Change is in the air, and it's not just the seasons shifting. Here at KCA, we've recently undergone a restructuring process, welcoming new talent into our team. We're excited to introduce you to the fresh faces that have joined us as well as some of the more familiar ones that have been involved in our community action group since its inception. Read on to find out more about the team and how our combined skills, expertise and passions will invigorate our work for climate and nature in Kingsbridge. Sadly we've not managed to capture the whole team here, but we are building a new team page as we refresh our website so there will be more faces to meet soon! We are extremely grateful to our funders that support our projects and outreach with core funding or project-specific funding. Our core funding courtesy of Devon Environment Foundation, Devon Community Foundation and The Halleria Trust has enabled us to create some small paid roles to help keep our work ticking over effectively. We appreciate the recognition from our funders that it is people that drive projects and ignite action. Community projects and action groups are a vital element of wider strategies to reduce carbon footprints and regenerate nature, and they themselves need to be resilient and sustainable to be as impactful as possible.
The Team
Rosa Hannaford - Project Coordinator
I’m proud to be a founding member of this proactive organisation that is stepping up to create local, achievable and joyful action on the ground. As Project Coordinator for KCA I lead on some of our bigger projects like the Kingsbridge Repair Café and Kingsbridge Nature Festival, keep us focussed with strategy as well as keeping an eye on the many operational things that happen in the background. I love connecting people and building community around meaningful things like reducing landfill through repair or taking action for nature. I’m a collaborator who believes passionately in the power of collective action to make positive change happen.
I live for my time spent out in nature and I’m never happier than when walking the coast path, roaming the moors or gazing up at the moon somewhere. Nature is my balm and taking the time to connect with it helps restore and fortify me so I can focus on challenging things like thinking about climate change!
In addition to my time with KCA, I help manage small grants and projects for a local learning disability charity and recently started a new role working on some district-wide climate and nature projects with Sustainable South Hams. I’ll be spending the next few years studying towards an MSc in Sustainability and Behaviour Change and am excited to embed the learning into our grassroots work here, as we shift towards the transformational changes needed to adapt to climate change and regenerate nature.
Paul Vann - Committee Chair
Having been a member of Greenpeace for decades and living (since 2016) in the Kingsbridge area, my involvement with the setting up of Kingsbridge Climate Action (I’m currently a ‘Co-Chair’) and becoming a Kingsbridge Town Councillor (with a particular focus on Climate and Nature matters) were ‘natural’ steps for me.
Outside of that, and amongst other things, I take part in a wide variety of nature monitoring projects (Bats, Birds, Butterflies and other insects), support tree planting locally and globally and write regularly to our local MP and the Prime Minister challenging our country’s woeful performance on national climate action delivery (a seemingly never ending task).
With two children and 3 (soon to be four) grandchildren, my concern about the future of our planet has a personal dimension but millions elsewhere are of course already being acutely and grossly unfairly impacted by the worsening effects of Climate Change and damage to Nature.
Shelley Castle - Art and Community Engagement
'Shelley Castle is an eco-artist who works with communities to co-create work that explores and celebrates the beauty and wonder of local wildlife such as seahorses or forests. She is a long-term activist and believes that without community and creativity, the multiple issues of social, ecological and climate injustice cannot be successfully challenged. She says: 'Now is the time to come together across all our differences and demand our leaders support the urgent need to make a liveable world for the future not only of our children but that of a multitude of other species. We need to reconnect to the fact that we are entirely reliant on this life support system which is currently showing all the signs of being fatally sick. But it is also a system that recovers with extraordinary speed - so there is every hope for the future as long as we treat the climate and nature emergency as just that - an emergency.'
Rowena Mynott - Comms and Project Support (Education, Estuary and Biodiversity)
With an innate love of nature from an early age, my life so far has been one of purposeful exploration and wildlife conservation advocacy. Armed with a BSc (Hons) in Geology and Geography, I later pursued education whilst living in Australia and earned a BEd. These were followed with Diplomas in travel writing, editing and photography.
For a decade, I worked as a PADI dive instructor, immersing myself in the marine environment across Australia, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Galapagos Islands and Vanuatu. These experiences gave me unforgettable encounters, from diving alongside majestic turtles, and filming documentaries searching for lost sunken WW2 wrecks to exhilarating encounters with great white sharks. Along the way, I discovered the power of storytelling and founded ’72&Rising’, a self published magazine that sought to illuminate research and conservation issues for the wider public.
My passions lie in nurturing the next generations appreciation for our environment, recognising them as the future guardians of our planet. The past two decades of my life have been dedicated to education, particularly in the marine field. I have taught marine education at Sea World, Australia, as well as primary and secondary schools in both Australia and England and was the sole nature guide on a humpback whale watching boat in Australia. Fuelled by this vision, I am equally passionate about wildlife photography and scientific research, delving into the intricacies of animal behaviour and the preservation of our natural heritage.
