After completing my first degree in Ecology and Physical Geography at Lancaster University I gained some valuable voluntary work experience both with BTCV and the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust in the UK and on a gibbon conservation project abroad. I knew that I wanted to enter the Countryside Management sector, so ‘the broader the experience the better’ was the advice that I was given. It is such a diverse sector, requiring at least a grasp of a variety of skills, and this voluntary work really set me up well. 

I was fortunate enough to be appointed to a Trainee Ranger post at a local Country Park, and this proved to be the key that opened many doors. Here I not only learned the practical conservation skills that any good countryside professional needs, but also the skills of connecting with local communities, many of which experienced barriers to their enjoyment of the countryside. Enabling access to the countryside is now an important part of many government targets – for mental and physical healthy living, for managing the affects of climate change and for reducing social deprivation, to name but a few.  

I quickly realised that in order to progress my career I needed further academic training, and this led me in 2001 to enter the Environmental Management Masters degree course at the University of Nottingham’s School of Geography. This course expanded my horizons incredibly, bringing in new aspects of managing the environment that I had not encountered or considered before. I feel that the variety of modules on offer gave me the chance to both widen my existing knowledge of conservation and also to develop skills in new areas such as Environmental Law, Sustainable Development and GIS.

On graduation from the Masters degree I took up a Research Associate post in the School of Geography, working on a multi-agency project looking at the measurement of countryside quality; quite a departure from previous jobs, it gave me the opportunity to develop skills in governmental and academic partnership working. After two years in academia I moved back into local authority territory and became a Biodiversity Projects Officer for Doncaster MBC. This took me back to my roots in wildlife conservation for a while and I was involved in the development of Biodiversity Action Planning and again engaging the community in their local green spaces. 

I am now almost back full circle. I am currently an Assistant Area Manager for Derbyshire County Council Countryside Service, managing 12 staff. We look after the Public Rights of Way network (footpaths, bridleways and multi-user trails such as the Trans Pennine Trail), as well as a variety of different sites such as woodlands and the Chesterfield Canal, in the north-eastern part of Derbyshire between Chesterfield and the City of Sheffield boundary. This was undoubtedly a big step up, but the variety of experience that I had built up earlier in my career definitely helped me to settle in well and to face all of the new challenges presented to me!