My dad was always my hero, so when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer in April 2019 I was devastated. It came as a huge shock to the family, particularly my mum who idolised him – they’d been married for 45 years. My dad had been suffering from a lack of appetite for a few years and had been getting regular vitamin B12 injections to treat this. Then he saw a new doctor who sent him for some more tests to investigate what was going on. It soon became clear it was serious.

 

I grew up on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, surrounded by sea and marshland, so I was always in tune with nature. I spent most of my childhood riding around on my bike with a friend who was obsessed with plants – he’s an ecologist now. I think this inspired my lifelong interest in sustainability. But it was while studying for my Masters in Maths and Physics that I began to understand our impact on the environment and the need to reduce harmful emissions.

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