Nature nurtures determination for countryside career

A long-standing love of nature has helped drive one man forward into protecting and nurturing Denbighshire’s local trees and plants.

County Voice sits down with our Tree Nursery Assistant Sam Brown to learn how since an early age, protecting nature has fashioned his outdoor career.

Born at Wrexham Maleor hospital, Sam grew up in Acrefair, a little village halfway between Llangollen and Wrexham.

Early memories include a helping hand from his parents for learning about the importance of the outdoors.

He said: “Mum and Dad brought me up to love nature, we used to go to National Trust properties, RSPB reserves, we have Erddig on the doorstep, Chirk Castle, Ty Mawr Country Park. Basically, they brought me up stomping and walking around in wellies most weekends and outside of school…loving nature was instilled in me at an early age.

“I was a junior ranger at Ty Mawr Country Park with Wrexham Council, they basically ran it as a club, I was eight when I started and around 15 when I finished. They ran it after school, so you would get changed from your school uniform, you would get down there in your wellies for four o’clock and they would run activities for you for an hour.”

Sam honed his countryside skills as a junior ranger by tackling mucking out the animals, to pond dipping to surveying butterflies at the park.

“I really got stuck into it, they instilled quite professional values into us, like how to look after the animals, being friendly chatting to people and training as well, such as a river safety course.”

At school Sam coped with a diagnosis of Dyspraxia while studying but his love for nature helped him through.

He explained: “I liked school, but I didn’t get on with the academics, I was always looking out of the window watching the sparrows and the whitetails and the pigeons outside. I was far more interested in that than the lessons.

“But a few teachers, one of them Miss Mills, my science teacher tapped into that once. When everybody else was doing another science practical she sent me and my friends out to do a bird survey on the school fields. She also ran an after-school gardening club where I got to do all sorts of things.”

Options weighed on Sam’s mind following school after he pondered the choice of a career in Mechanics or Marine Biology which had always been on his mind since a youngster, but the love of nature and the countryside always remained a driving force in the background.

“I was also a bit of a petrol head, really into engineering and cars but I couldn’t do maths very well and that took me off the engineering track because I knew I found it difficult.”

However, nature remained by his side and Sam admits the steps into the career he enjoys today happened quickly.

He explained: “We were just flicking through courses at Coleg Cambria and found a course at Llysfasi College which was Countryside Management and Conservation and Forestry was another option for me as well.”

Sam took part in an open day at the college doing some work and found he loved the activity involved. Joining the Level 2 stage of the course he spent three years at the college working through to achieve Level 3.

“I met some really good people that I'm still in touch with now. Even now sometimes I work with some of them as well. And yes I really, really enjoyed my time at the college. My tutors were really inspiring, really helpful.

One of his tutors was a botanist and helped Sam develop his knowledge of plants and another gave him the skills to work practically out in the countryside.

“When I finished College, I was in two minds as to whether to go to university, I felt I was too young even though most people went at my age… I didn’t feel very ready to move away from home.”

Sam admits he tussled with the idea of going to Aberystwyth University or Liverpool John Moores to study Marine Biology but the continuing call of the nature of the countryside gave him an opportunity that he has never looked back from.

“I ended up going to a job interview for a countryside ranger in the Dee Valley team, I didn’t get that job, but they put me on the relief ranger list. I’d do a day with them here and there, the busy seasons, tree planting, things like that, so I got a good bit of experience with them.

“I know my love was the land, the people on the land and the things on the land. I discovered I loved trees; with my Dyspraxia you do sometimes get fixated with things. I was able to memorise all the native tree species straight away and I got really good at wildflowers as well. From a young age it’s always been there in the back of my head what I really wanted to do.”

Faith is also important to Sam who is a Christian and to him, nature together with his beliefs is a big driver for his commitment and work.

“I’m really passionate about nature…I’m a Christian, I believe God created nature and it deserve respect, the animals…the plants. It’s an amazing resource for our spiritual health, our actual health, we need to recognise that and that the Earth is a precious resource, and I want to look after it.”

Becoming a passionate gardener since leaving college growing plants at home, Sam admits his happy place is in his garden.

Sam also experienced time caring for an under-threat bird at the Little Terns colony at Gronant Dunes as a warden.

“I enjoyed my time with the Little Terns. I loved looking after them, they were lovely animals.”

Following his warden duties, Sam got his current Tree Nursery Assistant role in September 2023 and has been using his skills to boost the county’s local plant and tree population ever since.

“I've been absolutely loving it. Having the opportunity to put all my skills to use here and enjoy making a positive difference to something so close to my heart is so worth it.”

And his tips for anyone wishing to follow in his footsteps?

Sam added: “What you need to do is you just need to volunteer wherever you can. No matter where you are in the country, you're going to have a local Wildlife Trust, you'll have a National Trust property nearby and you'll have a local council countryside service which may do volunteering.

“Also, when you volunteer…its showing a willingness to volunteer. I learnt a lot from volunteering. I'd say more so than any other part of my education. So volunteering is important and of course… just having that determination to keep going.”