Ella is the Nature Recovery Ranger at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust for the Healthy by Nature project, which is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
I grew up in Bradford and previously worked with the charity Open Country in Wakefield supporting people with disabilities to access and enjoy the countryside in lots of different ways. Before that I worked for the RSPB, engaging people with nature around Leeds. I also had a community greening role for a housing association in Essex. The Nature Recovery Ranger role massively appealed to me, partly because it was based in my hometown of Bradford, and partly because of my experience in these previous roles. I’m looking forward to bringing all my skills to Bradford to develop the sites alongside the patients and staff.
I love learning about nature with others. I am part on a fungi identification group so enjoy spotting mushrooms throughout the year and finding out more about them. I also enjoy taking note of the changes in the seasons and listening to the birds around us. For me, nature connection is simple and subtle. It is enjoying the breeze on your cheek or counting a ladybird’s spots. All these small experiences come together to enrich our lives and improve our wellbeing.
At the moment I am enjoying meeting new colleagues who are keen to do more nature-based work with their patients but don’t have the time or opportunities to do so. I feel like the sites have some real potential, both the courtyards outside the wards and the wider grounds. I look forward to developing these areas over the coming months.
There are a few lovely, wooded spots around the sites that are peaceful and beautiful. They sometimes get overlooked as they are not public facing. I have enjoyed getting to know these different hidden corners.
Summer can be a great time to engage people with the outdoors and nature, so I am going to enjoy trying to make the most of the good weather to do that. I hope we can run some butterfly counts and flying insect counts in June and July.
There are also a few potential site developments to work on alongside the gardening team. I want to make a butterfly shape on the lawn made out of wildflower plug plants grown by patients, planting more fruit trees and bushes, potential coppice work, bee hives and more! I also think there is potential for bringing back regular gardening and nature activities onto the wards. Lastly, we are looking into VR headsets and audio walks and how we can use them for patients who can’t leave the wards.
Banner image: Ella at the Keighley allotment. Photo: Ella Dixon/CSH, 2026.