I was lucky enough to grow up in Cornwall, with parents that took me and my brothers exploring and connecting with nature and our landscape. I went on to study marine biology at University of Liverpool, focusing on sea birds. When I left academia, I knew I wanted to work in natural science but I didn’t feel mature enough, or possess the communication skills needed to really grapple with these issues and build engagement. I fell into a career in fairly high paced sales environments which really developed my communication skills, but also took it’s toll on my mental health. It was around this time I started spending more and more of my time in nature.
Meet the team: Wil
Next up in our meet the team series is Wil, our Business Development Representative, passionate about rewilding, people, and naturally, Gandalf. Wil’s place here at Belmont is a combination of two very different paths, working in sales and in conservation. Let’s hear how this natural evolution happened.
Can you tell us a bit about your background? How did your journey to Belmont begin?
To pursue my passion I started volunteering with the RSPB. This included some time on the Isles of Scilly and Lundy Island with really inspiring volunteers and staff often living on the islands. I then got an opportunity as a landscaper with an ecological consultancy working on a huge range of projects with wildlife trusts, rivers trusts and land owners. It connected me with the broader movement for rewilding in the UK and I ended up working at Belmont Estate’s Watercress Farm wilding project on the river restoration for a week.
A year later the Business Development Representative role was advertised, and while I loved working on site as a landscaper in hands on work in some ways, I felt I could be a lot more valuable using my sales experience to sell the story of Belmont Estate and help develop what we do to reach more people and have even more impact.
What inspired you to join the Belmont team?
The mission to connect people from all walks of life to nature, where food comes from, and to our landscape, and the opportunity to get more people to experience nature and live happier, healthier lives because of it. Having BBQs with produce grown and reared on the estate was also a big factor.
Tell us about your Role and what excites you most about it?
The most exciting thing about my role is bringing together inspiring and hardworking people from businesses who want to do more to reverse natures decline and address the climate crisis. We have an incredible opportunity to bring people together and connect them with nature, and for people to leave us a little more inspired and a little more hopeful about the world.
When you’re not at work, where would we find you?
Probably in my van camping somewhere with mates, by the sea in Cornwall or in Bristol drinking flat whites. I’ve also got into watercolour painting recently which I enjoy.
What inspires you? Do you have a favourite book or music that resonates with you?
George Monbiot’s book Feral had a huge impact on me, which I read at a time when I really needed to re-connect with nature. That and Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Gandalf’s quote of “All we have to decide, is what to do with the time that is given to us” is a favourite.
What’s something you’d love to accomplish in the future?
I’d love to improve my sea kayaking ability so that I could take on a long kayak expedition up the west coast of Britain. Spending more time in the sea experiencing the wildlife there is something I’m keen to do more of.