Kim Polgreen recieves High Sheriff’s Award

We’re delighted to share the news that our Community Engagement Officer, Kim Polgreen has received a High Sheriff’s Award for her outstanding contribution to inspiring young people across Oxfordshire to take an interest in,  and actively engage with sustainability and the environment.

Kim works with unfailing energy to share her expertise and enthusiasm about sustainability and the environment with young people. She volunteers her time to facilitate opportunities for young people across Oxfordshire, welcoming groups to Wytham Woods in her role as Youth Educator in Residence, fostering links between researchers and the community and bringing outdoor education into schools.

Her purposeful drive and determination inspires others, with projects such as her school tree-planting making a tangible impact not just on the young people directly involved but the wider community too. What makes Kim’s contribution so unique is the warmth, generosity of spirit and care she brings to every interaction: she inspires those around her to feel empowered to take the lead on issues that matter most to them by taking them seriously, listening thoughtfully and valuing every contribution. From her pastoral wellbeing trips for vulnerable young people to her Green Futures event to inspire students to consider sustainable careers, Kim’s vision and determination to bring community action from concept to realisation is second to none.

Kim inspires others to be their best, promoting new and innovative collaborations between schools and networks, such as her creation of a sustainable fashion project for North Oxford schools with Low Carbon Oxford. That she also finds time to volunteer her expertise to school leadership through a governor role in Oxfordshire state schools, as an advisor to the University and a volunteer with the UK Schools Sustainability Network is further testament to her indefatigable energy and drive.