Member Spotlight: Claire Holgate

This month, we’re excited to introduce Nature’s Blueprint member Claire Holgate.

Claire is a communications specialist and graphic recorder with over twenty years experience in creative communications and stakeholder engagement. Based in the South West of England, Claire helps great people to get their awesome ideas out into the world in a fun, inspiring and eye-catching way.

What inspired you to join Nature’s Blueprint?

I had previously worked with Annie and she introduced me to an inspiring-sounding network she was co-creating back in 2023. She thought it might be a good fit for my background in sustainability & communications. I was delighted to be involved with the launch event at FarmEd and have been doodling Nature’s Blueprint content and getting inspired ever since.

How do you integrate Nature into your everyday work or life?

My work is mostly desk-based and I am way more sedentary than is good for me. Not surprisingly, I am far happier outdoors in the fresh air! I go for daily stomps around the woods and the hills where I live, accompanied by my lovely black Labrador, Ivy. I am a keen wildlife spotter and have a penchant for noticing the seasonal changes of Devon hedgerow wildflowers, drawing what I observe as a form of ‘Nature journalling’.

Can you share a memorable experience you’ve had in Nature that significantly influenced your career or personal life?

I’m pretty sure my fascination with Nature – and specifically, protecting it – can be traced back to an A level biology field trip in Pembrokeshire… I was studying sea snails on the rocky shore and our ecology tutor was explaining the negative impact of global levels of greenhouse gases on that teeny-tiny rockpool population. I was fascinated to learn more about how such huge global environmental issues happening “far away” could have such significant impacts on such a localised scale. I switched my planned degree course to environmental science and that set my path from that point forward.

From your perspective, what is the most challenging aspect of your work? How do you overcome it?

When I worked in the civil service in sustainable development strategy, there were obvious, huge challenges in terms of delivering positive change for the environment, which I considered to be the overarching goal that I was personally aiming for. Policies were frustratingly limited by short-term budgetary and parliamentary cycles and there were endless reports written, which always left me feeling detached from where any “on the ground action” was happening, out there in the “real world”…



However, these days I’m a self-employed illustrator. I work hard, but life is a constant juggle. I have two teenage children. I’ve often got a whole load of competing demands on my time and I have to make quick decisions, sometimes where convenience is the key factor. If I’m being honest, Nature doesn’t get much of a look-in…

The biggest challenge – in terms of me being a responsible citizen and in terms of doing the best thing for Nature – is undoubtedly the society and the systems around me, that incentivise time-saving and cost-reduction over the true cost to Nature of the decisions I make.



I’m enjoying challenging myself to confront these difficult truths and learning from others within Nature’s Blueprint is insightful and inspiring. I continue to feed these themes into the visuals I create, aiming to spread positive messages around Nature preservation, community connection and environmental protection.

Are there any specific skills or expertise you’re looking for that other Nature’s Blueprint members may be able to help with?

I love sharing ideas and energy with likeminded folk, so if anything I’ve said resonates, let’s connect!

We believe that humans have an extraordinary capacity to problem solve & innovate. What gives you HOPE?

Our media is hardwired for drama, angst and despair. I remain hopeful by focusing on what’s happening around me, even at the most local, hedge-level scale :)

There is so much good news out there – and networks like Nature’s Blueprint have a valuable role to play in joining-up, connecting with and publicising great people and projects who are out there making a positive difference.

We hope you found this Member Spotlight interesting. Do connect with Claire if anything she has shared resonates with you and you’d like to know more – you can find Claire on LinkedIn here >