We would like to welcome a new recruit to the Sea Watch team, Helen Willingham, who has recently been appointed as Sea Watch Regional Coordinator for Essex!
- Helen Willingham – Essex Sea Watch’s Regional Coordinator
I’m Helen, I’ve always loved animals of all types and I recently got back from a trip to New Zealand where I was fascinated with the wildlife. We were lucky to see many cetaceans including sperm whales, orcas, common dolphins, dusky dolphins and bottlenose dolphins. When I got back to the UK I thought about this a lot and how we have so many animals here in the UK – including whales, dolphins and porpoises which are usually thought of as exotic and ‘holiday resort’ animals. I knew that when I got back I wanted to do something in conservation or sightings to help understand the native and visiting animals that we do have.
I’ve lived in Chelmsford, Essex for nearly four years now and I love being so close to London but then also very close to the coast. I grew up in Shropshire so it was always a bit of a mission to the seaside, it now feels like it’s on my doorstep. Being able to help Sea Watch and act as Regional Coordinator for Essex is a great honour and I want to get lots of people involved and understand what we can sight from our coastline here in Essex.
Day to day I work as a digital project manager for a data design studio in London, very far removed from nature and the outdoors. I’ve been in digital project management for eight years now and have worked with a variety of clients to help bring their work to life through engaging design and online experiences. Volunteering with Sea Watch Foundation will be a great way to combine my organisational skills with a love of animals and nature. I’m thoroughly looking forward to it.
