In the beginning…
It was my Dad that first inspired my interest in birds and the natural world.
Throughout my childhood, my family and I regularly enjoyed wandering in woodlands, across moors and beaches. Munching on our picnics, as the wildlife passed by. Dad was always first to identify the birds as they flew past, usually by their calls or distinctive feathers and shapes. Whilst it was always fascinating to see them, it was their natural behaviours which sparked off my own imagination, inspiring my pen to hit the paper.
A life of learning…
Over the last twenty years, I have been fortunate enough to work in the environmental charity sector, with many years spent in the National Trust and the last six years working for BBOWT. Over that time my daily work has covered a wide remit, from running a National Trust site to helping save five miles of the White Cliffs of Dover, amongst other iconic sites and habitats. But it has really been my experiences in the last six years which have had the most fundamental and personal impact on me. Whilst working for BBOWT, I learned a lot about the complexity of my local landscapes, engaging people to care about them, and of course, the threat of a changing climate.
A life changing moment…
Writing stories has always been my ‘happy place’, even though it has taken me many years of crafting my skills and researching my subjects. I remember one occasion in my early career which fundamentally inspired me to begin to create the characters within my series ‘The Last Year of The Wild.’
At that time, I used to look forward to welcoming Primary School groups onto the 18th Century landscape within which I worked and lived. I would wait eagerly for their buses to arrive along the long track in front of me as I knew that I would shortly be welcoming a group of wide eyed and excited children. Armed with my usual array of Beatrix Potter characters and with tales such as ‘Wind in the Willows’ at the forefront of my mind, I would lead my groups off into the woods and across the landscape for the day ahead.
One summer, I welcomed a school group who had travelled a long distance to reach me from a city in the North. Whilst excited at the open spaces which greeted them, these children were clearly cautious about being in such an unfamiliar environment. When the teachers explained that many of the children had never been so close to nature before, it was clear that I needed to change my approach. My well-rehearsed routine of using traditional characters such as Mole and Ratty to explain woodland and river life, didn’t appear to receive their usual resonance with my new audience. Therefore, I found myself inventing new characters, creatures that they might have seen down a street in their city and the adventures that they might get up to.
That night, I remember feeling moved by my experiences of the day and remembering the characters I had created in such a small space of time which had finally engaged them. Perhaps, there was a way of writing a story which was not only captivating and exciting but also enlightening?
Creating ‘The Last Year of The Wild’…
At the heart of my stories has always been one simple mission: to engage and delight children using the characteristics of the wildlife around us. I am a true believer in the power of storytelling and its ability to positively influence our lives.
In the last few years, I have worked to bring all the stories and characters I have invented together in one adventure Series which will, I hope, inspire the next generation to become curious and love the natural world around them.
The adventure which is set in 2060, sees our most familiar birds staring disaster in the face and questioning the unthinkable suggestion that Human Beings might have been stupid enough to destroy their own planet. The Series comprises of five books, which together span a complete year. Thus, allowing the characters to experience the challenges of the unpredictable seasonal changes across the British Isles. Whilst the first two volumes focus on the lives of a particular bird community, subsequent volumes eventually encompass a whole cast of species, reflecting UK wildlife. At its heart this is story of friendship, family values, bravery, and most importantly one of hope for the future of our planet.
