Baker Consultants Ltd

Why I love my job...Ecology is all about problem solving; making the connections between often disparate pieces of evidence and seeing the opportunity in every situation. There is absolutely no chance of getting bored!

When I'm out...It is usually in the proximity of good quality beer

When I'm at home...You'll usually find me building stuff (current project is a green roofed shed), then it's onto making the dream of a carbon neutral, underground house in the peak district a reality.

Thing you'd never guess from the photo...I still get called "young man" by the woman at the railway station

Proudest moment... Getting the companies house registration for Baker Consultants Ltd and every time one of our employees gets some positive client feedback.

Hopes and fears for the future...I hope my son will play for England; my fear is he'll be playing tiddily-winks (who am I kidding? I'd be proud whatever!)

Why I love my job... There's always something new, this gives me frequent brain-ache, but its worth it! The job is about keeping everything in balance, the significance of data gathered in the field, the context of the site and species, the planning need and the legal concerns. They never fit together neatly and each one is continuously changing, but that's what makes it fun.

When I'm out... I don't like thinking about this question, I must have got old or something worse. I promise to have an interesting night out soon, ask me about it next time we speak!

Thing you'd never guess from the photo... I'm surprisingly homely, I knit and bake, that sort of thing. I also talk funny.

Proudest moment... I got a prize at university, which was nice.

Hopes and fears... I hope that I'm still doing this, with the same people, in more-or-less the same place for many more years. I fear Saffron will torment me annually with these agonizing questions!

Work location... Derbyshire, south Yorkshire, Midlands

Why I love my job... Every day and every project is different and I enjoy the challenge which that brings. I am responsible for myself day to day and work on my own initiative, but I also work with a fabulous team which I enjoy enormously'

When I'm out... Which believe it or not, is not that often, I like sleep too much. However, good beer, good music, good food, and a good film goes down very well.

When I'm at home... I’m watching DVDs, listening to music, catching up on must see tv series such as The Wire, Lost, Flash Forward.

Thing you'd never guess from the photo... I’m possibly a chocoholic, or maybe a cakeoholic, mmm, no just have a really bad sweet tooth!

Proudest moment... Completing my degree with a very good 2:1, getting a proper job for the first time, and still working with (well part of) the same team 4 years later.

Hopes and fears for the future... I hope I do a good job, I fear making mistakes. But we all live and learn.

Work location... Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, midlands

Why I love my job... I go to places that I would never have the opportunity to see; like the labyrinth of tunnels on an operational MoD site that was like the set of James Bond. When I ordinarily see measures to protect and enhance the wildlife such as reptile fences, bat crossing points and habitat creation on tip sites I realise the work we do is making a difference.

When I'm out... I'm with the whole family in a nice little café deli in Ledbury or walking with my little boy in nearby woods.

When I'm at home... Recently it has meant doing DIY. I’d like to say it’s almost over but there is still the kitchen to do.

Thing you'd never guess from the photo... I have a very open face so you can probably guess everything there is to know.

Proudest moment... Starting my MG for the first time after rebuilding the engine.

Hopes and fears for the future... I hope that my fears don’t come true and my hopes do!

Work location... Wales and the West Country

Why I love my job... Who wouldn’t like working with such fun people – we all look forward to our team meetings, in fact one of the team actually commented that she was looking forward to returning to work after the Christmas break!

When I'm out... This month (due to the snow and ice) I have slipped and slithered to and fro and had a fabulous time sledging.

Something you can't tell from my photo... My natural hair colour is grey – in fact white! Maybe you can tell that from the photo though?

Proudest moment... This month has to be getting the minutes of the team meeting out in record time!

Hopes and fears... Hopes that 2010 is as much fun and as successful for Baker Consultants as last year was.

Why I love my job...My clever & witty colleagues are so entertaining and it gives my under-used brain a work-out

When I'm out...It is usually daylight and involves eating cake

Something you can't tell from my photo... I am trying to stop eating so much cake

Proudest moment...Recently it is seeing my daughters walking to school hand in hand and realizing they do actually quite like each other

Hopes and fears...I hope my daughters continue to get on but fear that, being girls, they will be scratching each others’ eyes out for at least the next 15 years.

