I am an empathetic person, who cares fundamentally about people, nature and the environment; a feminist, who believes in equality and inclusion for all; and an activist who seeks to, gently and sensitively, drive change for the better.
After leaving school, I studied as a nurse in Kent and following this worked as Cabin Crew for British Airways, moving into Relationship Management based in Mumbai, India. Finally working as Product Development Manager back in the UK. A voluntary secondment for British Airways took me to Australia and New Zealand researching sustainable tourism which linked, at the time, to the Open University course I was studying. Having been fortunate to travel extensively with work and leisure, has helped me see the world from an entirely different perspective.
Although my parents were keen gardeners and I was very lucky to spend most of my childhood with the freedom to explore and enjoy the outdoors, my interest in gardening and garden design came from having my first small garden. Becoming aware of the profession of Landscape Architecture came whilst studying horticulture and design. I have always been fascinated by modern art, design & architecture and it is now clear to me that everything I have done, studied or worked as, has a strong correlation with the profession.
Having raised a family and developed my own small gardening business, I finally made the decision to go back to full-time education and study Landscape Architecture at the University of Gloucestershire. At the start of my bachelor’s degree, my digital skills were limited. By using AutoCAD, Sketch-up, Twinmotion, Adobe Creative Suite and MS Office throughout the course, I now feel equipped to work in practice and use it effectively to communicate digitally. My confidence in hand-drawing has increased significantly, being able to transfer my ideas and visualisations onto paper is essential. The course has also given me belief in my creative ability, to be able to explore ideas and develop them into designs.
Whilst studying Landscape Architecture, the collaboration, teamwork and discussion with other students and teachers has been really stimulating. This has been through workshops, projects and working in the studio. I believe communication and working alongside people of all ages and from different cultures and backgrounds is so valuable. Learning from, and through others helps me to grow and improve as a Landscape Architect and as a human being.
For me, Landscape Architecture is about inclusion, collaboration, activism and improvement. I am very interested in Humanitarian Landscape Architecture, which seeks to realistically improve the
‘quality of life for the world’s vulnerable’. Going forward, I would like to work in a practice that values truth and places great importance on public engagement and meeting the needs of the people these designed spaces will serve. Working for a company that helps local communities to facilitate change and steer their own course for improving their own surroundings and the streets where they live. I strongly believe in the African proverb,‘It takes a village to build a child’ and hope there will be opportunities to be part of collaborative Landscape projects that can bring real change for the future.
Whilst I have come to the profession relatively late, the next stage in my career is an opportunity to work in an incredibly worthwhile and fulfilling field. Landscape Architecture is more essential now than ever, the profession can help to build sustainable landscapes, mitigate climate change, level-up people’s surroundings and in general, improve people’s everyday lives. There’s no better place to be.
Quick visualisations for Castlemeads
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