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Dr Amelia Dowler

@ameliadowler.bsky.social
1.7K followers 2.1K following 207 posts

National Officer FDA Union; Non-Stipendiary Research Fellow at the Institute of Classical Studies; Researcher in numismatics; Poet

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Reposted by Dr Amelia Dowler
Simon Coupland @scoupland.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
A new report from the Mørstad hoard - an extremely rare coin of Olaf Haraldsson, St Olav, king of Norway 1015 to 1028 www.khm.uio.no/om/aktuelt/a...
khm.uio.no
Sensasjon: Første i Norge siden 1924 - Kulturhistorisk museum
En svært sjelden mynt er funnet i Mørstadskatten, den største myntskatten fra vikingtiden som noen gang er funnet i Norge. Mynten er preget under selveste Olav Haraldsson, også kjent som Olav den hell...
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Reposted by Dr Amelia Dowler
Disability Rights UK @disrightsuk.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Summer may be gone, but the heat remains, affecting the health and homes of Disabled people. The Disability Rights UK Heatwave Survey is still online! Please share your experience of heat in our survey to help us to make the case for change: surveymonkey.com/r/6GQZ2NW
Image shows a bright blue sky with a yellow sun.
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Reposted by Dr Amelia Dowler
Nina Willburger @drnwillburger.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
New discovery: 900 Roman silver coins found by a detectorist on a field in Wesseling, south of Cologne. He called the authorities once his detector kept going off and he realized he’d found something bigger. The hoard dates back to the era of Emperor Hadrian. www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft...
A photo of hundreds of silver coins
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The @btobirds.bsky.social run a variety of surveys and projects throughout the year in the UK, as well as training courses. There’s a survey or project for everyone - from beginner to advanced birder! www.bto.org/get-involved...
bto.org
Projects | BTO
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
If anyone would like to get involved in understanding and protecting birds locally in the UK the @rspb.bsky.social Big Garden Bird Watch is a great place to start each year www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happen...
rspb.org.uk
Big Garden Birdwatch
A huge thank you to everyone who took part in Big Garden Birdwatch 2026. Over half a million of you took part across the UK, but what did you help us find out?
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
More information around the problem of bycatch and mitigation efforts is on the Clean Catch website www.cleancatchuk.com
cleancatchuk.com
Clean Catch: Joint action on sensitive species bycatch
Clean Catch is all about collaborative action on the bycatch of sensitive species in UK fisheries, and exchanging knowledge globally.
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
My poem was inspired by this BBC news story about BirdLife South Africa’s Albatross Task Force and their use of bird scaring lines (‘tori lines’) to reduce fishery bycatch #poetry Saving South Africa's threatened albatross from lethal fishing lines www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Saving South Africa's threatened albatross from lethal fishing lines
A task force is trying to save seabirds from getting caught and killed in fishing boat nets.
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I’m really pleased that my poem ‘Tori line’ has found a home in Consilience Journal - I focus on the work to mitigate risks to the albatross and other diving birds from fisheries. Huge thanks to editors Sam and Vaishnavi (and to the unnamed reviewer!) #poetry www.consilience-journal.com/issue-26
consilience-journal.com
Birds (Issue 26) — Consilience
Issue 26 of Consilience features poetry and artwork that explores the topic of 'birds'.
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Phew 😮‍💨 more sorting out of our #allotment today after a difficult summer. We did harvest our pumpkins/squashes though (luckily I wasn’t wheeling them home!) and a few other oddments. The total okra crop this year is four… Might give the space over to something else next year!
A wheelbarrow with 5 large pumpkins and squashesAn assortment of small veg on a kitchen counter. There are tomatoes, okra, a cucumber, a courgette, a small squash and a kohlrabi
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Reposted by Dr Amelia Dowler
FDA Union @fdaunion.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
"It's not that we cannot afford regulation; it's that we cannot afford not to have it" FDA President Leila Kelly speaking in support of Motion 30 at TUC Congress, defending regulators and calling on the government to take an evidence-led approach to regulation and standards across the economy.
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I hope you get a full class - I really enjoyed the one I attended!
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
And I’ve spelled zuihitsu wrong twice 🤦‍♀️ It looks like autocorrect wants it to be zuithitsu - is that another word in Japanese or just something random?
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
There’s an online short zuithitsu workshop with @corrintachibana.bsky.social on Tuesday morning - I went to one of her zuithitsu workshops a few months ago and it was a really great introduction to this Japanese form www.tickettailor.com/events/thepo... #poetry
tickettailor.com
Buy tickets – Online Workshop: Short Zuihitsu with Alexandra Corrin-Tachibana – Zoom
Online Workshop: Short Zuihitsu with Alexandra Corrin-Tachibana – Zoom, Tue 15 Sep 2026 - Short Zuihitsu There is a tendency to think of the zuihitsu 'running brush' form as a long, sometimes amorphou...
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Thank you!
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
And here is my lovely copy propped up ready for a re-read! #14Magazine #poetry
A copy of 14 Magazine propped up on a blanket and cushion. The cover is in quarters - purple, white, black, and greyThe page with my poem “Smooth newt”.

