Jess Kyle
Jess has been working for the London Borough of Lewisham for over 15 years. She set up Nature’s Gym 2008 after the funding for Lewisham’s Green Gym sadly ended.
Jess runs a number of schools sessions in the Borough’s nature reserves. This can be anything from bug hunts to habitat studies. If this is something that you think your school would be interested in, please visit our Education page for more information.
She also helps Eszter manage the Borough’s nature reserves and works with a number of Friends Groups, helping them find funding and then helps to carry out their projects. As well as this she runs guided walks and is currently trying to establish a Friends Group for Brookmill Road nature reserve.
When not knee deep in mud and brambles Jess enjoys spending time in France making the most of its fantastic cycle routes and food! She is also a keen (but not very good skier), enjoys reading crime novels, eating cheese and watching cricket.
Contact:
Tel: 020 8314 2119 Email: jessica.kyle@lewisham.gov.uk
Emily Millhouse
Emily is Glendale’s Senior Nature Conservation Officer. She works with Jess on the Nature’s Gym projects and also manages the Rivers & People, River Management volunteer sessions. Her passion is urban ecology and she has been working in London’s green spaces for over 10 years both making practical habitat improvements and engaging the public in the amazing flora and fauna that London has to offer.
She also works with local Friends Groups in the parks and leads a number of education sessions with schools, brownies and scouts. If this is something that you would like to get involved in, please contact Emily using the details below.
Emily is a keen herpetologist, so in her free time she can be found looking for frogs! If she’s not out doing that, she also enjoys live music, finding street art and watching football.
Contact:
Tel: 07753 325858 Email: emily.millhouse@glendale-services.co.uk
Eszter started working at Lewisham as the Ecological Regeneration Manager in 2020. She works with Jess, Emily and local community groups on improving Lewisham’s open spaces including securing funding. She also provides ecology advice, represents Lewisham in various stakeholder groups (e.g. London Boroughs Biodiversity Forum), feeds into policy documents and reviews planning applications to make sure applicants follow Lewisham’s Biodiversity Planning Guidance.
Before working at Lewisham Council she was working at ZSL, RBG Kew, FoE Hungary and conducted her PhD research in the Hortobágy National Park (in Hungary) focusing on grassland restoration and conservation management.
When not in front of her laptop or on her bike between site visits in Lewisham she enjoys pottering in her garden, go on walks and solving jigsaw puzzles. Once upon a time she was a platform diver so she also loves to spend time near (and in) water.
Contact: Eszter.Wainwright-Deri@lewisham.gov.uk
Nature Conservation Lewisham 
Hi, team! I was looking up Eszter (finding out about research into grassland succession) and found this too. If actual years could be added instead of “worked for Lewisham for ten years” or “3 years ago” that works be more accurate as the page is not date stamped when updated. Just a thought. Also not much on Eszter’s background and current duties yet. Great site btw!!
Hi Mike, good point re: number of years! I will need to get a photo of Eszter up there and will then write a bit more about her.
Cheers,
Jess