My interest in nature started in childhood. I was brought up going on walking holidays in places like the mountains in Scotland or the Mendips, so I got to see a diverse range of habitats and spaces to learn about nature. Living so close to green spaces, like Stoke Park Estate in Bristol, where there is a range of woodland and nature, also fired up my love for looking after the wildlife that surrounds us.
I have many early memories of helping on the Our Bright future project. On one occasion, my friend and I were the only ones to turn up to a planting session in Lockleaze – but we did plant lots of wildflowers! Satisfyingly, there is evidence that our efforts that day helped, because now there are flowers AND wildflowers across the square.
The next time I was involved with Our Bright Future was for work experience. I wanted to be outside while helping the environment. It gave me an opportunity to learn about nature and green spaces, while also making some friends and being able to see that we’d made a real difference to an area. Activities included raking up hay from a hay cut, painting planter boxes, and creating a project to help younger children learn about nature.