Let Nature Heal Your Troubled Mind

Andrew Fallan shares his expertise in Essex wildlife with us, sharing his views on the conservation and environmental issues that we face in the county and across the country

- Andrew Fallan

ASIDE from the one and only Sir David Attenborough, Britain’s best-loved naturalist is undoubtedly fellow TV presenter Chris Packham, whose encyclopedic knowledge is matched only by his infectious enthusiasm, no-nonsense ethics and willingness to stick his head above the parapet and speak out in support of wildlife. I’ll admit that Chris has long been a hero of mine, though having both attended his talks and had the privilege of meeting him in person, I can also confirm that he is a genuinely nice, thoroughly decent and quite down-to-earth individual. I was therefore more than a little intrigued when, back in October of last year, a BBC documentary aired in which he spoke openly about living with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism that he was diagnosed with in his forties, which, for Chris at least, appears to be both a blessing and a curse. Although this brave and revealing programme was as moving as it was fascinating, for me it was rather more personal, as quite apart from sharing Chris’ passion for wildlife, not to mention his obvious appreciation of order and neatness, the whole world of disability and mental health issues is one that I am quite familiar with.