Simon was one of the co-founders of Ambios back in 2001, which was set up to help people gain the skills they needed to get work in the nature conservation sector.
After following badgers around the countryside of Devon for a research Masters, Simon managed to get a part-time job in communications working for the Wildlife Trust. At the same time, he got involved in adult education through helping with and eventually leading study tours to California, the Arctic, and the primeval forests of Eastern Europe. A lifelong interest in delivering learning experiences emerged and he soon realised there was a disconnect between the knowledge and understanding that Universities provided, and the practical skills that employers wanted. He also saw that people without degrees but with good practical skills were able to get jobs in the sector. A series of projects focussing on providing practical skills, and supporting learning journeys for those interested in getting a job in our sector followed, and continues to this day.
For him, at the end of each cohort of trainees, receiving feedback is always uplifting. The personal stories shared around feeling more confident, learning new skills, and preparing to look for work in our sector are heart-warming every time.
Simon connects to nature through taking time to sit and observe, engaging in birdwatching or sitting and watching the landscape, and his favourite wildlife sighting at the farm is the barn owl that regularly flies over the rewilding fields.
Jack was accepted onto an Ambios trianing programme called Kingfisher in 2005. His placement was with Ambios, whereas most placements were hosted by other NGO’s in Devon, including Exmoor National Park, Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, and the Marine Biological Assocation. He spent 9 months in Taunton, and it was during this time they applied for project funding for a residential nature conservation volunteer programme. They approached Sharpham Trust to ask if they would like to host the project, and the rest is history!
At the time, Jack had a burning desire to learn about nature conservation, having not previously studied it, and was considering an MSc in Falmouth when this training position came up. His interests were around rural regeneration, partly eco-tourism, partly nature conservation, partly sustainable development. He was looking to find a career path that linked him to the land, but where community was integral. He had spent the previous 2 years, after graduating from university, working in the countryside – hedge laying in the winter, gardening in the summer, and playing lots of cricket. Jack had spent some time travelling and seeing amazing parts of the world that he was fully inspired by, and wanted to create something similar here in his home of Devon.
Jack’s favourite part of working for Ambios is the people! Getting to work in a beautiful part of the world, doing important work, but getting to spend it with wonderful folk. He loves the community around the farm, and across the Ambios network. Ambios trainee alumni are now doing incredible things, and it’s wonderful hearing their updates and stories.
Jack finds connecting to nature happens in various ways. He’s quite an early riser, and appreciate the early mornings, and loves waking before the birds, so he can begin to hear their calls. When he takes Yeti (their black lab) for a walk, when he leans on a gate looking at the farm, when he heads out with his family to spot the barn owl foraging in the fields, he finds peace, and takes a moment to connect to nature.
As for his favourite wildlife sightings on the farm, he’s had a lot of astonishing wildlife sightings; kingfisher in the marsh, seal on the river, otter on camera traps, even a white-tailed eagle. He really appreciates some of the fungi species the farm has. He loves the moments when you are least expecting to see something, when you might be distracted by the business of life; a stoat running across a path for instance when checking on the cows! His favourite has to be watching the barn owls. One of the earliest projects at Sharpham was radio tracking fledgling barn owls as they left their natal home. More recently they can be spotted from their window, foraging across the fields that are transforming into a rodent haven, plenty of good food for raptors. Without fail, seeing one takes his breath away.
Mike started to work with Ambios as a consultant ecologist back in 2005 and becoming a trainer on its European mobility programmes in 2008. Since then, he has been dedicated to building and delivering Ambios’s training and nature recovery programmes at Sharpham.
He first began working for nature as a trainee habitat surveyor with the Scottish Wildlife Trust in 1992. This led him onto contract survey work across the UK and the completion of a degree in Conservation Management with the University of East Anglia. Mike moved to Devon in the late 90’s to do habitat assessments for the Devon Wildlife Trust, this transitioning into many happy years of habitat/protected species consultancy across Devon, joining Ambios’s ecological consultancy as a partner in 2005.
However, it wasn’t until he was given the opportunity to lead teams of Ambios trainees on wild adventures with the Barn Owl Foundation in Hungary that he found his element. He has become as a passionate educator and says that helping others achieve their dreams of a fulfilled life, while working for to bringing nature back on the Sharpham Estate is much more than he could have ever hoped for. He says that he particularly values the joy of getting to know so many wonderful, positive and kind-hearted souls who who want to grow a better world.
