a fine set of whiskers

Cathy Gilman, founder of "a fine set of whiskers", was brought up in the beautiful Derbyshire countryside, where thanks to her parents, she grew up with an acute appreciation of the world around her and an exceptionally strong passion for rodents!

She moved to London to study economics where thanks to the water voles on campus her connection with nature remained strong. For many years Cathy was a fashion buyer until her 8-year old cousin was diagnosed with terminal leukaemia, when she became a volunteer and eventually Chief Executive of Bloodwise, a charity specialising in blood cancer research.

Through two demanding careers and living in a city environment, Cathy has maintained a balance through life's inevitable ups and downs by connecting with nature whenever possible. From the beautiful parks of London to holidays in the Outer Hebrides, every connection, however humble has helped to refresh her spirits and keep a sense of well-being.

As lives become ever busier, stressful and digitally over-loaded Cathy finds that the words of sculptor Andy Goldsworthy resonate very strongly with how she feels about life:

" We often forget that we are nature. Nature is not something separate from us. So when we say we have lost our connection to nature, we have lost our connection with ourselves."

Through "a fine set of whiskers" Cathy hopes to share accessible places and inspirational people that can help us find our way back to nature and benefit from the sense of proportion and physical and mental well-being that the calm, quiet and beauty of nature can bring.

In a world where there is already too much information bombarding our lives, "a fine set of whiskers" will share just enough information and imagery to inspire and reassure, leaving important space for your own exploration and discovery to create your own unique memories- we hope that you'll share your adventures.

The aim of a fine set of whiskers is quite simply to have positive impact on busy, stressful lives and increase appreciation and protection of our natural environment.