Bylines Network
11 months ago
Wow, the UK's leading citizen journalism network is just about to hit 50k followers on Bluesky, can we do this today? Please share and lets make this happen!
9
588
306
eastangliabylines.co.uk/science/new-...
Climate coverage by
@bylineseast.bsky.social
#COP29
loading . . .
Startling Climate Change Heatmaps Reveal Future UK Peril
Explore climate changes in your constituency and compare them with local election promises using detailed maps
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/science/new-maps-show-how-the-climate-is-changing-in-each-uk-constituency/
11 months ago
1
5
2
eastangliabylines.co.uk/environment/...
Climate coverage by
@bylineseast.bsky.social
#COP29
loading . . .
Tidal power: a key element in our future energy mix
One of the biggest forces on earth - tidal power - is beginning to take its place in our renewable energy mix, with the UK in a lead role
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/environment/tidal-power-a-key-element-in-our-future-energy-mix/
11 months ago
0
2
0
eastangliabylines.co.uk/environment/...
Climate coverage by
@bylineseast.bsky.social
#COP29
loading . . .
2023 recorded as hottest in 2000 years
When you look at the long sweep of history, you can see just how dramatic recent global warming is, says Prof Ulf BĂŒntgen
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/environment/climate/2023-recorded-as-hottest-in-2000-years/
11 months ago
0
1
2
eastangliabylines.co.uk/energy/good-...
Climate coverage by
@bylineseast.bsky.social
#COP29
loading . . .
Good news: UK renewable energy is getting back on track
UK renewable energy rebounds with 131 new projects, boosting Labour's green ambitions, but challenges remain for 2030 targets
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/energy/good-news-uk-renewable-energy-is-back-on-track/
11 months ago
0
4
1
12:57 a shrewd reader looked up the _East Anglia bylines_ home page & made history for the outlet. Congratulations to that unknown seeker after wisdom -- EAB's millionth reader! -- Anna Damski on how EAB got here, & what could be in citizen journalism for you
eastangliabylines.co.uk/celebrating-...
loading . . .
Celebrating a million readers: East Anglia Bylines' remarkable journey
Today, we celebrate a noteworthy milestone and the countless voices that have joined us in amplifying the power of citizen journalism.
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/celebrating-a-million-readers-east-anglia-bylines-remarkable-journey/
almost 2 years ago
0
5
2
egomania, incompetence & functional corruption ... grounds for an investigation into corporate manslaughter ... liars, charlatans and frauds ... their own small-minded or self-interested ends ... -- Pecksniff's Diary on -- well, you know. Cartoon by Dormouse.
eastangliabylines.co.uk/pecksniffs-d...
loading . . .
Sycophantic press connived at cover-up of Covid chaos
In which Mr Pecksniff lays before his readers for their approval certain observations and speculations reflecting on the political life
https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/pecksniffs-diary-04-11-23/
almost 2 years ago
0
5
1
I was invited to take part in Cambridgeshire Libraries' ceremony for their 'Library of Sanctuary' award in St Ives on 28 October. My brief talk there quoted extensively from Mariam's words in that
#EastAngliaBylines
interview she gave me
bit.ly/46SHQGP
loading . . .
Being black in Downham Market
Itâs Black History Month. Apart from its university cities, East Anglia is overwhelmingly white, including the town where Mariam lives
https://bit.ly/46SHQGP
almost 2 years ago
0
5
2
Load more
feeds!
log in