Ambassadors
We’re fortunate enough to be working with some incredible people to help us reach and encourage more young people to consider nature-related careers.
Meet our Ambassadors…
Adetola Onamade
@adesadaptings
Since 2017, Adetola has been campaigning for climate justice. She works with WWT (London Wetlands Centre) and The Royal Parks, primarily on The Blue Influencer’s Scheme, a youth-led social action project. Adetola is a trustee of Plan B and a longstanding volunteer for Coco Collective; an Afrikan-heritage led community allotment, involved in social prescribing in South London. In 2019, she took the UK government to court for human rights violations (ECHR Articles 2, 8 and 14). The Global Majority VS campaign mobilised young people, particularly from the diaspora, to engage with the government’s climate adaptation measures their impact on UK and international ‘communities within communities’. As a ‘New to Nature’ trainee, Adetola is committed to diversifying and decolonising the environmental sector, using her skills to address eco-anxiety in young people with eco-action.
Ajay Tegala
@ajaytegala
Ajay Tegala is a wildlife presenter, author and conservationist. From a young age, he nurtured a love for wildlife, which set him on a mission to become a countryside ranger. Following many hours volunteering on nature reserves and a degree in Environmental Conservation and Countryside Management, Ajay became a National Trust ranger; first on the North Norfolk coast and then on Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire. His passion for engagement and advocacy has led Ajay to appear on various radio and television programmes, including BBC Springwatch, sharing his passion for spreading conservation messages, which he also does as a public speaker.
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
TikTok
Image copyright: Dan Sunderland
Alexander Thompson-Byer
@growing.in.the.wind
Hi I’m Alexander. I’m a gardener/horticulturist who’s a huge fan of permaculture and all things green. I live in North Uist. It’s a small island in the outer Hebrides in Scotland. The weather’s wild up here, which is a challenge when it comes to growing pretty much anything. But I love a challenge 😉
Gardening has helped me mitigate my ADHD. I’ve been fortunate enough to have therapy throughout my adult life, but the biggest healer of all has to be working outside in nature.
So come and join me on my journey in the western Isles and let’s get planting in the windiest permaculture project in the U.K. 👊🏿💙
Gemma Bailey-Smith (Preferred name Bailey)
@disabilitywithbailey
Bailey, is a disabled, neurodivergent, wheelchair user, working in the construction industry. Their advocacy and sharing their lived experience in this space has been driven by the lack of disability representation in green careers as well as the barriers they have faced in employment.
Bailey states ‘I can vividly recall going to the careers officer at university as my disability progressed and asked ‘How will a career in the environmental sector work now I use a wheelchair?’. We searched and reached out for examples, looking for the representation I desperately needed to see at that time, but we couldn’t find it. So I set a goal to become the representation I needed to see in the industry.
Izzy Marsoner
@izzydoeswheelies
Izzy, a neurodivergent wheelchair user and recipient of the prestigious ECIS Award for International Understanding, is a passionate advocate for the rights of neurodivergent, queer, and disabled individuals. With an MA (Hons) in Sustainable Development from the University of St Andrews, she now works alongside the Young Women’s Movement, the Scottish Government, and the St Andrews Environmental Network to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her advocacy extends to ensuring disabled people are included in natural spaces, believing they should not be side-lined in the sustainability movement due to limited access to nature.
Jasmine Isa Qureshi
@wildheartwithacamera
Jasmine Isa Qureshi (they/she), is a journalist (BBC Wildlife, Gaytimes, Metro, etc.), writer and marine / queer – biologist and ecologist, working as a researcher previously for the BBC Natural History Unit, The Mindfulness Initiative on Climate Youth Resilience, and works with grassroots organisation WildCard on increasing engagement and support for rewilding campaigns in the UK. As a trans, Pakistani, non-binary, and muslim woman, she has often found that her need to intertwine her identity in her work is required for authenticity and creativity to thrive. She is also a published Poet, an Ambassador for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, an advisor on the committee of RSPB England, and a presenter, speaker, workshop facilitator and wildlife TV Researcher.
Instagram
TikTok
Twitter
Website
Image copyright: Georgia Penny
Laura Young
@lesswastelaura
Laura is an award winning climate activist, environmental scientist, and ethical influencer. She was recently awarded the Scottish Influencer of the Year 2024 award. Laura started the campaign to see single-use disposable vapes banned across Scotland and the UK. This work has been nominated for a Holyrood Climate Action award, and has led the UK Government committing to legislative change.
Instagram
TikTok
Twitter
Website
Image copyright: Andrew Cawley
Lira Valencia
@outsidewithlira
Born and raised in Croydon, South London, Lira sheds light on the importance of nature connection in urban communities. Through her work as an urban wetland’s ranger and wildlife content creator, she normalises exploring wildlife in the city. After completing her degree in Zoology from the University of Reading, she decided to move abroad to work with bird conservation NGO Birdlife Malta where her love for birds began. After returning from Malta, she created an Instagram @outsidewithlira, where she shares her new passion for birding and now has over 76,000 followers. She now gives talks, workshops and guided walks focusing on urban wildlife. Throughout her career, Lira faced challenges entering the sector and struggled to find others around her of whom she could relate to. It meant giving up many times and questioning if the environmental sector was for her. By sharing her story, she hopes to inspire others to step outside and to not give up on dreams that seem out of reach.
Image copyright: Sion Roe
Roisin Taylor
@verdeflowerco
Roisin is the co-director for UK Youth for Nature, a nature-friendly flower farmer and florist running her own business – Verde Flower Co and a Nuffield Farming Scholar researching climate change adaptation and resilience. Roisin spent 9 years working on an upland hill farm in County Durham during her teenage years and early twenties, before working for the RSPB working in community engagement and latterly as a climate change project manager. During lockdown she chose to dedicate her time to learning how to grow plants as Verde Flower Co and formed a community of campaigners at UK Youth for Nature.
