I work in rural economic and community regeneration. I am researching how we can support community land ownership in the UK to protect landscapes for the social, economic and environmental good of all members of rural society.

I was awarded a Fellowship in 2019 to travel to the USA, where I visited protected landscapes whose housing needs were impacted by external factors such as tourism. I was able to complete part of my Fellowship prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was an epic life-changing experience, which gave me much more insight than I expected or would have thought possible. The travel and work was a joy – and non-stop.

Since 2020 my project has become even more critical in addressing the inequalities across our society, as the ways we own land are central to the kind of economy we shape. The immediate crisis is public health – post Covid-19 we will find that the social and economic decision making associated with concentrated land ownership has changed our rural communities significantly. I predict this will give a stark added dimension to my research and look to discovering this in person.

Equitable community development is my watch word.