Mike is driven to understand how land can be managed for ecological resilience into the future, and rewilding on the Sharpham Estate is a lifelong dream come true. He’s been keeping a beady eye on the wildlife’s recovery and can be seen many a summer evening in the tussocks papping the new insect arrivals. His favourite wildlife sighting was the great rewilding butterfly ‘infestation’ of 2025! “There were so many I started to get worried!”.
Shirley first met the Ambios team in 2017 when she did a traineeship with them in Autumn, after finishing her Master’s in Conservation Biology at the University of Évora. Whilst still on the traineeship, she was invited to be a founding member for Ambios Portugal, a not-for-profit NGO based in Portugal (despite the shared name, the two organisations are entirely separate). While working there from 2018 until 2024, she had the pleasure of continuing to work alongside Ambios as a partner in various Erasmus + funded projects. When her path lead her to move to the UK, she started working for Ambios in January 2025.
Shirley’s path has often been a winding one throughout life, and her return to Ambios is a loop she had always wondered about and hoped for, so she counts herself as lucky to have a chance to work in this beautiful location with this great team!
Having a team to work with that is always there and willing to help whenever they can, to support you in difficult moments, and above all not only work incredibly hard but also have fun doing it, is one of her favourite parts of working here. She can’t, of course, fail to mention the privilege of working in such an idyllic location, where you hear the birds calling, and on a quiet day, the rustle of the leaves in the trees.
She connects to nature through observation, usually through artistic pursuits like photography and illustration, or with a casual stroll or a longer hike through a beautiful landscape, punctuated with stops to look at birds, flowers, fungi, or whatever else she can spot.
So far seeing the greater spotted woodpeckers flitting up and down tree trunks, or seeing the cheeky gatherings of jackdaws on the fence posts around the yard, would be one of her favourites wildlife sightings on the farm, but she has to admit she’s pretty excited to see the fungi season here this year!
Uschi’s journey with Ambios began in 2022 as a conservation volunteer, later taking part in the Summer Nature Recovery Traineeship in 2023. In 2024, she became a permanent member of the team, as the Communications and Marketing Officer.
While studying Social Anthropology at the University of Manchester, Uschi developed a deep interest in environmental anthropology – particularly how human societies both shape and are shaped by the natural world. She was especially fascinated by the relationship between First Nations Peoples in Canada and their profound knowledge of, and respect for, the land. This made her reflect on her own relationship with nature, prompting a desire to better understand the flora and fauna on her own doorstep, and a longing to feel a bit more connected to the land.
Uschi loves working at Ambios for the sense of shared purpose and community that comes with being part of a passionate, supportive, and inspiring team. Sharing the positive news stories of the wildlife, fantastic projects taking place across the site and beyond, and being around the infectious enthusiasm of the trainee cohorts all make her work at Ambios both meaningful and engaging. Also getting to have her tea break overlooking the stunning River Dart is an added bonus!
When not working, she enjoys trail running, river swims, and quiet moments in nature – turning her phone off and going for a walk in her local woods is one of her favourite ways to recharge. Uschi’s had a few particularly special encounters on the Sharpham Estate down by the river when a curious seal has popped up and they’ve shared an exchange; she always wonders what they’re thinking and these encounters never fail to feel a bit enchanted for her.
Fraser has worked intermittently for Ambios since its founding in 2001, but on a more regular basis since 2014.
His career in the Nature Conservation sector started soon after leaving school in the early 1980’s, since when he has had varied employment in the Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, the Nature Conservancy Council, and statutory authorities, both local and national. Most of his career has been ion nature reserve management.
Fraser enjoys working for Ambios as a trainer and also gets involved in conservation projects wherever his skills might apply. He says his main reason for working at Lower Sharpham Farm is the students. “This is my opportunity to pass on skills to amazingly enthusiastic and deeply committed people, knowing that they will use them to continue the work of conserving nature.”
Fraser connects with nature mostly by spending time at his own small piece of riverside meadow and woodland on Dartmoor; managing the site as a nature reserve and observing what lives there, but mostly just enjoying it. Fraser is also a bird ringer and ringing trainer, and spends time ringing birds at various locations in Devon.
Jaya first joined Ambios in January 2025 as a Apricot Centre trainee, and as of April, has started working At Ambios as a gardener.
