Katie Hillary

It seems like Katie has boundless enthusiasm for tending to the natural world, and sharing it with young people. She takes on several roles at Warwick Bridge School near Carlisle, including spending a lot of her free time taking care of the school grounds and the plants growing in the polytunnel. The nomination we received for her said: 'Katie does not have professional knowledge in this at all. She is a busy Mum of two young children and is always on the go making sure her family is well looked after as well as the plants at school. She would be my choice as a Nature Hero as she does this work out of a love for the job itself and making sure that the children are involved from the outset of all we do.'

Here's more from Katie: 

'I look after the polytunnel at Warwick Bridge School, coming in during school holidays and weekends to tend to the plants, and to make sure things are kept well-watered while school’s out. I also assist with the Forest School alongside my work as a Teaching Assistant, a Lunchtime Supervisor and a Club Leader. 

My great uncle used to have an allotment at the end of his garden, full of vegetables, fruits and sunflowers, and I enjoyed helping with it when I was a child. Now, my dad has taken over the allotment. The sunflowers still grow, and my own little ones help instead. I feel that it’s so important to pass a love of nature down through the generations.

This is why I like to work with the children at Warwick Bridge, because I think it’s so important that children are able to enjoy nature. Tending to the plants, seeing a flower bloom from seed, tasting produce we’ve grow in the tunnels – it all helps them to understand the importance of the natural world.

The Forest School helps the kids to develop practical skills, like building, foraging, den-building and cooking over a fire. We also look at the plants and trees around the wildlife garden, watching animals living in the pond and discovering insects in nooks and crannies. There’s a creative element to it, too – we draw and paint flowers, take bark rubbings, press petals and take time to listen to the sounds of nature around us.

My genuine love for nature makes it so easy to care for it and share this with others. Nature is filled with so much beauty and life that it’s only natural to feel uplifted in the presence of towering trees, beautiful plants and singing birds.

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