Smooth newt

In sequence: rotten planter, apple tree,
re-potting, newt. Lying there feigning death
like I pretend I’m napping, denying
dawn. Supine as a jelly baby spilled
from a split bag, with slit mustard-seed eyes.
We couldn’t hold your home back together,
we didn’t yet understand about efts
or the hibernation habits of newts.

We buried you, tiny golem, shallow
under the St John’s wort. Scattered a hand
of soil, prayed earth was light. I cannot sleep
uncovered and maybe neither can you,
until you rise and patrol the damp night
reeling with inertia and dreams of me.
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
My copy of #14Magazine has arrived! I’m so pleased my poem “Smooth newt” found a home here. Many thanks to editor @richardnskinner.bsky.social. If you’d like your own copy (the other poems are excellent I promise!) you can order from richardskinner.weebly.com/14-magazine.... #poetry
richardskinner.weebly.com
14 magazine
Jill Abram / Clodagh Beresford Dunne / Julian Bishop / Sharon Black / Zelda Cahill-Patten / Hetty Cliss / Claire Collison / Kevin Cormack / Amy Crutchfield / Rachel Curzon / Amelia Dowler / Angie...
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
When I harvested the bush beans I found that some had already dropped to the soil and germinated - I’m going to leave them to get a bit bigger and then see if I can dig them up and overwinter under cover. I have no idea if that will work but I’ll find out!
Brown bean seeds on the soil with new green seedlings sprouting up from them
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
These ones are my favourite colour-wise! I bought the mix as you are supposed to see which ones do best in your soil and then replant the most successful - but it turns out they are all pretty happy!
A close up of the mixed beans. They are so colourful with different shades of burgundy, yellow, orange, and cream - most of them are also spotted or striped in different combinations.
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
The Goût de Chataigne d’Echenans beans are a glorious violet grey colour - they grew very vigorously and as they are climbers were very space efficient. I’ll see what they taste like but I’ll be saving a few to plant again next year.
A close up of the beans. They are a mix of shades of violet and grey with some cream coloured beans as well
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
I experimented with some drying beans at our #allotment this year - and here’s the result! On the left, nomadic mix bush beans and on the right, Goût de Chataigne d’Echenans climbing beans. At the back are borlotti beans and a few marrowfat peas, which I have tried before - not a good year for them!
Three blue plates covered in dried beans. The nomadic mix beans are multicoloured with yellow, orange, brown, and burgundy coloured beans, some with patterns. The climbing beans are a violet grey colour. At the back the borlotti beans are swirled in purple and cream patterns. There is a small pot of dried peas on the borlotti bean plate. There aren’t very many of them!
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
I have a poem in this year’s issue and I can’t wait to see my copy and read all the other poems too! #14magazine #poetry
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
My friend Jasmin is tutor on an upcoming online course: “(M)other Tongue: Writing Between Languages” run by @creativefutureuk.bsky.social - if you’re an underrepresented writer (more info via link) check it out! Concessions available. #poetry (and prose!) www.creativefuture.org.uk/workshop/mot...
creativefuture.org.uk
(M)other Tongue: Writing Between Languages (Online) - Creative Future
How do you build bridges between languages – and what does it take to burn them? Find out in this hybrid poetry/prose workshop on multilingualism and exophony.
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Some garden friends this weekend! The grasshoppers have been chirping away for months - I finally got a decent photo so I think we have meadow grasshoppers. There are probably crickets about too… The toadflax brocade moth caterpillars are back and we also had a visit from a hummingbird hawk moth!
A side view of a grasshopper. It is mostly brown but with long green patches along its body.A toadflax brocade moth caterpillar on the remnants of some toadflax. The caterpillar is green underneath with a black stripe along its back and yellow dots.A hummingbird hawk moth investigating a patch of thyme. It has a chunky brown body and the base of its blurred wings is orange.
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
If anyone is looking for a tough shrubby plant for the back of the border you could try chokeberry - we grow it against a sunny fence on clay soil and it seems happy. It has lovely spring flowers even if you don’t want to use the berries! www.rhs.org.uk/plants/18266...
rhs.org.uk
Aronia × prunifolia 'Viking' (F) | purple chokeberry 'Viking'
Find help & information on Aronia × prunifolia 'Viking' (F) | purple chokeberry 'Viking' from the RHS
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
I’ve finished my jelly! Two small jars but worth it as it is so delicious. Note: don’t try chokeberries raw as they are very astringent! But they are magically transformed with a bit of boiling and sugar 🤣! The colour of the jelly is an amazing deep rich purple.
Two small jars of chokeberry jelly. The jelly is very dark purple.
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Harvest from an evening trip to our #allotment! The fruit is good this year but we’re harvesting early in comparison to previous years. The main crop potatoes are ok but not brilliant…
Three boxes - one with tomatoes, one with blackberries and one with pears and plums
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Best crop of chokeberries ever - and quite a few had gone over and dropped off by the time I got to the plant! Time to make chokeberry jelly… 🫙
A triangular red bowl containing chokeberries. They are very dark purple small berries in sprays with a few green leaves still attached
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Reposted by Dr Amelia Dowler
Simon Coupland @scoupland.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Coins from 8th C Chartres and 10th C Cologne both have a barred S. But what does it mean? They've each been interpreted very differently, but surely they're the same symbol. Ideas?
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Reposted by Dr Amelia Dowler
Planet Poetry @planetpoetry.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Now UP: Our Season Six Finale featuring Will Harris plus poems from @fiddes.bsky.social, Tess Jolly and more planetpoetry.buzzsprout.com/1414696/epis... with your hosts @peter-kenny.bsky.social and @robinhoughton.bsky.social
planetpoetry.buzzsprout.com
Noticing | Noticing - with Will Harris - Planet Poetry
Cor what a scorcher! Time to bask in the company of Will Harris. You will delight in his fresh and distinct style, with cuttlefish-fast leaps of metaphor and imagery as we explore his two Granta volum...
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Reposted by Dr Amelia Dowler
Dave Penman @fdagensec.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Statement from the FDA regarding legal action launched today by Sir Olly Robbins, challenging his dismissal:
Copy of FDA statement: Sir Oliver Robbins submits legal challenge of his dismissal 

