With the start of the first couple of weeks for our new Trainees on the London Blue Chain project, we wanted to introduce them to our followers officially. See below for their stories and how they came to be with us at Froglife:
Isabella Bromfield:
Isabella is a 23-year-old London Blue Chain Project Trainee committed to helping people and the environment in both her personal and professional life. Since graduating with a BA in Geography from the University of Manchester in 2022, Isabella has worked in a variety of roles, evidencing her broad interests and commitment to making a positive impact.
Her interests include studying themes of place attachment, community, underdog species, displacement and environmental degradation. This variety of focusses have led her to take on various roles, including Programmes Co-Ordinator at the diversity and inclusion-focussed charity Blueprint for All, and Conference Admin at the Royal Geographical Society.
Over the past two years, Isabella has searched for the opportunity to collaborate with local organisations which recognise the interconnectedness of wildlife and people. She was particularly drawn to Froglife after discovering our dedication to conserving amphibians, reptiles, biodiversity and habitats through education, practical conservation and public engagement.
Isabella has a passion for working with the ‘underdog’ and sharing knowledge with those often overlooked within the discourse and discussions. As a life-long South Londoner, she is particularly looking forward to working across allotments, connecting with local volunteers, and discovering more about native wildlife species. She is especially excited to contribute to helping embed knowledge amongst communities to ensure the protection of biodiversity for generations to come.
Rose Williams:
Rose is a new trainee on the London Blue Chain project for Froglife. As a regular user of footpaths along London’s Green Chain, creating a wildlife corridor for reptiles and amphibians along the route is a dream come true.
Previously, Rose studied Politics, afterwards working as a project manager in recruitment and marketing. More recently, she’s been making and selling craft gelato while volunteering in a healthy living project for early years in south London.
Access to nature is a strong motivator for Rose, and she was drawn to Froglife’s commitment to engaging people from all walks of life in projects on their doorstep. When volunteering on projects within Lambeth she enjoyed working with local communities in creative ways, sharing knowledge and skills collaboratively, to develop habits that are good for people and good for the planet.
Rose is very much looking forward to developing a deep understanding of the lives of amphibians and reptiles and of habitat creation, with a view to empowering others to get stuck in and enjoy the benefits of nurturing their local wildlife.
Mariam Turay:
Mariam is a London Blue Chain project Trainee who has a background in fine art photography and previously worked for arts organisations. She founded a project in 2021 named Wild Greenery, specialising in carnivorous plants collaborating with sound and 3D design artists. Transitioning from art to ecology, Mariam trained in practical wildlife conservation as a Keeping it Wild Trainee at the London Wildlife Trust supporting youth engagement and forest schools. After her training she went on to gain a qualification for forest school training and is currently finishing her practical horticulture qualification at Walworth Gardens. Mariam also leads a BeePoC group for people of colour to learn holistic practices in beekeeping at a city farm and river conservation group Stonebridge Lock Coalition with freshwater invertebrates’ identification.
Mariam applied to Froglife to learn more on aquatic plants and habitat creation. She is looking forward to working with various communities within south London, focusing on reptiles and amphibians and supporting creative projects based on wildlife habitats. She is also eager to learn about bogs as well as ponds. She wants to learn from conservationists on visual surveying and leap to different sites to understand lizards.
Mariam applied to Froglife to learn about diseases affecting amphibians and reptiles and to raise more awareness of these species with educational sessions. She also wants to learn about habitat restoration for endangered animals and plants. Froglife’s support in creative and holistic projects with vulnerable communities is what Mariam wants to dig into within her year as a trainee.
