The Last Observers

The Last Observers

Film screening with Patagonia

Enjoy the fascinating story of a Swedish couple’s 36-year commitment to watching the skies.

We’ve joined forces with Patagonia Manchester to host a screening of The Last Observers, a film that tells the story of Karin and Lennart, who watched and recorded the weather every third hour, day and night, seven days a week, every day of the year, from their station by the lighthouse in Falsterbo, Sweden.

This devoted pair, united too by their love for birds, didn’t miss a single observation in 36 years, even as automated stations have replaced the observers one by one.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker, Karin and Lennart’s daughter Maja K Mikkelsen, and Grahame Madge from the Met Office.

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Event schedule

6-6.30pm

Guided tour of Wild. Join the curators to get the inside scoop on Manchester Museum’s special exhibition that looks at our relationships with the natural world.

6.30-7pm

Refreshments available in Kanaris Foyer.

7-7.30pm

Screening in Kanaris Theatre.

7.30-8.30pm

Panel discussion with the filmmaker, Maja K Mikkelsen, Grahame Madge from the Met Office and more.

Maja K Mikkelsen

Maja K Mikkelsen is a Sweden-based filmmaker and artist with a background in marine biology. Her work aims to inspire change in an uplifting, relatable way. In a world filled with pressure and guilt-tripping, Maja’s belief is that the biggest changes happen when people feel strong and capable, which happens when they see the good in the world. Her quest for finding grand stories in everyday life can be found in both documentary as well as scripted filmmaking.

Grahame Madge

Grahame is a senior press officer at the Met Office, where he specialises in climate science communication. Prior to this, he worked at the RSPB for over 15 years where he was able to combine his love of birds and wildlife with a fulfilling career in communications. During this vocation, Grahame has been a regular commentator on birds and climate change in the national media, with notable appearances on BBC Countryfile, the One Show and the Today Programme.

Outside of work, Grahame has been a birdwatcher for over 50 years, observing the many changes in the natural world that have occurred since early 1970s. He has a particular interest in marine wildlife and he is a trustee with the charity MARINElife, where he regularly undertakes ship-based surveys of dolphins and seabirds.

The Last Observers

Every third hour. Day and night, seven days a week, every day of the year. Karin and Lennart, a couple deeply in love for over 40 years, have dedicated their lives to a unique cause.

When they first met, there were over 200 manual weather stations in Sweden and thousands worldwide, run by observers who diligently watched and registered the conditions every third hour of each day.

In the last decades, automated stations have replaced the observers one by one, but Karin and Lennart remained steadfast. Since 1987, they did not miss one of their now over 100,000 observations—through the births of their four children, snowstorms or illness. All this time they’ve also remained committed to what originally led them to the station by the lighthouse in Falsterbo, Sweden—their mutual love for birds.

In a world constantly pulled toward efficiency that corrupts experience, Karin and Lennart’s story shines as a beacon of rarity and necessity. Told through the eyes of their daughter Maja, we’re invited into an extraordinary and heartwarming love story, where lasting happiness is found in birds, everyday rhythms and a profound connection with nature.

And we’re reminded that one can land “a lousy salary, and a fantastic life.”