It was while standing in the middle of the New Zealand bush in the dark that I had decided I wanted to work in conservation. It was January 2024, my partner and I had joined a small group on the west coast of New Zealand in search of Okarito brown kiwi. Led by an eccentric conservationist called Ian, he took us and four others into the bush in search of these elusive birds. After a few hours of listening and waiting patiently, out popped a kiwi right in front of us, only a few metres away and visible only by the red light of Ian’s torch. It was a magical moment that I will never forget, and also the moment I realised I would love to do something like this as a job.

Unfortunately, I had absolutely no background in conservation. After returning home to North Wales six months later, I began applying for jobs in the sector. Months went by, and I was no closer to securing a job in conservation. Up until then, my background had been in the sports industry.

Coming from a small village in North Wales, I grew up surrounded by nature. As a family we would often spend time bird watching, exploring local mountains, and on spring evenings, we would spend hours watching badgers. Around the same time, we had also discovered that I had a talent for running. I joined Colwyn Bay Athletics Club and trained there for 10 years. I competed for Wales as a sprinter, broke numerous records, and by the age of 18, I represented Great Britain & Northern Ireland at the World Junior Championships.

My love of athletics continued after A-Levels, where I joined a training group in London for a year, before deciding to attend Loughborough University to study and train. I studied Mathematics for a year, before realising it wasn’t the degree for me! During this time, I competed for GB&NI as a senior athlete, and also achieved one of my childhood dreams. In 2014, I represented Wales at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Years of hard work and dedication had finally paid off, and representing Wales is something I am still incredibly proud of. We also still hold the Welsh national record in the 4x100m relay!

I studied BSc Sports Technology alongside training full-time. I loved the degree - designing, manufacturing and producing sports equipment. In 2015, I competed in the European Athletics Indoor Championships over 60m, having broken a Welsh record to qualify. It still stands today - not bad for someone from a small Welsh village! Towards the end of 2016, while in my final year of university, I really began to struggle with the training. Feeling unwell and not performing, I was let go from my training group. It later turned out that I had undiagnosed Coeliac Disease. I stopped running to allow by body to recover and finally graduated from university.

I had discovered this new freedom of not training, all this spare time, and feeling like a ‘normal’ person. I soon got a job with Hawk-Eye Innovations, travelling the world and working at different sporting events. I desperately missed competing, and coming from a sprinting background, a colleague of mine suggested I should try the Skeleton (think tea tray on ice at the Winter Olympics). So off to Bath I went for a trial, and I was lucky enough to be offered a place on the GB Talent Squad. I quit my job and began training as a Skeleton athlete. After trips to Norway and Germany, sliding down ice at 100km/h, countless bruises and a few too many crashes, it became apparent that perhaps it wasn’t the sport for me.

I took up mountain biking during Covid (here we go again – a new sport!) and worked in We Cycle, a local bike shop for two years. After leaving the shop, we travelled to New Zealand, Fiji and Australia for eight months. Although I had always enjoyed nature, this trip really solidified my passion for wildlife. I learned to dive in Fiji, surfed with dolphins in Australia, and spent hours birdwatching in New Zealand. Coming home and struggling to find a job was difficult, but I was determined that working with wildlife is something I wanted to do.

Cue getting in touch with North Wales Wildlife Trust. In October 2024, after a few emails to Luke, one of the Reserves Officers, I decided to join a volunteering day at Gwaith Powdwr Nature Reserve. I must admit, I was slightly nervous turning up and not knowing anyone. I had never done a volunteering day before, so I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I remember being greeted by such warm and friendly people, and by the end of the day, I knew it was something I wanted to do again. So, I came back the following week, and now they’re having trouble getting rid of me. After volunteering for over a year, I was lucky enough to join the team as a Nature Reserves Assistant Placement in December 2025. In just a few short months, I have learnt so much. It’s true what they say, you learn something new every day. And that’s especially true when working in conservation.

Since stopping running, I felt for years as though something had been missing from life. A lack of drive and passion, and uncertainty of which direction to go in. Sport gave me goals to achieve and dreams to chase. After athletics, I was always searching for a new sport, something to be good at. Only recently have I realised that feeling has stopped. I have found that spark again, I’ve found new goals to work towards and new dreams to chase within conservation. Volunteering gave me the opportunity to learn new skills, meet like-minded people, make friends and help nature. It gave me a new purpose in life. Sport taught me to be strong willed, determined, and motivated – characteristics that are essential in conservation. I see those same qualities in colleagues at North Wales Wildlife Trust. Conservation is hard work. It isn’t easy, and there are often setbacks. But it gives you something to strive for, and that makes the hard work worth it. Just like sport. Life has taught me that it’s okay to follow your dreams and passions, to change direction, and to enjoy the journey along the way.