GiGL’s Board of Directors are central to our work and our success. Their commitment and expertise helps guide GiGL and keeps us moving forward and developing. Directors are on the front line of biodiversity and open space work in the capital. They are GiGL service users and contribute information to our database, as well as serving as ambassadors for GiGL.
Nick officially joined GiGL’s Board in January 2023. As well as being a GiGL company director, Nick is principal advisor for net gain at Natural England.
- Town or countryside?
Town, although I do enjoy escaping to the countryside it is always lovely to return to civilization.
- Summer or winter?
Can I say autumn? I love the decay, the smells, the first cold nights and the light. Otherwise winter. But then I also love the first whisps of mist rising from a pond or lake at the start of a summer’s day and the first signs of spring. This is hard to choose, but autumn if I am allowed to?
- Early bird or night owl?
Early bird although one that needs at least an hour and three cups of coffee before I go anywhere.
- Outdoor or indoors?
Outdoors, especially if mountains are on offer.
- Plants or animals?
Plants, only because they don’t tend to move so are easier to photograph.
- What species is closest to your heart and why?
Grey squirrel (runs for cover). To me they remind me of home (London) and nobody tends to like them but they don’t care. My other favourite is the tench as I used to love to go fishing for them when I was in my early teens.
- What is your favourite Greater London open space and why?
Hilly Fields in Lewisham, which is just around the corner from where I live and has great views. My other favourite is St James Park as I like to think of all the spies who have stalked its paths over the years.
- Who or what inspires you?
I find nature’s resilience in the face of all we do to it very inspiring. Little things, like a lone ‘weed’ forcing its way up through a crack in a concrete path or a bush that has managed somehow to self-seed in the mortar on a wall I find quite amazing.
- What might someone be surprised to learn about you?
I spent three years in the Territorial Army when I worked as a manager in the NHS in the North-West of England in the early 90s. I was a heavy machine gunner in the 4th Queens Lancashire Regiment and spent time ‘re-meandering’ rivers with heavy machine guns.
- How did you first get involved with / hear about GiGL?
Arriving for my first day of work as the then London Biodiversity Partnership Manager and sitting down opposite Mandy (GiGL Chief Executive) in the London Wildlife Trust office.
- What past experiences will you draw upon in your work for the GiGL Board?
In my current role I work closely with Natural England Board members and so have learnt a lot from them. Hopefully, my experience working on environmental policy, especially Biodiversity Net Gain, might also be of value.
- What do you think are the biggest challenges and opportunities for biodiversity in Greater London? What future role do you see for GiGL and other Local Environmental Records Centres (LERCs)?
I think the biggest challenge is ensuring that all Londoners can get equal access to nature and wildlife where they live and work. London is one of the greenest cities in the world but many Londoners have little or no access to that. Changing that and ensuring that future generations get to experience urban nature is a challenge, but one that achieving would bring so many benefits, for nature and people. For GiGL and other LERCs I think the challenge is how best use can be made of environmental data by communities, developers, London Boroughs etc. to help achieve that.