The FDA represents Sir Oliver Robbins. Olly has today issued proceedings requesting a Judicial Review of his dismissal as Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service.

The Prime Minister has acknowledged that his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as Ambassador to the United States in December 2024 was a mistake. He should also admit that sacking Olly was a mistake, based on a grievous misunderstanding of how the National Security Vetting (NSV) system worked and a rash response to a media story.


A point of principle is at stake, which affects all FDA members. It damages the core values of a professional and impartial civil service if its most senior officials can be dismissed on a Prime Ministerial whim, without even the semblance of a fair process or considered understanding of the core issue.

Olly’s submission to the Court is that:

    The Prime Minister has asserted publicly that it was his decision to dismiss Olly, however the Prime Minister has no statutory authority to dismiss the Head of the Diplomatic Service;
    Not only was there no fair procedure involved in his dismissal, there was no process at all; and
    Insofar as Olly has been given reasons for his dismissal, they are irrational. Rather than being under a duty to tell ministers about the process leading up to the vetting decision, Olly was under an obligation not to. The process is independent of government ministers, who are only informed of the final outcome. This position was confirmed in a letter of 16 September 2025 that was signed by the Foreign Secretary, using text both drafted and approved by No.10
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
The three sisters bed usually doesn’t need much water as the squash leaves shade the soil, but even this needed a good watering this time. The bed has the traditional squashes, sweetcorn, and beans. I also have a few sunflowers in the middle/far end and marrowfat peas at the near end #allotment
A long bed full of large leaves squashes. There is a pole sticking up in the middle of the bed with strings down to the ground (the ends hidden by the squashes). Beans are growing up the strings. There is another structure at the end of the bed with netting for the peas to grow on
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
But harvesting continues - this is pretty much all the redcurrants from one bush (the unripe ones left might ripen up or we’ll leave them for the birds!). And the first main crop potatoes - marfona - so delicious and very versatile! #allotment
A cardboard box holding three boxes of redcurrants and two long green courgettesA bag full of over 100 potatoes
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Extremely dry on the #allotment today - heat and a very dry wind gusting over everything… To be honest even the weeds were struggling 😬
An allotment plot with very dry brown grass paths around it
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FDA Union @fdaunion.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
"Excessive workloads are already a huge issue for many of our members in Ofsted. If more monitoring inspections are being pushed towards HMI then Ofsted need to ensure there is adequate resourcing in place." FDA National Officer Matt Newman tells @tesmagazine.bsky.social
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Reposted by Dr Amelia Dowler
FDA Union @fdaunion.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
"The broader inspection framework should ensure every school is held accountable for creating an inclusive environment where all children can succeed." FDA National Officer Matt Newman writes to @theguardian.com on Ofsted's role in addressing the literacy crisis in schools:
theguardian.com
How to solve the literacy crisis in schools | Letters
Letters: Readers respond to a report that disadvantaged white children have lower reading fluency than other groups, leading to disengagement and school absence
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Reposted by Dr Amelia Dowler
FDA Union @fdaunion.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
“Working in partnership with employers is how we deliver what FDA members want from their union, influence over their world of work. It strengthens our influence without compromising our ability to challenge if necessary." @fdagensec.bsky.social on new Partnership Framework with the Cabinet Office.
civilserviceworld.com
Civil service unions agree partnership framework with Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office and trade unions will endeavour to treat others with respect in all means of communication and approach civil service workforce issu...
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
