Sophie, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust

I’m Sophie, the Comms & Marketing Officer at Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust! I’ve always wanted to work with animals, but my passion for conservation was ignited on a trip to South Africa in 2017, where I learnt first-hand about the impacts of rhino poaching. Since then, I went on to complete my MSc in Conservation and started a blog and photography page during lockdown to raise awareness around these issues when I couldn’t do much else. This is how I ended up getting into communications, as I believe this is one of the most important aspects of conservation that is sometimes overlooked. If the public doesn’t know anything about wildlife or the issues they face, they won’t be compelled to protect it! I love seeing the local difference we make at Notts Wildlife Trust through our work. 

You can find more of Sophie’s photography work on Instagram: @adayinthewildlifesoph 

Laura, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust 

Hi, I'm Laura - People and Nature Officer (Youth and Community) at Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. I am a nature nerd with a great  love of marine mammals and butterflies as well as an all-round water baby with a passion for swimming and stand-up paddle boarding  

I studied Wildlife and Conservation at university and did a year placement working in Australia on the Queensland coast with Indo Pacific humpback dolphins.  

After leaving university I worked as a Countryside Ranger and an Education Ranger before joining Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. I have done a variety of different roles at the Trust from large funded projects to small creative engagement programs before finding my greatest love of all "working with young people". I absolutely love inspiring and being inspired by the young people I have the honour of working with on a daily basis and nothing gives me more joy than seeing how nature positively impacts people's lives. 

Sarah, The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales 

My name is Sarah, I am a marine scientist specialising in marine mammals with a particular focus on bottlenose dolphins. I have been involved with the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre (CBMWC), part of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, since 2003 when I first came to West Wales as a volunteer! 

My role is Marine Conservation and Research Manager and I head up the marine conservation team based at the CBMWC. I am responsible for managing the CBMWC marine conservation team, our projects and our scientific research. I originally studied Zoology at the University of Liverpool and I have a PhD on developing predictive habitat models of megafauna distribution from Aberystwyth University. My main area of interest is undeniably the sea and marine conservation. I am passionate about safeguarding the marine environment now and for the future.  

I enjoy spending time outdoors and as part of my role, I spend time at sea conducting boat surveys which involves gathering valuable data and information on marine species in Cardigan Bay. This includes capturing photo-identification images of individual bottlenose dolphins and collecting dolphin vocalisations as part of our research. Days at sea are the best days! 

Yasmin, The Wildlife Trusts

Hiya, I'm Yasmin - Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Intern at the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts. While I would love to say I’m a seasoned nature enthusiast, truth is, I'm relatively new to nature and the conservation sector– and I couldn't be prouder to be here! When I'm not reading (most recently, "Where the Seals Sing" – any recommendations are warmly welcomed!), you'll likely catch me enjoying some anime or soaking up the atmosphere at gigs and concerts.

My interest in nature and the environment stems from my personal reflections on the absence of South Asian women in conservation efforts. Growing up, I often questioned why I didn't feel the same deep connection to our natural world as some of my peers. This curiosity intensified, especially when I realised how crucial (bio)diversity is to the thriving and resilience of ecosystems. This eventually sparked a quest for answers; from studying at SOAS, University of London, to conducting research at the University of Oxford, and serving as Deputy Chair of ZSL's Youth Advisory Board. Suffice it to say, that this journey is one I'm committed to for life!

In my role, I love to learn and challenge our sector’s diversity and inclusion challenges daily, thinking about how we can meaningfully ensure people, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, AND nature is at the heart of everything we do. As a woman of colour navigating this space, I am especially passionate about advancing racial equity, both within our organisation and throughout the broader conservation and ENGO community. I am thrilled to contribute to this important mission, working together to inform positive change for both people and nature!

Bailey, Essex Wildlife Trust 

Hi, I'm Bailey and I'm the Campaigns and Advocacy Manager at Essex Wildlife Trust. Outside of work, I'm a dancer, fiction writer and avid reader! I love everything wildlife and nature which led me to study Geography at A-level and University. I had many ideas about what I wanted to be and Geography allowed me to keep my knowledge broad enough to make all those options possible. When it came down to picking my career, I realised that most of all, I enjoyed telling people about animals and our planet. Better yet, I was good at it! This led me to work in communications and campaigns which I absolutely love. My job allows me to work on lots of different campaigns which encourage people to take action for nature as well as communicate about some of the amazing work that our conservation experts do out in the field. I get to be creative every day and I never stop learning which is probably the best thing about working in comms. 

Maddy, The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales 

I’m Maddy, a Marine Conservation Intern at the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre, part of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales.  

Throughout my internship, I am contributing to marine conservation by assisting with marine mammal research in Cardigan Bay, collecting data on marine mammals from land and boat-based surveys and assisting with photo-identification and acoustic analysis of bottlenose dolphins. I also help to develop and run community outreach and education activities to engage people of all ages in climate change action and protecting our ocean as part of the Stand for Nature Wales project. I most enjoy sharing my love of marine wildlife with others, inspiring different groups of people to take action to protect the marine environment and am very lucky that my job often involves being on a boat at sea collecting data! 

