About me
About me
I’ve always loved the elements and wide-open spaces, maybe because I grew up on a windswept seafront.
In my first career as an Aid Worker I spent time in some amazing places in Africa. When family life brought me closer to home I moved to Sussex with my husband and the first of my 3 daughters. It was then that I discovered and fell in love with the South Downs.
Some other things I love are…
Wildflowers and Pollinators
For a change in career as my kids grew I studied Ecology at the University of Sussex and was privileged to spend several years carrying out a wide range of fieldwork on the South Downs studying wildflowers and their interactions with pollinators such as butterflies, bees and hoverflies.
My garden
While my children were growing up we had a small town garden in the centre of Lewes. As I juggled busy family life and working from my basement office it was a great place to relax, play and potter. We moved to Chalkhill in 2019 for its much bigger garden, nestled under the South Downs, on the edge of Kingston outside Lewes.
Wildlife Gardening. I’m helping the garden become a haven for wildlife. The new wildlife pond is alive with dragonflies and the green roof teeming with bees from early Spring to late Autumn. The pollinator patches are frequented by butterflies, hoverflies, and gorgeous day-flying moths. It’s going to be a long journey which I am excited to have started. There is so much more to do, though happily it is about leaving nature to do the work.
I’m always improving and updating my knowledge of gardening for wildlife, I’ve taken several courses including on Plants and Climate Change, Gardening for Wildlife and currently the RHS level 2 Gardening Certificates. I’ve been inspired by some of the wonderful gardens in Sussex such as Charleston, Monk House, Great Dixter, Knepp’s kitchen garden and Wisley’s Wildlife Garden.
Nature Recovery
I’m currently the Chair of Kingston Nature Recovery Group, we support nature recovery activities and promote resilient biodiversity in Kingston Parish. We’re aiming to interest the whole community in plans including a pledge scheme for gardeners to manage their gardens in ways most beneficial for wildlife, changes in how the council manages the land they own, such as the greens and verges, and a parish wide wildlife monitoring scheme.
In August ‘23 I started as the Allotment Biodiversity Advisor for Common Cause Lewes. Its my job to support Lewes Town Council allotment holders to work their allotments in ways which support increased biodiversity.
I have previously assisted with teaching the Rewilding and Ecosystem Services Msc at the University of Sussex. I believe the growing debates and large-scale rewilding projects are an exciting way of re-imagining how our future landscapes could be used. “Rewilding” our gardens to make them more wildlife friendly places is something we can all do to play a part in nature recovery, restoration and supporting biodiversity.
Our natural world
Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on Earth, including humans. Growing eco-anxiety, and a feeling of helplessness in the face of biodiversity loss both locally and globally has led me to explore ways to take positive action. That is why I have established my own Garden Rewilding Consultancy.