Transformed Trent-a natural legacy for city's centenary

It's hard to believe that autumn 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' to quote John Keats's famous poem Ode to Autumn - is here already.

- Joan Walley - Former Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent North

The leaves on the trees are changing colour as allotment holders as well as visitors to the National Trust's Biddulph Grange Gardens behold the glorious vibrant colours of the dahlias that have been sown and grown.

For me and countless others this time of the year is also about the conference season. The time when political parties, their grandees, party members, sponsors, journalists and hangers on all decamp for five days or so to Blackpool, Liverpool, Brighton and other venues like the NEC for a political jamboree.

Watching from a distance and following conference speeches on social media or the occasional radio coverage of a headline conference speech is a far cry from being there in person with a packed schedule of main programme and fringe events to attend.

Being in the thick of it at any conference is not quite as all consuming as spending time in nature. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) overview of Keats's well known poem is that it 'celebrates the richness and abundance of the autumn season' capturing the essence of autumn's beauty and productivity. These October days should be the time to do just that and where better to do so than amongst the nature reserves across Staffordshire?