Having worked in the travel industry for years I quickly learnt people often went on holiday so they could complain about it and that what I really loved was our natural world.
So, I took on an MSC in Environmental Management. After completing this and volunteering for while I got the role of Assistant Project Officer working on a terrific project called Earn Your Travel back based in the TCV Kings Cross office. This involved taking London’s young people aged 11 – 19 out on conservation volunteering days in order to earn back their free travel privileges – which all young Londoners get but they had lost for one reason or another. Having not been a Volunteer Officer with TCV I quickly learnt that TCV Volunteer Officers were expertly trained by Clif Osbourne and other skilled staff members. As part of my role I was lucky enough to take part in all the fantastic training TCV had to offer – from tree felling to pond management.
This project sadly came to an end and from there I joined the London Green Gym team and was fortunate to take part in all kinds of fun and interesting projects including Watford, Hounslow and Camden Green Gyms to setting up a family learning programme and under 5’s club in Walthamstow. I then job shared the role of Operations Leader – Health and Education with Lizzy Kaimakamis. I loved this role supporting Project Officers to deliver all their exciting and innovative projects.
I left this role when I had my two children, working part time as a Health Development Manager at TCV in-between and having just come back after my second maternity leave, can confidently say how supportive staff at TCV have been.