I’ve had a lifelong interest in wildlife. In 2000 I became actively involved as a conservation volunteer for RSPB followed by voluntary stints working on practical projects with Essex Wildlife Trust and Essex County Council Country Park. Over the next decade I slowly moved into voluntary survey work for various organisations as well as some freelance work in the ecological consultancy sector. I currently work as a Conservation Adviser for Suffolk Wildlife Trust advising land owners on management of wildlife habitats. I still volunteer in my spare time, mainly for groups working on bat, amphibians and, of course, dormouse conservation.

My dormouse work began in 2006 when I attended day courses run by Essex Wildlife Trust and Wildwood in Kent. This led to me helping out with nest tube surveys for The Essex and Suffolk Dormouse Group. I have been on the group’s committee for over 15 years and was their Essex Co-ordinator for some of this time.

Whilst carrying out one of these nest tube surveys in 2007, I discovered a previously unrecorded dormouse population at an ancient wood owned by the Woodland Trust close to Stock in Essex. I decided to train towards a licence so I could set up a NDMP box monitoring scheme. This box scheme is still running today and attracts new volunteers and licence trainees from across Essex, Suffolk, London and further afield.

My active interest in wildlife has been the catalyst for a lot of change in my life, not all of it easy. As I ventured deeper into the world of wildlife conservation, dormice remained a constant presence. These wonderful animals have taught me a great deal about life too. Mainly to spend as much time as possible in your optimal habitat whilst nurturing the next generation. Oh, and try to get as much sleep as possible!

I feel truly humbled to have been asked to contribute to this book. When I was training towards my advanced bat survey licences with co-author James Shipman, I was one of the many who told him to write down all his ‘tips of the trade’ with regard to bat fieldwork. Little did I realise this would come back on me when he was training for a dormouse licence. James highlighted the absence of a concise guide to the basic fieldwork involved, and so the idea was born for a book that would collate the skills often passed on by licenced trainers to others. I hope everyone who wants to work in dormice conservation in some capacity finds this book to be a useful companion.