Introducing our new patron Julia Hailes MBE

Julia describes herself as a sustainability pioneer, change-maker, campaigner, consultant, writer and speaker. In 1987 she co-founded the UK’s first environmental consultancy and think tank - SustainAbility - and she has written nine books, including the million-selling Green Consumer Guide, published in 1988.  In 1992 Julia was elected to the UN Global 500 Roll of Honour for her outstanding environmental achievement and in 1999 received an MBE for her environmental work. 

She moved to a farmhouse home in West Dorset in 2012, from where she started an annual Wilding Weekend in 2022.  With talks, tours, stalls and food all day the aim is to demonstrate how you can promote wildlife habitats and improve biodiversity however big or small your garden is.  Money raised from this event is donated to conservation and wilding organisations who participate.  

In 2023 Julia and her husband, Jamie Macdonald, took on a Ukrainian family, who stayed for 10 months. This is how they came across the Prout Bridge Project and learnt about their wonderful work with young people, particularly helping them with mental health issues.  Julia says that she’s horrified about how many cases of suicide she’s come across either directly or indirectly in today’s generation and is determined to help the Prout Bridge Project continue to provide services that are not available anywhere else in this area.