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As head gardener of King’s College, Steve’s best days are when the weather is good, the sun is up, and he can just get out there and enjoy the spectacular landscape. These are the days when Steve gets a chance to reflect, both on the space around him and on his team who work blooming hard to support and sustain King’s stunning landscapes. For Steve, gardening is consulting the genius of place and recognising that our landscapes have been here before us, are here for us now, and will continue long after us. There is a great deal of being humble in the presence of nature…

Guy’s got the repairing bug. In his view, you have nothing to lose when you find something that’s been thrown out. Even if you destroy it completely, it doesn’t matter, and that can be very freeing. That makes it a valuable learning tool to develop your investigative skills. If Guy finds he can repair something at the end of that, it’s an extra treat. Guy feels a responsibility to find what he repairs a new owner, somebody who will really value it and use it. That journey is enjoyable, and every fix is different, from LED candles, bluetooth headphones, and fairy lights, to kettles and toasters. He takes something seen as broken and worthless, and in a half hour or less, can often make it work again, giving it a new life…

Clara co-founded Water Sensitive Cambridge with three other Cambridge residents after talking about how water could be managed differently. The group builds awareness and action to support the urban water cycle. For example, the group makes rain gardens using existing green spaces to put water into the ground instead of the drain. This supports trees, reduces surface flooding, and cleans the water when it does find its way to the river. Clara takes inspiration from many groups and individuals who bring the arts, sciences and economics together for restorative projects around water…

In her participatory arts practice, Hilary provokes creativity and playful exploration to reimagine the communities and places we live in. Her work builds and deepens connections to ourselves, each other, the natural environment and a hopeful vision of the future. Hilary often thinks of mycellium and how – as we share stories and weave connections – we are like these underground fungal networks that support the forests so that a new generation of trees can survive…

Alice plants for pollinators along with a small group of committed people. They transform urban infrastructure like verges, parks, schools and roundabouts to increase biodiversity and make sure pollinating insects can access nectar-rich flowers across our city. On the Verge started with a text message from a friend, Ben, who was asking if anyone else was anxious about the desperate drop in pollinators because he wanted to do something. Alice and Jo instinctively responded and together they decided to take action. Their bold vision was to plant nectar-rich meadows throughout the city and they’ve been learning every step of the way…