Water is my happy place. Living in this beautiful region so close to incredible rivers, estuaries and the ocean you will often find me at the beach, on a boat or a paddle board.
I also design and make silver and gold jewellery using recycled and ethically sourced materials with a portion of the proceeds going to wildlife charities.
Chloe Garland - Comms and Project Support (Biodiversity and Citizen Science)
Chloe has worked the majority of her adult life within Wildlife conservation. She has a BSc (hons) Conservation biology, a Masters in Antrozoology, a diploma in Wildlife care and numerous trainings in Wildlife rescue, environmental research and management. My passion for nature began from an early age, due to growing up at an outdoor activity and environmental education centre in the South Hams. I spent most of my childhood out on the water, or exploring the surrounding landscape. Being in nature is by far where I feel most at home. Quite literally Sat in a field or by the ocean !
I lived a great deal of my adult life abroad, working in wildlife conservation and environmental management. Brazil, Costa Rica and Africa are where i have spent the most of my time. I have seen first hand some of the devastating impacts human behaviour has had on the planet, wildlife and people. “Our daily choices have an impact on not only our local environment and each other but the global ripple effect is clear”.
I’m passionate about bridging the gap between humans and nature and establishing positive and meaningful ways to live in a balanced and more mindful way.
I have specialised in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, and well as environmental education and research. I am really excited to be part of the KCA and share some of my expertise and be part of the community that helps care and enhance the beautiful place we get to call home.
Emily Price - Comms and Project Support (Food & Growing, Waste & Resources and Active Travel)
Taking grass roots action to mitigate climate is one of the most important issues of today and I’m excited to be a part of the local movement. I believe there to be great power in community and collective action, I am always interested in finding out how we can turn me to we and work together to galvanise positive change. Surfing is my favourite activity in the whole world followed closely by wild swimming. Being out in nature is a tonic for modern life and seeing the effects of pollution and climate breakdown first hand motivates me to spread the word that now is the time to take action, we can’t wait for someone else (i.e. politicians and big business) to do it for us.
I practise and teach somatic embodied yoga. Finding ways to regulate our nervous system and stay centred is an absolute must in the eco-anxiety-enducing times. We can’t take action if we’re overwhelmed by fear so we need practical tools to help get ourselves un-stuck and stuck into action. Practising yoga means I can be in the present moment to experience life and be fully here for all of it. I live locally in Bantham and I run an art gallery with my mum; Mayne Gallery, where I get to promote and share incredible work by amazing creative. I believe that creativity and art hold great power to facilitate innovation and help us to envision a harmonious future for people and the natural world. I am passionate about approaching the climate crisis with hope and taking inspired action in community to face these challenges together in solidarity so we can create a regenerative future for people and planet
I am super excited about regenerative growing practises and the potential for collective healing through food and connecting with the soil, so I am learning about ecological horticulture in my spare time. I’m incredibly fired up about the potential to nurture human health, improve social connection and make a positive impact on the environment and the beings in it through regenerative growing practises. I love a good dance and a giggle, expressing joy is an act of rebellion against the status quo of doom and gloom that keeps us quiet and small. I believe in the infinite capacity for humans to change and outgrow detrimental behaviours, patterns and ways of being that don’t serve us and I continue to work on myself to develop and evolve as a human as I know we all have the potential to grow as individuals and as a collective.
I am in the process of learning how to skate which is simultaneously terrifying and ridiculously fun. I cannot wait for the kingsbridge skate park to be built as it will be the perfect place to learn and improve as an adult beginner. I think it’s important to continue to learn and be willing to be bad at things, and commit to improving at things in life. This approach is humbling and a bit scary but so necessary. Outside our comfort zone is where all the great stuff is! I thrive off connecting with people, it’s one of my favourite things to do!
What This Means for Our Projects
With these new additions to our team, KCA is poised for exciting future growth and impact. The infusion of fresh skills, energy, and expertise promises to revitalise our ongoing projects and our approach to action for climate and nature.
Here are a few ways in which this restructuring will benefit our projects:
Diverse Perspectives: Our new team members bring a wide range of expertise, from education and environmental ecology to sustainable practices. This diversity will enrich our project discussions and result in more comprehensive and effective solutions.
Enhanced Outreach: With dedicated outreach and community engagement specialists on board, our projects will have a greater reach and impact. We aim to build stronger connections with local communities and stakeholders.
Innovation: The infusion of fresh energy and ideas will stimulate innovation. We anticipate more creative problem-solving and a willingness to explore unconventional approaches to environmental challenges.
We're excited about the promising future of KCA. The recent restructuring and addition of these individuals, each with their individual passions and expertise, signify our commitment to staying at the forefront of action for climate and nature. We're ready to tackle the challenges ahead with renewed vigour and creativity. Stay tuned for updates on our ongoing and upcoming projects, as we work together to create a more sustainable and greener world.