Boots on the Ground
I came to this angry again! I am old enough to remember CND marches, the hole in the ozone layer, acid rain, Rachel Carson and Love Canal. All things that are now changed for the better. My father made fur coats for Blackpool landlady's and studying environmental science at the time led me to being regularly hurtling down country roads in the back of van at weekends trying to challenge the thinking on fox hunting. The irony was not lost on my Dad when I showed him a picture of me out on a sab in a national newspaper!
This time the rivers felt like something different that was not as obvious where to channel my anger and help. I still go through cycles of despair but channel that to try and make a difference. This passion for nature all started somewhere quieter than that. I grew up on a farm, close to nature and water, long summers of fishing and being outside, and when I chose where to live I chose Henley because I wanted a river on my doorstep. That connection never left me. Plus the young family loved walking next to river.
How did I get into this, you may ask? It was never really about campaigning. It was always about curiosity and a love of science: a feeling that something was badly wrong with that river, and a need to understand why and what could actually be done about it.
What I didn't expect was where that curiosity would take me. A career that taught me to be brave, back yourself, and have a go at things you've never done before turned out to be surprisingly good preparation. I've always believed in asking for forgiveness rather than permission, and in Teddy Roosevelt's man in the arena: the credit belongs to the person actually in there, face dirty, who at worst fails while daring greatly.
It can be a lonely place. There are darker moments when you genuinely question what you're doing and whether any of it matters. Humour helps, possibly more than it should. But discovering just how many talented and passionate people are out there working on this keeps you energised in a way nothing else does.
In many ways this takes me back to my roots. I started my career as a field engineer: out meeting people, listening, and always wanting to help others find a way through. You understand how to make a difference when you're not stuck in boardrooms and presentation slides. Boots on the ground, where it actually matters.
That's what excites me most right now. The River Summit is building a network that connects those people across boundaries that have always kept them apart. A love and passion for rivers but also a willingness to move forward. Yes there will be challenging conversations and awkward moments but that's when you move into areas to get solutions to make a difference. The right people, finally talking to each other. I can't wait to see what this further unlocks.