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My qualifications and experience

Key skills and personal qualities

  • Experienced at project management, fundraising, marketing and communication. I have a wide range of experience of project and programme management, including a regional Advanced Apprenticeship Scheme and a National Environmental Youth Volunteering Programme. 

  • Highly self motivated and determined. 

  • Committed to education, learning and continuous personal development.

  • Passionate about the Natural Environment, in particular its contribution to people’s health and wellbeing. I have two John Muir Awards at Discovery and Explorer levels.

 

Academic and Professional Qualifications

  • PhD in Transdisciplinary Research in Outdoor Studies. 

  • Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice, UoC. 

  • MA Youth Work (JNC) and Community Development (ESB), De Montfort University. 

  • L6 Certificate Leadership and Management, Chartered Management Institute. 

  • Certificate in Education for Sustainability, London South Bank University. 

  • BSc (Hons) Natural Sciences, 1st Class, The Open University.

 
Current Related Professional Affiliations
  • Fellow Royal Geographical Society (FRGS) and Conference Officer, Geographies of Children, Youth & Families Research Group. 
  • Fellow of Higher Education Academy (fHEA).
  • Member of British Education Research Association (BERA) and Convenor, Nature, Outdoor Learning and Play special interest group. 
  • Member of Institute for Outdoor Learning (IOL).
  • Member of European Institute for Outdoor Adventure Education and Experiential Learning (EOE). 
  • Member of International Play Association (IPA). 
  • Member of Collaborative Action Research Network (CARN).
  • Certified Member of Institute for Youth Work (IYW).

 

Academic achievements

  • 2018: Awarded Anna Craft Creativities in Education Prize by BERA (British Educational Research Association) for my paper: Responsive, Responsible Research: Lexi's Story. 

  • 2017: Awarded Early Career Researcher Grant by University of Cumbria to support post-doctoral study.

  • 2016: Recipient of the 2016 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Early Career Research Excellence, University of Cumbria.

  • 2015: Awarded the Reflective Essay Postgraduate Prize for 2015 by The Higher Education Research Group (HERG).

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Some of my non-academic achievements to date 

  • ​In 2008 I wrote an article for Exchange the newsletter of NCVYS (National Council for Voluntary Youth Services) promoting environmental youth volunteering. Within my role as Youth Project Officer for The Wildlife Trusts, I also helped organise their conference and AGM – their first to have an environmental theme.

  • In 2007/8 I was recorded as one of the participants in an oral history project 'Natural Heroes: Voices from Natural Historians of Leicestershire and Rutland' produced by Leicestershire County Council. 

  • In June 2007 I gave a presentation on the Teen Ranger Project (see below for aims and objectives of this project)., a project which I had developed and managed on behalf of LRWT at Leicestershire Nature Conservation Forum. A copy of this presentation can be found on HERE

  • I initiated and led the development of the Acorns to Oaks Forest School Development Project, aiming to provide Forest Schools in Leicestershire (in partnership with Leicestershire County Council) - helped to look for funding, identify people for training and find sites for use as Forest Schools. 

  • I was the East Midlands Mentor for the Green Prints Environmental volunteering programme, and also volunteer youth worker on the Green Prints Flagship Project: Birds need Friends in Bosworth. See below for report on this or follow this link http://www.sitatrust.org.uk/projects/Birds%20need%20Friends  

  • I developed and managed the Teen Ranger Project on behalf of Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, with support from Leicestershire County Council and funding from Heritage Lottery Fund Young Roots.  

  • In July 2003 I was awarded an Amerada Hess Fellowship Award for Educators to participate on an Earthwatch project in South Devon, Butterflies and Bushcrickets: one of only 30 awarded in the UK for 2003. For more information about this project see  http://www.staffs.ac.uk/schools/sciences/geography/links/IESR/projects_earthwatchdevon.shtml For more information on Earthwatch projects see  http://www.earthwatch.org/europe/

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