Olivia Holmes
We continue our series of interviews by Lucy Johnson, in which she interviews some of the key players in the development past, present and future, of The Aire Rivers Trust. We thank her for her commitment and expertise in putting these pieces together.
Olivia is decidedly unflamboyant and undemonstrative, but also patient, unflappable, resilient, measured, knowledgeable and supportive. She gives the distinct impression of being able to rise to any challenge handed to her. Olivia joined the Trust as Project Assistant in July 2023, and has recently taken on the role of Project Officer (subsequent to this interview taking place) after the departure of Gareth Muir. In speaking of the opportunities the Project Assistant role has given her, she was extremely positive. “I’ve loved the variety of stuff that we’ve done. We do different things every season and pretty much nearly every week. You can’t really get bored in the role.”
Olivia was also positive about her workmates. “It’s such a nice team to work with, so supportive. They care a lot about my development. They’ve been encouraging. Even if I have doubts about my own abilities.” Olivia singled Gareth out for praise in particular, stating, “he’s been a very good teacher, supported me with development and he’s not coddled me.” ART’s Senior Project Officer Nick Milsom has also played a major role in Olivia’s development.
Olivia was full of praise for volunteers, commenting that she enjoyed interacting with people of varying backgrounds and life experience, which informs their approach to tasks. She noted, “One of my favourite things is working with volunteers, building up nice relationships with interesting people who’ve lived lives that I want to hear about and then also doing meaningful work in a place that I care about.” She also commented that apart from the obvious benefits of participation, it has occurred that corporate volunteers have managed to initiate business deals after meeting on volunteer days.
Olivia comes from a large family, being one of five, and has always been active and outdoorsy. She remembers childhood walks in nature fondly, where her parents drew on their science and history knowledge to make the walks interesting. The Malham Tarn walk is a particular favourite of Olivia’s, although she states, “I also feel very linked to pine woodland dune walks that we do in Dorset, specifically on Brownsea Island near Bournemouth.” Olivia attributes her interest in using questions to draw out further knowledge to these walks. “I like to find out things about people, about places, things. Walking along, always pointing stuff out and wondering what they are, why they’re there and what they’re doing.” A useful approach for a Project Officer!
In addition to the practical conservation skills developed alongside Gareth, other staff and the volunteers, Olivia also has an impressive academic background, taking part in a substantive research project in her placement year, examining the protocols used by ex situ seed banks around collecting seeds, for which she will occasionally speak at professional meetings. This can be viewed here https://www.kew.org/wakehurst/whats-at-wakehurst/millennium-seed-bank
Prior to working for the Aire Rivers Trust, Olivia worked on bat surveys, enjoying working at night and talking to landowners. She has also worked in cafes and spent a year volunteering with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Upskill Downdale scheme, which is aimed at young people in the Dales. It was a “full circle” moment for Olivia when the next year’s cohort were able to come along to an ART organised day. The group worked to remove Himalayan balsam at Trench Meadows, an SSSI located near Saltaire. Long term, Olivia would like an educational role or potentially to work with farmers in environmental land management. A return to academia does not appeal due to the pressures of deadline structures.
In her free time, Olivia is a highly trained dancer and a skilled sewer, most recently creating a beautiful orchid-coloured silk dress (for which a formal occasion is required, if anyone would like to organise a gala dinner). The next project will be a lined denim shirt.
Olivia emphasised the seasonality of her work, and how much she enjoys experiencing the seasons change. When asked if she had a favourite bit of folklore, she picked an Irish tradition threaded through the 2025 Lia Leendertz Almanac, the interplay of St Bridget with the Cailleach, the one representing spring and summer, the other representing autumn and winter. She appreciates the interplay between the two, and is grateful to live somewhere that actually experiences distinct seasons. Her link to seasons extends to having a dedicated playlist for summer. “I live my life a lot around nature, especially in the work I do.”