Ambassadors

I was previously a local Natural England advisor in the Severn Vale. I have now moved to a national role working on nature recovery that delivers tree planting targets as well as ensures a range of grassland and wetland habitats are protected and promoted. However, I still live and retain an interest in the area and am able to support landowners who wish to restore floodplain meadows.

I am able to help advise on the management and restoration of floodplain meadows in Gloucestershire.

On the ground working with farms in wider landscape context to increase awareness of floodplain meadows and to help those managing them to understand them- their benefits, how they function, how to tackle potential challenges and issues. Through my on the ground role I would also like to promote and help enable restoration in appropriate locations. From a wider perspective through my involvement with the Catchment Based Approach to look for opportunities where floodplain meadows could improve water quality, NFM benefits etc and promote to the wider partnership. To continually assess how agri-environment schemes may be influencing management/ restoration of floodplain meadow habitat and if the opportunity arises, feed this back to Defra.

I work as Nature Conservation Adviser for the National Trust in South West England, and my role involves providing advice and support to National Trust staff and tenant farmers on floodplain meadow management and restoration, alongside other habitats. I have always had an interest in plants and vegetation communities, and the skills I have learnt during the ambassador programme have enabled me to gain a deeper understanding of these rare and unique habitats. Away from work, I live in Wiltshire, and I have a fondness for the Cotswolds river systems. I am keen to use my ambassador skills to work with farmers, landowners, and land managers to improve our understanding of existing floodplain meadows and restore more of these special places. Please get in touch if you'd like to discuss a particular site or project, or for general floodplain meadow information.