This is my first paid role in the conservation sector; I started at CBMWC as a volunteer in 2022 and was lucky to be offered an internship in January 2023, which I am undertaking alongside studying towards my bachelor’s degree in environmental science.  

When I’m not working or studying, I’ll usually be found outdoors, either walking (which ends up at a very slow pace when I spot some interesting wildlife every 20 seconds!)  or my favourite, sea swimming! 

Katy, Ulster Wildlife  

Hi, I'm Katy, I am a zoologist and conservation biologist and get to fulfil my passion for nature as a career. I manage species conservation projects for priority Northern Ireland species including barn owls, red squirrels, and hedgehogs along with some bee work. The role includes species monitoring and research, working with landowners, collaborating with stakeholders, raising awareness, and a whole host of other things. I love my job and I am passionate about working to conserve species locally. Seeing barn owls using our nest boxes or red squirrels starting to recover and turn up in new woodlands, thanks to conservation work, is why I do what I do.  

Mary-Anne, Durham Wildlife Trust

A career change which took me into the conservation sector was the best move I could have made, albeit a brave step taken somewhat suddenly after becoming disillusioned with a previous job a few years ago! I started out in Durham Wildlife Trust as a trainee, taking the opportunity during this time to learn absolutely as much as I could, gaining a range of new skills and knowledge in the process. When my traineeship came to a close, I was delighted to be offered the position of Conservation Volunteer Coordinator, helping others take advantage of the opportunity I had already enjoyed. No two days are the same, I get to spend lots of my week in the great outdoors, working with like-minded, dedicated people, and I know that my work makes a real difference to the natural world in the North East, protecting wildlife for future generations.

Marianne, The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales

In my role I work with different communities around Swansea to take action for nature, empowering them to look after their local patch and create new space for wildlife to thrive.

I’m passionate about bringing people and nature together. Our society is disconnected from the natural world and the organisms that live in it. Nature can help our wellbeing, provide climate resilience, and bring us joy. As well as this I have a bit of a fascination with moths!

I studied Biology at University because I loved how varied the topic was. Throughout my studies I became more interested in conversations around climate change and the impact humans have on our natural world. This led me to conservation and my job with the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales.

My favourite part of my role is how often I get to be outside. Being outside bring me so much joy and energy and being able to experience that with other makes me happy.

My advice would be to get out there and don’t be afraid you don’t know it all. You are valuable and have so much to bring to the world of conservation. This sector is dynamic and vast and it’s always a learning curve so keep going

Ruby, Durham Wildlife Trust

Hi! I’m Ruby and I’m the Bluespaces Delivery Manager at Durham Wildlife Trust. My role and the Bluespaces scheme are funded by Northumbrian Water, and I work closely with them as well as local charities, organisations, and community groups to help fund and deliver improvements to accessible water environments. These improvements include better access, increasing biodiversity and improving water quality. My area spans all the way from the Scottish borders to parts of the North York Moors, and I’m lucky enough to support a huge variety of projects managed by amazing organisations and individuals.

Jamey, The Wildlife Trusts

My name is Jamey and I am the Digital Fundraising & Communications Officer at The Wildlife Trusts. Like many within the federation I have a deep-rooted passion for nature. From a young age I was always curious about the outdoors, and was fortunate enough to grow up surrounded by wildlife. A career working in nature was all I wanted, and so, I went on to complete a Wildlife Management & Conservation BSc. My first job within the sector was as Supporter Assistant for the British Trust for Ornithology. I was very lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing colleagues devoted to science and passionate about birds. It was here I also realised there was a whole host of roles within the conservation sector - I developed a keen interest in communications and how conservation organisations engaged audiences to learn more about their amazing work.

I went on to become Digital Marketing Officer at Suffolk Wildlife Trust. I live on the Suffolk and Norfolk border, with the beautiful Waveney Valley just minutes away, so working for my local Wildlife Trust gave me opportunity to connect with the nature on my doorstep in a role that further expanded my skill set. At the same time, I was completing an MA in Illustration outside of my job. I have always used art to connect with the natural world - for me, nature and art are heavily intertwined. Art is my method of learning about the wildlife around me, as much as it is a relaxing escape, and the opportunity to explore this further through illustration was an amazing experience.

Joining the communications team at The Wildlife Trusts has been a dream come true and I feel so lucky to be part of such an inspiring team and organisation who are doing amazing things, not just for wildlife, but for people's connection to nature as well. As a woman of colour, it’s hard not to notice that the sector is massively under represented. Whilst throughout my career this has felt quite isolating at times, I am also inspired by those who are committed to creating a more inclusive space for everyone and hope to see more progress in achiving greater diversity and representation in sector as we work to protect and care for wildlife.

You can find more of Jamey's art work on Instagram: @jameydraws