COTSWOLD OUTDOOR CELEBRATES LOCAL CONSERVATION HEROES
Leading outdoor retailer Cotswold Outdoor has announced the winners of its national search for local conservation heroes in the community. Among them are a single mum who has launched a pioneering camping initiative for single-parent families, a National Trust woodland ranger, an avid beach cleaner, a Marine Conservation Society Sea Champion, a falconer and local litter picking legend, and a woman who has used her daily commute to pick up over 13,000 plastic bottles.
Priding themselves on helping everyone to make the most of the outdoors, Cotswold Outdoor’s new multi-media advertising campaign, launched this month, champions local people from around the country for their continued dedication to the environment in their area.
As part of the initiative, applicants entered a competition to become their local environmental champion and star on advertising billboards. Cotswold Outdoor then whittled down the applicants to find their six heroes, who each go above and beyond to do their bit for the environment.
Meet the Cotswold Outdoor Heroes
Rebecca Grierson
A busy single mum and assistant chef, Rebecca Grierson, 36, from Wolverhampton, started becoming disheartened by the amount of litter during lockdown and the negative attention campers were attracting as a result. In 2020, alongside her business partner Adam Howells, she set up a Facebook group for nature-loving campers who want to protect wild spaces and encourage others to enjoy the outdoors responsibly. Hugely successful, this was the catalyst for her setting up a summer camping programme for single-parent families who otherwise wouldn’t get the opportunity to enjoy a memorable break together.
Rebecca comments: “At the Big Venture Centre in Wolverhampton, we started putting on two, four-hour workshops each week where children and their carer could come along and learn outdoor skills such as tent building and fire lighting. It was fantastic watching them enjoy learning together and just get away from the stresses of daily life for a couple of hours.”
Determined to get the camping trips up and running, Rebecca worked closely with her local Strengthening Family Service and community centre to identify single-parent families who would benefit from a break. She then sourced all the kit needed to make the trips a success.
“It’s important to remember the parents, especially single mums and dads who don’t have a lot of time for themselves or to spend socially with their children. Over the summer, I organised four camping trips where we took up to 15 people at a time to Patshull Activity Centre in Albrighton for an overnight stay. We made memories I’ll never forget. To see the sheer joy on the children’s faces when I went to collect them was magical. Many of them hadn’t had a break for a long time, and some never at all.”
Aislinn Mottahedin-Fardo
Aislinn Mottahedin-Fardo, 31 from Exmoor, works as a dedicated National Trust woodland ranger at the Holnicote Estate on Exmoor’s National Park. During her seven years with the National Trust, she has planted over 5,000 trees and works tirelessly to care for the countryside and preserve the natural environment.
Aislinn also mentors apprentices completing the Trust’s 18-month scheme, inspiring the young and those making career changes to foster their environmental passion and gain hands-on work experience.
Aislinn comments: “Our apprenticeship schemes are open to all ages; we see young people and those who are looking for a career change, and the diversity in our applicants is so inspiring. I’m extremely proud to mentor these amazing people who genuinely love the outdoor environment as much as I do. We’re so keen to open up new routes and help people take up a future career in the conservation sector and beyond.”
Ben Kniveton
24-year-old Ben Kniveton works full-time at the National Centre for Birds of Prey in Helmsley while also running a community group, Wildlife Friendly Pickering. Through this group, he encourages hundreds of families to make small changes in their gardens to welcome and preserve wildlife. Ben also shares advice and monthly themes to inspire his members to do their bit for ecosystems.
Ben comments: “I set up Wildlife Friendly Pickering to show people that the little changes they make in their garden can help preserve and encourage wildlife. I’ve been amazed and overwhelmed by how popular the group has become. It’s now a space where locals regularly share advice and photos of what they’re doing, and I feel extremely proud of all our members.”