I was a Churchill Fellow of 1986 on the subject of rare plants – their conservation and legislation. I visited Australia and New Zealand. I continued to work for the official government conservation agencies throughout Britain until my retirement in 2007.

I am now living in Cumbria where I help with local conservation, recording and monitoring native wild plants and butterflies. I am also involved in practical conservation activities on local nature reserves and with Cumbria Wildlife Trust. I have been a member of the Botanical Society for Britain and Ireland since 1967 and I am now its President.

I also like encouraging, training and teaching in the field. During the Covid-19 lockdown, I picked up my former interest in painting and I am illustrating some of the Cumbria Wildlife Trust nature reserves.

My Fellowship enabled me to better understand plant conservation issues throughout the world, and I applied that to my role as a senior ecologist and heathland specialist. I made friends during the trip and maintain contact with some of them to the present day. The exchange and sharing of experience and information was very valuable to us all.