Written by Jorella Andrews, Chair of Albion Millennium Green Trust, Forest Hill, London
On Thursday October 23rd, I attended a Black History Month event at Islington Town Hall. When the Mayor of Islington, Nigerian-born Cllr Jason Jackson, addressed this year’s theme of “Standing Firm in Power and Pride,” he emphasised using this strong sense of self to serve the community. I’d like to echo this message.
I’m of Dutch/Trinidadian heritage and was raised in the beautiful city of Edinburgh. Both of my parents instilled in me a love of nature. Growing up, my Trinidadian father gave each of us children a small plot of ground in the back garden that we were to care for. I still remember the dahlias that grew on my patch; I loved their warm Autumnal colours and tubular petals. Often, after school, if the weather was fine, my mother would take us on impromptu walks in the wildness of the nearby Pentland Hills. This certainly inspired me to settle in a leafy part of London—Forest Hill—and to get involved in local conservation work. Since 2016, I’ve been part of a team of volunteers that cares for Albion Millennium Green, a Green Flag Community Award-winning public green space close to my home.
Nature feeds my soul, and I love contributing to the upkeep of what made London the world’s first national park city in 2019. But another factor influenced me in this direction, again learned from my father: his life-long commitment to public service. As one of very few black men living in Edinburgh at the time, despite a busy job as an academic, the responsibility of raising a large family, and the reality of living in an atmosphere of racial prejudice, his Trinidadian upbringing had taught him that public service was something you naturally did, and enjoyed doing, no matter what. Dad, I thank you.
Inclusivity is at the heart of Froglife’s work. Our vision is a world in which reptile and amphibian populations are flourishing as part of healthy ecosystems, and we know that to achieve this we need to have EVERYONE on board. Our Mission statement reflects this by saying “We engage diverse communities and encourage learning about wildlife conservation.” We are proud of the diversity of staff, volunteers and project participants we have and hope to continue to build on this in the future.
As an organisation we are constantly looking at how we can engage new audiences with conservation and encourage people from underrepresented backgrounds into the sector. Actions taken since the last Black History Month include:
- Celebrating heritage and community service: Froglife supports Black History Month because it highlights stories like Jorella Andrews’—where a love of nature, family influence, and a strong commitment to public service come together. These values align with our mission to build inclusive, nature-connected communities.
- Embedding equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI): EDI is at the heart of Froglife’s strategic plan. We recognise that environmental spaces must be welcoming and accessible to everyone, and we actively promote diversity across all our programmes, partnerships, and community projects.
- Commitment to anti-racism: All Froglife staff have received anti-racism training, and we continue to develop our understanding and practice. We are proud to have an Anti-Racism Statement publicly available on our website, affirming our ongoing commitment to challenging inequality.
- Inclusive recruitment and representation: We have made significant progress in improving our recruitment processes to ensure fairness, accessibility, and inclusivity, with the goal of better reflecting the diverse communities we serve.
- Standing firm in power and pride: Echoing this year’s Black History Month theme and the Mayor of Islington’s message—amplified by Jorella’s reflections—we celebrate the strength, pride, and positive contributions of Black individuals in conservation, community action, and public life, recognising how these enrich our collective environmental and social impact.