I have lived in Devon all of my life and started working with the National Rivers Authority in 1991. I soon found my niche in the public relations team dealing with the media, schools and various customers. I studied part-time for my BSc in Social Policy and Criminology while working.
I continued to develop and expand my communications and engagement expertise on the Environment Agency’s most contentious projects including nuclear, waste, pollution and flooding. For seven years, I was the stakeholder engagement lead at the Flood Forecasting Centre (a partnership between the Met Office and Environment Agency).
Leading customer engagement on the Lower Otter Restoration Project was so fulfilling. Working together with the public, consultants, contractors, partners and project teams, I ensured that the Lower Otter story was shared in an accessible and timely way to a huge range of audiences. I never tire of helping technical colleagues understand and develop relationships with those impacted by their work.
After 31 years with the Environment Agency, my husband and I moved to rural France. Now working freelance as BBPR, I was delighted to be asked to write the chapters on communication and engagement for the PACCo guide.
Project Location: Lower Otter Restoration Project, England