Claire Hyne, owner of Papillon Gin, talks about her lifelong interest of conservation, how she got involved in Butterfly Conservation and went on to create a gin inspired by the nearby nature (which you can win a bottle of below!)
I have always had an interest in conservation. It started from a young age with my Mum teaching me hedgerow flowers and then studying Environmental Studies at school. This followed through into my later choice to study Primary Education with a specialism in Environmental Science and Outdoor Education which I then used to inspire young people about the outdoors and nature. My career choice then took a change of direction and I became a Grants Officer for the National Lottery Heritage Fund. My interest and background in conservation matters meant that I regularly assessed and monitored natural heritage projects. It was through this role that I was introduced to Jenny Plackett and the All the Moor Butterflies project.
After attending two excellent workshops with Megan Lowe I felt more confident in my abilities to identify Pearl-bordered Fritillaries, Small Pearl-bordered and Marsh Fritillaries. During the Marsh Fritillary workshop I was extremely fortunate as someone spotted a recently emerged Narrow-bordered bee hawk-moth. A truly memorable experience.
The next step was to be assigned a section to survey and off I went. I was nervous about being able to identify the butterflies but BC’s support has been very helpful and reassuring. It soon became a mesmerising form of treasure hunting constantly on the lookout for that flash of orange. Whilst I am busy spotting and counting, my husband follows behind seeking out the perfect photo. This tends to be a Pearl-bordered fritillary on a bluebell.
My career has taken a further change of direction and I now run my own business on Dartmoor. We distill Papillon Gin, named in honour of the fritillaries found here. It was important to me that my business had an environmental conscience and we donate a percentage from our bottle sales to Butterfly Conservation specifically for work protecting the fritillaries close to us. We hope to spread the word about the important work carried out by BC to a wider audience.
Cheers!
To find out more about Papillon Gin, click here, and fill in the below entry form for your chance to win a 70cl bottle of Papillon Gin!