Project Description
In my late 20’s I moved to a small village outside Shrewsbury. I secured a short consultancy contract to write managements plans for a group of flower-rich meadows along a brook that ran into the town centre. When I took a look I realised the area had the potential for a country park. I was fired up by the nature development visions I had been part of in Manchester and being, young and cocky, I offered the head of Shrewsbury leisure services a plan to develop a country park rather than manage a few meadows.
This was one of my most enjoyable and successful collaborations. Over the next three years I had the opportunity to implement my own plan and bring the Rae Brook Valley Countryside project into being. I set up a countryside unit and lead on the development of a countryside strategy for the Borough council. It was a happy time working with the council, civic society and wildlife trust to bring a vision in to being and witnessing the pleasure citizens derived from re-finding and reclaiming their local landscape heritage.
In Shrewsbury I saw how a senior officers created spaces within their administration for young professional to innovate with new ideas. I will alway be grateful to them and my time working in Shrewsbury instilled within me a deep respect for local government.