Tom - Luma Collective Member

The Luma Collective is a community of like-minded individuals who share this same passion for adventure and sustainability, equally. Find out more about our members.

Dartmoor Unedited

Where do you explore the most?

I regularly explore right on your doorstep - I live in Okehampton and spend a lot of my time on Dartmoor. I’m a freelance photographer and have created a book of landscape and nature images around Dartmoor National Park. I’m regularly up there with my wife and border collie, and love the place. I also frequently visit some of the woodlands your glasses are named after - Abbeyford is a favourite, but so is Haldon on my bike.Otherwise, I love spending time on the South West Coast Path exploring the beautiful cliffs and wooded valleys.Outside of Devon I love to travel, I’m drawn to mountains and spend a lot of time in Scotland or Snowdonia, but also like to travel further afield with trips to Canada, Sardinia and Madeira in the last few years, and the Lake District, Isle of Skye, Iceland and Japan coming up. I love exploring new cultures, new landscapes and learning about the habitats and environments whilst I’m there.

What is your favourite outdoor activity?

I have quite a few hobbies which get me outdoors. I love just simply spending time walking with my dog and watching him explore the world whilst we walk. But I really enjoy mountain biking, paddle boarding and surfing too. Sometimes I like to keep it simple and wild swim in one of the rivers around Okehampton or elsewhere on Dartmoor, or in the mountains whilst on holiday. Essentially my happy place would be walking with my family in the mountains and having a dip in a river. And, photography gets merged into these things too, my camera comes most places with me, and I’m working on putting myself more in front of the camera rather than just behind it.

What inspires you to protect the environment?

I have worked in the environmental sector for 20 years, creating projects that make places more resilient to climate change - one example being the Dartmoor Headwaters project. I always find it inspiring when I learn how much work there is going on in this sector that goes unsung, and that people really don’t get to see or understand properly by a whole host of people - farmers and land owners, being constructing or implementing new projects, people carrying out vital surveys and evidence gathering and people lobbying to seek change in policy from government. I’m always particularly inspired by those who have immense knowledge of the special species we have in the UK, their behaviours and what they need to have a sustainable life alongside humans.