Chantelle Lindsay: 'The wildlife world needs representation'
Chantelle Lindsay is a busy woman. You might have spotted her co-presenting CBeebies’ flagship nature programme Teeny Tiny Creatures, but she’s just as likely to be leading nature-based wellness sessions for adolescents, campaigning for wildlife protection or planting greenery with her hands in the dirt.
Since 2016, Chantelle has been juggling multiple roles with the London Wildlife Trust and this month, for The National Lottery’s birthday campaign, she and 30 other campaigners and conservationists have been honoured as Game Changers, giving her another – but very welcome – plate to spin.
“I’m incredibly busy,” she admits. “It’s overwhelming but in the best way. I might have bags under my eyes but I seem to be managing to achieve my dreams in a very short space of time.”
Chantelle was nominated along with six others in the “heritage” category, including founder of the Eden Project, Sir Tim Smit, and Heidi McIlvenny from the Sea Deep Project. The National Lottery has honoured them all by commissioning a giant, ephemeral artwork from David Popa installed at Whitby Abbey.
“It felt so surreal to be selected alongside people who have been my inspiration,” she tells Country Living. “And that artwork is incredible. When you first see it on the ground, you’re not quite sure what’s going on, but then you walk through it and see the leaves and our entwined hands. It’s a perfect symbol of what we’re trying to achieve collectively.”
From childhood, the wildlife advocate has always found purpose as a “steward of the planet”, eventually graduating university with a first-class degree in animal behaviour and wildlife conservation (“my proudest achievement”). From there, Chantelle won a traineeship with the London Wildlife Trust’s Keeping It Wild project, an initiative supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and designed to help young people and under-represented communities engage with environmental issues.
Here, her twin careers really took off. As well as strengthening her commitment to conservation, Chantelle started presenting. “I made some videos for the Wildlife Trust’s YouTube channel and then got asked to go on Blue Peter and Springwatch. Suddenly my face was everywhere, and I was building a profile without even knowing it!” Landing the CBeebies role came next.
As a young black woman, Chantelle stands in a space that has traditionally been dominated by white men.
She explains: “The environmental sector is unfortunately one of the least diverse. I would look around and think, ‘My community isn’t represented here.’”
If there’s anyone who can spearhead a movement to deliver real change, whether in representation or in wildlife conservation, it’s Chantelle. Below are some of the key lessons she’s learned throughout her career so far...
A passion for wildlife starts at home
“My first bedroom was safari-themed – and my mum thinks this subliminally influenced me! I’ve always felt a connection with nature, and always hoped I’d end up working with wildlife. Growing up we moved around a lot but were always lucky enough to have a garden, and my Mum and Dad were always out there tending it. When we lived in Doncaster, we had a beautiful community of friends who’d come round for functions and events in the garden.”
Even if you’re stuck indoors, you can connect briefly with nature
“Working for the London Wildlife Trust’s Great North Wood Project, which focuses on woodland restoration and community engagement in the landscape, I always had my hands in the soil. I don’t have so much time for that now but, when I work from home, I sit in a spot where I can look out into the garden and hear the birds singing. And I bring the outdoors inside. I must have over 50 houseplants!”
Spending time outdoors isn’t just beautiful – it can transform your mood
“When my head is super-crowded, I go for a walk, take off my headphones and listen to the birds singing and the trees rustling. It brings a real sense of slowing down and getting back to your rhythm. We have a deep connection with the natural world. I mean have you ever met anyone who says, ‘I cannot stand the sound of birdsong’!?”
It's vital for young people to experience the natural world
“We know that nature boosts creativity and concentration, and that it lowers stress and anxiety, and I see that very clearly in my work. At the moment, I’m delivering nature-based wellbeing sessions to support young people on the waiting list for Child and Adolescent Mental Health services (CAMS). It’s a project called Nature in Mind and it’s all about getting children to feel that connection with nature and to communicate with each other. After a recent session, one young person said they felt a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.”
Wildlife conservation initiatives can only flourish if every community is involved
“One of the key things is representation and, without wanting to sound cliché, to be the change you want to see in the world. I want other Black girls to see my face and realise that the wildlife world can be a space for them. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) can’t just sit on the side, it must flow through everything. Nature gives us a good lesson here. To have a successful woodland, you need the variety. We’ve all got a part to play.”
If you don’t know where to start, find yourself a conservation muse
“Rory Crawford, who co-hosts Teeny Tiny Creatures with me, is one of the most incredible people. And there’s always been Sir David Attenborough – I used to call him my wildlife husband! When I was younger, I’d be in awe of those nature documentaries but I wouldn’t see a lot of people who looked like me. Now, there’s the inspirational Liz Bonnin and Gillian Burke… things are changing.”
Working in nature makes you stronger
“Building steps when it’s very muddy isn’t easy, and there was the time I was learning to use a chain saw with a bunch of men and my wrists were really aching (I didn’t fess up!). Interestingly, though, what’s often most challenging isn’t the weather or the job at hand, it’s tackling the perception people have of you being a woman in this space. I’ve learnt to become more assertive and stop feeling I have to prove myself all the time.”
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