Vince Lea

Conservation Officer

Vince has been fascinated by the biological world since he entered it! Having read everything he could find in his parents' household encyclopaedia, he surprised his teachers at school with knowledge such as the unusual Z- form of DNA. Studying Biological Sciences at UEA opened his eyes to the beauty of biological molecules and the study of genetics. Although he went to study ecology, the potential of crop genetics studied at the John Innes Institute offered him an alternative career path: improving the performance of our crop plants can make more efficient land use possible, freeing up land for nature and reducing the need for chemical treatments on crops.

Watching nature was a weekend hobby for Vince and a mid-life career change allowed Vince to be paid for his hobby. His role at CRT has expanded to include aspects of conservation work. He has run a mink-control operation in Cambridgeshire, linked to other operations across East Anglia, and which is hoped will provide a model for future eradication nationally. Water voles have now returned to the Bourn Brook thanks to the removal of many mink over the last ten years.

Vince is also involved in some education work at CRT. While he is hopeful that the next generation will have a strong voice for nature, he is concerned about most children's lack of understanding about wildlife.

As well as working part-time for CRT in his wildlife-monitoring role, Vince does contract work surveying birds for organisations such as the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and other species for local conservation organisations. He is invested in achieving a sustainable lifestyle, by growing vegetables and harvesting energy to run the home, for example.

Vince is a regular contributor to The Lark, and helps spread the word about CRT by talking to the local radio station from time to time. He is always happy to talk about wildlife with anyone!

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£100 Helps with the cost of providing habitats for a range of farmland wildlife.

£50 Allows our conservation team to spend an afternoon monitoring the success of the CRT community’s activities.

£20 Provides our volunteers with resources to complete essential conservation tasks.

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Please make a donation today so the CRT can continue to restore a living, working countryside...

Latest

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Thanks to money raised in our Twelve Gifts of Christmas campaign, we were thrilled to buy new withies to plant in our osier beds at Bere Marsh Farm. These willows will help provide important habitat for wildlife.
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Jenny Ashdown plays a key conservation role at Bere Marsh Farm. Here she talks us through the key areas of the farm and explains the important habitat each section provides and how our land is managed for the benefit of wildlife.
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CRT President charts the decline of farmland birds

CRT President charts the steady decline of farmland birds.
Danielle Dewe

CEO
Jenny Ashdown

Assistant Conservation Officer - Dorset
Hannah Bosence

Volunteer Manager
Emily Coleman

Project Officer- Mink Eradication for Waterlife Recovery East
Helena Darragh

Head of Conservation and Land Management
Nick Dobbs

Community Engagement Manager
Rebecca Dutton

PR and Policy Officer
Andrew James

Head of Content
Gail Jefferson

Administrator to Head of Estates and Head of Conservation

School trips on the farm
Volunteer with the CRT

Would you like to help wildlife and do your bit to create a landscape bursting with life? To enjoy quiet time connecting with nature to benefit your wellbeing, or to get stuck into exciting conservation projects with a friendly team? To learn new skills or develop existing ones? Whatever motivates you to consider volunteering, we’d love to have you in our team.
What We Do

The CRT promotes nature-friendly farming to help reverse biodiversity decline and combat climate change. We believe nature is integral to good farming and we protect, promote and regenerate our land and all life on it. We put our philosophy into practice on over 2,000 acres of working farms, small-holdings and woodland across England.
Slow-worms – the gardener’s best friend

The UK has 6 native reptile species including the curious slow-worm (Anguis fragilis). Although serpent-like in appearance, slow-worms are in fact limbless lizards and an amazing example of de-evolution.
Conservation Volunteer

This is your chance to get 'down and dirty' to help CRT improve the habitats and environment on our farms, with a wide range of conservation projects and initiatives.
Wildlife & Farms

To achieve our vision of a living, working countryside we have purchased 18 sites across the UK, each with their own unique ecosystem and biodiversity.
Bere Marsh Farm

Mixed farmland, Dorset
Robin Page

Co-Founder
David Mills MBE

Trustee
Regenerative Farming & CRT

Since our inception we have been working tirelessly to achieve our vision of a living, working countryside, and that is not changing, but in a world that’s in its sixth mass extinction we must evolve to fight this threat.