Chantelle Lindsay

Chantelle has been fascinated by the natural world since she was a child and is passionate about breaking down barriers to wildlife and conservation for black people and other Global Majority communities, encouraging young people to appreciate and see themselves as part of nature.

In 2019, Chantelle took part in a youth programme called ‘Keeping it Wild’, part of The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s ‘Kick the Dust’ project – named by young people because they wanted to stir up the world of heritage. The initiative invested £10 million in 12 large-scale projects to make heritage relevant to the lives of young people aged 11-25.

Following this, Chantelle went on to become London Wildlife Trust’s Project Officer for the ‘Great North Wood’ project, another National Lottery Heritage Fund programme, which aimed to restore and conserve the remaining fragments of an ancient woodland in south London, and keep it alive in the hearts and minds of people, both locally and further field. She continues to work with London Wildlife Trust to make heritage relevant to young people everywhere.

Chantelle said: “I’ve always found a calm awe and wonder in nature. Having moved around a lot as a child, it’s always been the one thing where I haven’t felt I’ve had to work to fit in – it’s always felt natural to me.’ Keeping it Wild’ was just the most life changing experience, it helped me fall further in love with the natural world and gave me the experience to get properly into wildlife conservation professionally."

“I feel so blessed to be working with an organisation as wonderful as London Wildlife Trust, and grateful to The National Lottery for funding projects like ‘Keeping it Wild’ and the ‘Great North Wood’, which level the playing field and open up conservation and heritage to everyone.”