CONTEXT 182 : DECEMBER 2024 51 Vox pop Imogen Wood Who has been your greatest inspiration? It’s a toss-up between Indiana Jones and my previous line manager at English Heritage/Historic England, Sarah Lewis. The two of them share a joy for life, its beauty, history and treasures, which I have soaked up and channelled into my work. Sarah was the heritage-at-risk principal while I was in her team. The work was always a little distressing as you focus on so much harm, damage and neglect in the conservation space. Not specialising in a specific asset type, I initially found it hard to gain traction with some of my projects across buildings, landscapes and archaeological features. Sarah always provided fantastic inspiration and supported me in developing skills and experience to tackle risks. What has been your best idea? Perhaps starting my own consultancy back in 2009. I was on a contract with Natural England and while this was about to be renewed, the credit crunch had led to a jobs freeze and, just like today, government funding for the natural environment was first to go on the chopping block. I picked myself up, talked to my soon-to-be-ex-employer and got lots of conservation management plan work for designed parkland, buildings and monuments, and completed farm environment plans for landowners and managers. It was a wonderful period of work, with four out of five days outdoors. I went back to Natural England when the funding pipeline was unblocked but carried on my consultancy work alongside. What would you like to have been if you had not become a conservationist? I would have liked to work in medicine. I am sure all my friends who work in medicine would just say right now, ‘No, you wouldn’t’, but I think that is more to do with current pressures on services than on actual interest and the work itself. How do you reply when at a party someone asks what you do? I say, ‘It’s really niche and boring and you wouldn’t be interested.’ A good colleague (background in retail, not conservation) told me that my work area was ‘a bit dry’. What is really important about conservation work is making the connection between people and place and understanding that the thing they love might be impacted, lost or changed. If you can tap into the people side of the problem, you are halfway there, but obviously I didn’t quite manage it with my colleague. What is the biggest frustration in your job? Not being able to do more. It is really depressing being so aware of the issues around climate and nature. If you look at the statistics around freshwater biodiversity decline in this country, for example, you would think twice about the shampoo you purchase or the carbon cost of your choices. I want
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