Inklusive Nature is Two Years Old!

Inklusive Nature is two years old today! Building this feisty little social enterprise has been an amazing experience and, whilst there have obviously been challenges, I feel very grateful that I get to bring all this creative connection into the world.

If you don’t already know me, I’m Vicky and I help changemakers to connect nature, science & society by telling compelling visual stories. For a world where science & nature belong to everyone.

So what has that looked like over the last 12 months…? From large EU-Horizon projects to local grassroots communities and everything in between, here are some of the highlights:

In March 2025 we co-organised ‘SpoonFest: a festival of neurodivergent projects and passions’ for staff and students at the Open University. That was such a special day, including guest speaker Jon T aylor from Conservation Optimism and many wonderful humans from the Open University. Read more about it here .
A new OpenLearn module launched, titled ‘An introduction to floodplain meadows‘ and featuring some of my illustrations and infographics, many of which were created during my PhD studying these special places.
The Mitti Matters project drew to a close. This was a brilliant programme working with Dadima’s CIC and the Open University and funded by UKRI/NERC through their Growing Shoots Programme. Read more about the project and enjoy the gallery here. We also co-authored a paper about the Mitti Matters project which is available as a preprint here.
I joined the Royal Agricultural University Bridging Fields team to SketchNote two events around regenerative agriculture and working with farmers for NetZero. Funded by the AFN Network+ and UKRI.
The Chai Stories project was a wonderful project deepening connections with refugee women and the Museum of English Rural Life through a shared tea culture.
Bringing together my passions for art, science and museums, I loved creating this ‘How to be an ArtiScientist’ poster for the Art & Ecology project, part of the Open Societal Challenges programme.
Nottingham University’s Biochar Demonstrator programme is working with farmers and local authorities on natural greenhouse gas removal technology. I joined them to create a visual summary of their working groups.
It’s always a pleasure working with Dadima’s CIC. I was honoured to do some deep work with Dadima’s and the team at Coventry University this year, creating an illustrated e-Book for the EU Horizon-funded PLANET4B project. This was part of the UK case study on ‘Opening Nature and the Outdoors to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities‘. If you don’t know Dadima’s, check out their award-winning film here. This was such a special day!
Coming down to Earth, last summer I worked with the Written in Stone team at the Open University to create this illustration of the important role that geodiversity plays in our lives for the Written in Stone project. A related poster illustrated the student journey on the Open University Level 2 Earth Science module S209.
After completing a qualification in nature connection and forest bathing in 2025, it was a delight to work with Feelgood Forest Bathing on this SketchNote summary of the course.
The EU Horizon-funded DRG4FOOD programme drew to a close with a final event, including hard copies of the ‘Food & Data’ comic I created with the team at European Food Information Council (EUFIC).
I found myself feeling quite nostalgic whilst creating this visual summary of the Open University PGR Experience for the Graduate School. It was launched at the induction for new starters this February and provided both a visual talking point and a mindful colouring page for new starters getting to grips with what is in store for them. So many adventures!
The BEYOND project is coming to a close this month and has seen local young people from under-represented groups take part in a programme of events around environmental careers. I’ve had the pleasure of illustrating this series of events, as well as running zine making workshops connected to sustainable food systems and environmental careers. The project is a partnership between Open University, Woughton Community Council and is funded by UKRI as part of the Opening up the Environment programme.
Related to BEYOND, I created a live SketchNote for the UKRI ‘Opening up the Environment’ February event organised by UKRI and CRAC to bring together all the projects funded under this programme. More artwork to come on this…

What an amazing bunch of people I’ve worked with this year! There were plenty of other SketchNotes, project logos, community storytelling events and all-round creative goodness to spare. But wait, there’s more…

I had my own exciting Awards Season this year, with two new awards for Illustration Artist of the year 2025-26 and Excellence in Environmental Science Advocacy (UK).
I was fortunate enough to be awarded a place on the Creative Community Fellows programme. The programme was supported by Arts Council England and delivered in partnership with NAS, Derby Museums, The Bowes Museum, and has become a launchpad for cultural entrepreneurs seeking not just to make art, but to make a difference. With a week-long retreat in the beautiful Derbyshire countryside and a 6-month programme of group coaching and learning, this has been the gift that keeps on giving.
I’m currently taking part in the Trading for Good, Milton Keynes programme in partnership with the School of Social Entrepreneurs, The National Lottery Community Fund and supported by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and The Open University. The programme is designed to equip participants with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to develop and grow social enterprises that are addressing the needs of local communities in Milton Keynes. Exciting!

Bringing all of this together in one post has left me feeling a bit exhausted, but also proud and grateful to be co-creating change in the world. A huge leafy, Inklusive thank you to everyone I have had the pleasure of working with over the last year! 🍃✨

I have more exciting plans brewing for the year ahead. If you’d like to partner with me on your next project, please do get in touch. I can’t wait to continue the story…