Jaya studied Geography at Lancaster University, learning about the environmental and social impacts of unsustainable food systems and land use. This sparked an enthusiasm to explore better systems, and through Ambios and the Apricot Centre course she enjoys learning about regenerative agriculture, nature recovery and community engagement.
For Jaya, the best thing about working at Ambios is getting to meet so many different people, plants and animals! There is an incredible atmosphere of joyfulness, curiousity and growth at the farm.
She connects to nature by observing changes in the landscape as the seasons shift, especially in the trees, which makes her feel more connected to nature.
Jaya found it particularly exciting to see a jay for the first time here at the farm, with their iconic electric blue feathers!
Chris joined Ambios in January 2025.
He was looking for a career change from his job with Royal Mail in Sussex, and after going on a retreat at Sharpham in September 2023, he successfully applied for the Spring 2024 Nature Recovery traineeship with Ambios. During the 4 month traineeship he then applied for a one year traineeship with the Apricot Centre with a residential placement at Ambios.
He loves feeling that everything done at Ambios is making a big difference both for the local community and the reverberations of the knowledge learned here spreads far and wide across the world.
To connect to nature, Chris loves walking in the woods or going to the beach as well as sitting and listening to the sounds of the birds and wildlife.
He counts himself lucky enough to have had some beautiful moments watching barn owls hunting over the rewilding areas, and to have once seen a kingfisher by the river.
Tom rejoined Ambios in January 2026 for a year-long placement with the Apricot Centre, studying for a Level 3 in Regenerative Land-Based Systems, after previously completing the Autumn 2024 Nature Recovery traineeship. Whilst here, and beyond, he hopes to further develop his interests in the provision of more equitable access to organic food, produced in a way that is both environmentally and socially sustainable, mycology, herbalism and the medicinal potentials of plants and fungi.
His favourite part about working at Ambios is the community spirit on the farm and being able to share a different way of living with interesting, inspiring, like-minded people from all walks of life.
Living, learning and working together in community and forming lifelong connections.
He feels in a privileged position to be able to help facilitate people coming to Ambios and having similar life changing and affirming experiences as he did during his traineeship.
He finds connection to nature in foraging, walking, swimming and exploring on the moors and coasts of Devon, and in enjoying the pure silence of a starry night, watching the moon rise over the River Dart.
On the farm, a sighting of the barn owl hunting over the rewilding fields never fails to take his breath away.And come Autumn he will be eagerly anticipating the arrival of mushroom season.
Beth joined Ambios at the start of January 2026, as part of the Apricot Centre’s yearlong Diploma in Regenerative Land-Based Systems. Her journey to arriving here is one of many twists and turns- we suppose as all good journeys are!
At university she studied Veterinary Science, inspired by a deep care and affinity for animals. However, as her studies progressed, she felt a growing friction with the way she was being taught to relate to her fellow animal kin. There was little emphasis on wider systemic issues feeding ill health and something inside her was itching for different. After graduating Beth decided not to work clinically as a vet and (with a few more wiggles), continued her studies on Shift Bristol’s Practical Sustainability Course. This nurtured a growing interest in local food systems, herbal and holistic medicines and the interconnection of planetary and personal health.
Beth feels incredibly grateful for this next budding chapter at Ambios: to live alongside and learn from wonderful, kind and passionate people, while further exploring ways of regenerating our soils, ecosystems and relationship with the natural world. This nook of Devon feels incredibly special to her and she’s excited to sink into it more. So far, she’s been enjoying the rich red mud and beautiful voice of the Song Thrush at dusk. She doesn’t think she’s been anywhere in the UK with such an abundance of bird song and chatter… and it’s still Winter!
Stu has 15 years experience in conservation and land management, as well as passion for passing on traditional rural skills and woodland development. His roles include educating the trainees, groundworks and all aspects of woodland and estate management. He is qualified in a range of machinery use and techniques including chainsaws, brush cutters and hedge laying. He especially enjoys utilising the natural resources through his passion for chainsaw planking, woodturning and charcoal making. Stu also runs a small craft company in Devon, called Shaw Wood. Primarily they produce locally sourced and handcrafted wooden items such as Didgeridoos , handturned objects and rustic garden furniture. They also offer a variety of rural skills training, as well as land management, landscaping and outdoor space enhancement. Please visit his website to find out more.
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