Hello
Welcome to my personal website - it is very nice to meet you
My name is Tracy and I'm a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at Plymouth Marjon University, where I lead the Youth and Community Programmes at Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels. Prior to this, I worked as a Lecturer in the Institute of Health at the University of Cumbria, where I completed a doctorate, awarded by Lancaster University, researching the relationship that young people have with the natural environment. With BSc in Natural Sciences and MA in Youth Work and Community Development, I embrace transdisciplinary methodologies, which utilise creative and narrative approaches to research nature, outdoor learning and play.
I am a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK. I am also co-convenor of the BERA (British Educational Research Association) special interest group in Nature, Outdoor Learning and Play. In 2018, I was awarded the Anna Craft Creativities in Education Prize for my paper Responsive, responsible research: Lexi’s Story.
I enjoy helping people of all ages to explore and enjoy the natural environment, and provide training for the workers who support them. I am enthusiastic about public engagement and enjoy working collaboratively.
I spent my formative years in Northumberland, enjoying the wild spaces, beaches and castles around me. After many years in the wilderness of the Midlands, I made my home in Cumbria until September 2022 when I migrated south to Devon. I work in a naturally friendly way that respects people, places and the wonderful world around us.