Why I love my job... I'm not entirely sure what it is, which makes every day unique, but mostly I love fixing stuff so that other people can do their jobs more effectively. It's especially rewarding being paid to blow our trumpet!

When I'm out... I'm usually running late due to the distraction of charity shops.

Thing you'd never guess from the photo... I'm happiest asleep, or eating.

Proudest moment... My daughter annoucing she wants to be a mummy when she grows up!

Hopes and fears... I hope I'll learn to chill out enough to enjoy my children before they grow away from me. I fear that the stupid people will continue to dominate the world order and threaten the future of our planet.

Why I love my job... I get to go to places I would never see otherwise; derelict mental asylums, the Vietnamese jungle, mines, caves, remote coastal wetlands, English palaces, Welsh castles and the tops of tall trees.

Thing you would never guess from the picture... I was born in Kenya and lived the early part of my life in the Caribbean.

Key experience

I have a broad range of field skills including habitat and protected species survey and assessment, including phase 1, NVC, great crested newts, dormice, reptiles, water voles, badgers and otters, with a specialism in bat survey and ecology.

My PhD research focused on the behavioural ecology of British butterflies and has given me a sound grounding in the ecology and conservation of species within fragmented landscapes, particularly in the face of climate change.

I have been involved in several large-scale Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) in the UK, including road schemes, housing and leisure developments as well as rapid biodiversity assessment and EIA in both Vietnam and China, giving advice on mitigation and habitat creation.

Why I love my job... Partly because I don’t have to wear a suit or do 9-5, but mainly because I use my skills and experience to encourage wider, responsible public access to the outdoors.

What you wouldn't guess from my picture... I once sang in a punk band. We weren’t very good and thankfully only played one gig.

Key experience

In 2003 myself and a colleague carried out a ground-breaking access survey in and around York which became an exemplar project for future Rights of Way Improvement Plans, now a statutory requirement for all local authorities to draw up. Our study examined access across the whole network: what off-road routes did commuters use to get to work or students take to the university? How did people use the city’s open spaces (such as ‘the strays’) for recreation and what measures could be taken to reconcile greater public access with nature conservation? And how could access be safeguarded and even enhanced in the face of new road-building, residential developments, etc?

Modern life and all its competing demands in a nutshell.

Why I love my job... I get a real buzz from imparting knowledge then seeing that knowledge give people self confidence, self fulfillment, enhanced job satisfaction and in many cases a new career direction.

What you wouldn't guess from my picture... That I am a 60 year old with a life long dedication to bat conservation and a taste for danger and adventure.

Key experience

Sandie has twenty five years experience as an ecology consultant in both conservation and the private sector. Her work has included a wide range of clients such as the Highways Agency, Local Authorities, Bat Conservation Trust, engineering consultancies and private individuals through a range of contract types and in a variety of spheres such as building development, highway construction, flood alleviation schemes and research. Currently her emphasis is on development and delivery of training courses for ecological consultants. She is the author of four natural history books, scientific and popular articles and co-author of a new book on bat sound analysis. Additionally she has ten years experience as a secondary school teacher and university lecturer and tutor in both the UK and South Africa.

Why I love my job...I still get to do everything! That might be digging holes or strategic planning; meeting customers or writing risk assessments. The best bit is wanting to come to work as although we all work hard we all get on and have fun too. We have a great team of people that are a joy to work with.

Things you’d never guess from my picture...There’s nothing I can write under this heading that doesn’t sound facile but I do enjoy doing Sudokos and Crosswords!

Key experience

A wealth of practical experience going back 20 years initially supplying dry stone walling, hedge laying and fencing services to English Nature and The Peak Park in Derbyshire, and then developing the Legacy scope to include habitat and protected species management (great crested newts, slow worms, water voles etc). Project Management and Health and Safety Management have become a key role for me when dealing with large civil engineering projects such as pipelines and road schemes where Legacy Habitat Management are involved in mitigation works. Currently putting in place ISO9001 which should be completed by Spring 2010.