Meet The Team: Martin

Can you tell us a bit about your background? Where did your journey begin, and how did you find your way to belmont?

I started my career in hotel management in France, which might sound like a world away from what I do now! However, I always had this underlying passion for the outdoors and landscapes, which eventually led me to education. I became a geography teacher, focusing on landscape systems and how humans interact with their environment. After that, I took on a role as Assistant Head at Clifton College, where my journey with Belmont started a few years ago. 

At Clifton, I loved working with students, but I often felt held back by the syllabus and the national curriculum. I wanted to teach in ways that had a real impact beyond the classroom walls. I was lucky enough to start collaborating with Belmont during that time, and we’d brainstorm ideas on connecting people with nature. A few months ago, I had the chance to join Belmont full-time, and I haven’t looked back. Now, I can truly inspire change and connect people to the environment in genuine and impactful ways. 

tell us about your role and what excites you most in your day-to-day work.

As Head of Nature Connection, I’m thrilled to have “nature” right there in my title without “education” constraining it! My background in geography gives me a deep understanding of climate, biogeography, and human systems, and I’m here to help others connect with that. It’s a privilege to guide people in understanding the landscapes around them, the ecosystems, and their place within it all. 

I’m also Deputy Head of Events, which draws on years of experience running events and bringing people together. Here, I get to create unique experiences that connect people with each other and with nature, which feels like a perfect balance of everything I’ve done so far. 

Do you have a favourite spot on the estate where you unwind or find inspiration?

It has to be the woodlands. I feel an incredible sense of peace there, maybe because trees have been here so much longer than we have. Being among them puts time into perspective. Belmont’s woods and the Sidings, especially, have a vision of hope in them for me, which is why I like to end my tours there. They remind me that, given time, nature can reclaim and restore itself. 

Are there any books you’d recommend for those wanting to find inspiration or deepen their connection with nature?

One book that’s had a big impact on me is Meadowland by John Lewis-Stempel. It’s a diary of a wild meadow on a Herefordshire farm, and it takes you on this journey through the seasons. It’s utterly charming and captures the power of slowing down and noticing life around us. Right now, I’m also reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, which has been equally impactful in a different way. 

What’s one goal you’d love to accomplish either personally or professionally in the coming years?

We live in an age of eco-anxiety, and I think there’s an urgent need for hope. I want to use my knowledge and love of nature to inspire people, to tell stories that connect us to the land and show us what’s possible if we care for it. My dream is that Belmont, along with other organisations striving for change, can help reverse the damage we’ve done. Imagine a world where our skies are full of birds again, and we’re all making conscious choices to protect it. We’re in the middle of a crisis, but there’s still so much good we can tap into – simple things, like looking up from our screens and reconnecting with the world. If we don’t love it, we won’t save it. That’s what I’m here to help people see.