Is there ever such a thing as a perfect partnership?

Well for the man who had a Kingfisher on his bedroom wall right next to footballing heroes and fast cars, we’re going to say becoming Ambassador of The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside is about as close to perfect as it gets.

That man is our Founder at Standby Productions, Simon Owen who has just been named the first ever ambassador of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust.

We had a little chat about just what this means to him and why.

You’ve loved wildlife from a young age, what inspired that?

I have my Dad, Peter to thank; going bird watching from an early age with binoculars in hand really taught me to appreciate nature and the act of just sitting, waiting and watching, I always think, it’s in these moments where you answer questions you’ve yet to ask.

I also had a great poster on my wall of a Kingfisher and deep down I always wanted to try and capture a photo as good as that one, it was always the bird we never saw and became something of a project where I researched, planned, plotted and dedicated myself to filming/photographing a Kingfisher (probably my favourite species) for about a year and then spent magical moments with one, that then became a family of Kingfishers, near Didsbury.

You’ve described yourself as having an ‘inner bird nerd’ or at least you did, explain a bit more about that and what changed? 

I always wanted to create really cool, creative and unique films, that’s why I started Standby Productions, but in the beginning I felt I had to hide away my ‘inner bird nerd’ almost as if it didn’t fit with that business persona, it was only when the pandemic hit and the business changed almost overnight that I felt the world was finding itself at one with nature and was experiencing in the way I think I always had.

It was then I thought, hang on let me join the dots here and let this business do good for people AND the planet. That connection with nature and wildlife had never left me and so it became part of the DNA of Standby. I wanted to work with and help an environmental organisation and Lancashire Wildlife Trust  felt like the perfect fit. I loved that any donation or help we offered would have an impact right on our doorstep and through this partnership I have learnt so much about so many things through making films about them and getting my wellies on and getting stuck in.

I have been blown away by the impact the organisation has and the passion of the people involved, without a doubt this partnership is the best thing I have ever done with this business.

Do you have a message for businesses and their environmental impact? 

I want to encourage more businesses to support LWT (Lancashire Wildlife Trust) and to consider their environmental impact, no matter what size of business they are. I feel there’s always something that can be done to minimise impact or have a positive effect. 

Andy, previously from LWT said it perfectly in a film we made about the peatlands,

“You can do whatever you want, so why not do something positive?” 

You can read an in-depth interview with Simon in Lapwing magazine, the Trusts quarterly member magazine.