Amber is a Southend based environmental scientist, forager and wild cook with a mission to explore ways for people to reconnect with nature, both in wild and urban green spaces.
Amber’s interests lie in plant and folklore, the historical use of plants and rewilding, a process of nurturing an environment back to its original state and how this effects our relationships to the land around us.
Amber continues to explore her own deep-healing journey outdoors through foraging and gardening, guided by the seasons, understanding how the natural world can ground us and impact our sense of wellbeing. Part of this work is through strengthening the community’s connection with local plants by teaching plant identification and focusing on wild edible plants through guided forager walks and culinary experiences.
During the residency, Amber will be working on the peacock enclosure (located next door to Chalkwell Hall) with plans to transform this area into multipurpose greenspace and wellbeing garden. Together with the Parks team, Amber has been planning the garden space, gathering reclaimed materials, growing plants from seed and has already begun to populate the space with a large variety of edible and wild plants. The project will highlight the benefits of foraging wild edible plants, promote wellbeing through nature and encourage a soil-to-soil approach for growing art materials and using creative processes.
Keep up with Amber over on Instagram: @needtothinkofanaturepun
