I have always had a passion for conserving the natural environment, and this led me to initially pursue a career in this sector over 15 years ago, beginning with working towards a Land Management degree at Harper Adams University. This led to various roles at my local Wildlife Trust, ultimately managing their nature reserves in South Shropshire. Following that I became a self-employed contractor, continuing conservation, mainly removing encroaching scrub and fencing protected sites. My tenure with Severn Rivers Trust began in 2020, initially employed as a Farm Advisor, producing whole farm plans for landowners in the Upper Teme catchment, with an eventual progression to the role of Programme Manager. My current role is focused on the oversight of Severn Rivers Trust’s work in the Upper Severn catchment. This includes working closely with a small team of Catchment Restoration Officers to ensure successful project delivery, managing the team budget, project claims, and working with the team to identify new funding opportunities to sustain and continue our work in the area. My motivation stems from an interest in nature. Something I have had from an early age, beginning with birdwatching from the hide at my local nature reserve and watching garden birds visit the feeders at home as a youngster. This has since become a career, and with the ever-growing challenges our natural environment faces, I feel more than ever, this is such an important sector to contribute to, to help create a more resilient landscape, not only for this generation, but future ones too.
