Anglia (Founding Member)

Anglia is one name for the land and waters where this work is rooted – she is a member of our team because she gives us life and is our kin. Like her coastline she has always been in relationship with the ebb and flow of water, never a fixed, permanently defined area. Anglia’s rivers all flow into the North Sea between the northern coast of the Wash and the southernmost Essex estuary north of the Thames. “Anglia” is a pagan name that she was given by some of her inhabitants who found a home with her in the 5th century, referencing her sister land, the Angeln peninsula (modern Germany and Denmark). In her time she has answered to many names – at one point standing for the whole of England, not only this corner of it. What unifies and distinguishes her is the many variations of earth-water relationships and big open skies. In our team she serves as our inspiration, advisor and elder. Read more about Anglia in our Substack.

Jenni Ramos (Director)

I am interested in regenerative systems change, law, rights of nature and helping others to explore their relationships to place and people. This began with my legal career and emerged through my study of nature-led leadership. In my recent legal work I looked at how corporate legal frameworks can serve ecological health rather than extraction. I felt drawn to work in the East of England – a region where connection to land has been deeply severed, and recovery feels both urgent and overlooked. I approach this work as a facilitator – asking questions, bringing people together and seeing what emerges.

I have lived much of my life in the East of England. I was born in Cambridge, grew up in the Fens and now live in the ‘Fen Edge’, just outside Cambridge. I have enjoyed regular visits to Norfolk and Suffolk throughout my life — family stays as a child and camping trips more recently. Before me came ancestors on both sides from Norfolk, Suffolk, Northamptonshire and Rutland.

I am neurodivergent, live with long Covid and care for three teenage sons, one with complex disabilities, and I’m constantly relearning to listen to my body, slow down, and be mindful.

SJ Beard (Director)

I am a philosopher and futures researcher based in Cambridge, working on human centred responses to the global transformations being driven by AI, climate change, social disruption, and environmental breakdown. My aim is to build existential hope in the possibility of safe, joyous, and inclusive futures for human beings on planet earth.

I have spent most of my career moving between academia and policy, spending time in elite institutions that seek to develop overaching visions for others to follow. A constant desire of mine has been to take the skills and resources of these places and use them for more engaged, consensual, and inclusive purposes.

I moved to Cambridgeshire in 2018 and have been seeking to build stronger relationships with conscious communities and the land ever since. I have recently been working to revive the energies of the celtic god Abandinus, who I understand to have been an ancient spirit of the Great Ouse and its drainage basin.

You can find out more about me and my work on my web-site www.sjbeard.com.