Why Meeting Sir David Attenborough Changed Everything For Us

There are certain people who leave a mark on you forever. For me, that person was Sir David Attenborough.

I've been very lucky to have met Sir David twice in my life. Fortunately for us he's a local resident of Richmond, and even with his huge fame and notoriety, he still has time to give back to his local community. 

The first time I met him was when my children were at primary school. An incredible school mum (Joa Churchman) had created an environmental storytelling platform for children. EcoTales uses storytelling to turn environmental education into something magical, emotional and memorable for children and families. Her enthusiasm for nature and her passion for environmental issues was inspiring. I knew I had to get involved in some way. The  children at school had begun making a huge albatross out of discarded plastic bottle tops that they had collected. The plan was to march the albatross (with our four year old reception children) to Westminster and deliver a petition signed by thousands of people in the Richmond borough. 

I had recently completed my Btec Photography and was embarking on a new career as a photographer, so I was stunned when we were ushered to the front door of 10 Downing Street and David Cameron popped out for his photo opp. Suddenly all my training went out the window as I forgot how to focus, and get the correct exposure. Luckily one of the images was in focus, and the next day the 5 October 2015 (England) a mandatory 5p charge was introduced for large retailers. Of course, our kids thought that they had single handedly changed policy and had made a huge difference in the world. And in some ways they had. 

The next big idea Joa had was an Eco Festival, a family-friendly community event held at Marble Hill in Twickenham, designed to inspire action on climate change and celebrate local biodiversity The event brought together the community for environmental awareness, featuring activities such as nature walks, bug catching, and storytelling. Joa invited Sir David Attenborough, but we never believed he would come being in such high demand. So when he turned up, unassuming, not wanting any fuss or special treatment - it was incredible. He stood at the front and gave a small talk and his focus was always on protecting our planet for future generations.

Meeting him wasn't what we expected at all. No sense that he was the most famous environmental voice in the world. So when I met him again at the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, I knew what to expect. I was just the event photographer, but he gave me as much time as he did the politicians and other esteemed guests who wanted to chat to him.  Once again he was incredibly humble, gentle, thoughtful. But what struck us most was how deeply he cared about the planet. About what we are leaving behind, and an urgency for us all to think carefully about the everyday choices all of us make. 

And honestly, it stayed with me. It shaped the way I started thinking about my home my family, and the products we were using every single day.

That meeting became one of the quiet sparks behind MadeKind. Because we realised sustainability doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It starts with simple changes.

Refilling instead of rebuying.
Reducing plastic where we can.
Choosing products that are kinder to our homes and the world around us.

As Sir David turns 100 today, his message feels more important than ever:

“The future of all life on Earth depends on us.”

And whilst MadeKind may be just one small part of that bigger picture, we’re incredibly proud to be helping families make healthier, less wasteful choices every day.

So today feels like a lovely moment to say thank you - to the person who inspired so many of us to care more deeply for this planet.

And thank you to our community too, for being part of this journey with us.

Here’s to creating homes that are cleaner, healthier and kinder for future generations.

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