Beginning

Hello and welcome

I wanted to begin by sharing a bit of my background and how I’ve come to be creating this website and sharing my passion for gardening, nature conservation and wellbeing with the wider world through images, words and exciting new collaborations.

I am a conservationist, a gardener and flower grower, a published writer, award-winning photographer and an artist. Today I live in the heart of Devon with my young family, two dogs, chickens, bunnies and an abundance of wildlife. 

I’ve been involved in ecological research and international biodiversity conservation for almost 20 years: observing and studying the natural world, supporting individuals, organisations, governments and businesses to conserve and restore nature around them, and working with others to advocate for decision-making that brings nature and its benefits for people front and centre.  

I sit on the Board of Directors for the Ya’axché Conservation Trust (www.yaaxche.org), a Belizean organisation that strives to create harmony between nature and human development for the benefit of both in southern Belize. I feel extremely proud to be able to play a small role in the incredible work of this extraordinary organisation.

My conservation work has taken me to some remote and awe-inspiring parts of the world - from the tropical forests of Belize to the Namib Desert in Namibia - where nature and the landscapes on which people depend are under increasing pressure. 

Rain falling in the vast and awe-inspiring Namib Desert in Namibia

Forest fire in the foothills of the Himalayas, India

Today, as a mum with a young family, our adventures are typically closer to home and focus on the wonders in our everyday. The sparks of magic that await us as we step out the door and take time to notice, connect and immerse in the living world. 

I’ve been fascinated by nature, plants and gardening for as long as I can remember. I made my first garden age 10 and my dream as a child was to create a haven for wildlife. Today, we are doing just that - creating, nurturing and evolving a space in which our family and nature thrive. It’s a process and a place of magic. It has also been an essential part of my journey to overcome poor mental health and reconnect with who I am and what I love to do. To reconnect with life.

Through this experience I have come to know just how powerful gardening and connecting with nature can be in helping to heal and nourish mind, heart and soul. Our garden is also where I know I can make a difference through the choices I make and by gardening in ways that encourage and nurture nature whilst enhancing my wellbeing.

Through images and words, I share my love for the natural world, for gardening and growing, and my own appreciation and need for quiet spaces in which to simply be. I hope to inspire you to connect with nature, rediscover beauty and wonder in the ordinary and every day, and experience and seek out moments of calm in a world that can all too often feel overwhelming.  

I share my passion, knowledge and experience in growing, gardening and nature conservation inside Lights On Gardens – my  online membership space supporting you to garden in ways that nourish wellbeing, spark creativity and nurture nature. You can find out more about it here.

Stitchwort in a Devon wood