This was a great event! Thank you @emmabastin.bsky.social @lucyjanesantos.bsky.social and @seasideferry.bsky.social for organising us all! I’m looking forward to future network events
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Reposted by Dr Amelia Dowler
Katherine McDonald @katherinemcdon.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
All welcome!
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Would I do such a thing?
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Can we have a whip round for a glitter cannon or something?
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Have an official celebration like a royal birthday!
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Congratulations! 🥳 And very well deserved I am certain. Hope you can find a nice way to celebrate!
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Thanks! Now podding beans while watching football 🫣
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
A quick trip to our #allotment tonight to strim and harvest! More beans and loganberries… And our first proper cherry harvest! Lots more to come if we get there before the birds do!
A kitchen work surface with a large bag of broad beans, two boxes of loganberries and one box of cherries
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Today’s #allotment harvest! Now to pod some beans…
A selection of fruit and veg in boxes and bags. There are lots of broad beans, potatoes, two artichokes and three boxes of loganberries.
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FDA Union @fdaunion.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Our Carers’ Report emphasises the evident impact of knowledgeable & confident managers in supporting carers. As @ameliadowler.bsky.social told @civilserviceworld.bsky.social this Carers’ Week, we want to see this as a model for civil service managers. www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/...
civilserviceworld.com
Helping carers to reach their potential in the civil service – what’s improved and what needs to get better?
A new survey of carers who work in the civil service shows there has been positive change in the last five years, but some employers have a way to ...
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Reposted by Dr Amelia Dowler
FDA Union @fdaunion.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Read more about the FDA's recent report here: fda.org.uk/news/changin... Thank you to the civil servants who contributed to this research.
fda.org.uk
86% of carers are not aware of their civil service employer complying with new regulations, FDA report finds - FDA
To mark Carers Week, the FDA have published a new report, Changing Perceptions: Helping carers in the civil service reach their potential, which uses the experiences of our members with caring respons...
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Reposted by Dr Amelia Dowler
FDA Union @fdaunion.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Following the publication of the FDA's own report looking at the experiences of carers in the civil service, the FDA will be contributing to the government's consultation and we encourage members to engage with the consultation process. #CarersWeek www.gov.uk/government/c...
gov.uk
Make Work Pay: employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children
We are seeking views on the employment rights that are available to people with unpaid caring responsibilities and parents who have a seriously ill child.
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FDA Union @fdaunion.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
To mark #CarersWeek, the FDA have today published a new report, which uses the experiences of our members with caring responsibilities to understand the working lives of carers in the civil service and highlight the barriers they face. Find out more 👇 www.fda.org.uk/news/changin...
fda.org.uk
86% of carers are not aware of their civil service employer complying with new regulations, FDA report finds - FDA
To mark Carers Week, the FDA have published a new report, Changing Perceptions: Helping carers in the civil service reach their potential, which uses the experiences of our members with caring respons...
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Dr Amelia Dowler @ameliadowler.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
There’s a really nice write up of the Orbis Poetry Prize 2025 in Ars Notoria by Yogesh Patel - it’s lovely to be featured alongside Jenna Plewes, Jan FitzGerald, and Lynne Taylor! You can read all our poems in Yogesh’s review #poetry arsnotoria.com/2026/05/19/t...
arsnotoria.com
The Orbis Poetry Prize 2025: A Subscribers’ Choice
Crystal Orb. Photograph Phil Hall by Yogesh Patel There is a particular genuine sincerity in a prize decided not by…
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