Meet the Role Models

 Faith Robinson - Nature Conservationist

Who are they?

She is a local volunteer of 17 years in the Hull area working with the Humber Council to conserve and protect the surrounding nature near the River Humber and in the city itself such as in parks. As part of this ongoing protection of wildlife, she is developing her talents as a photographer inspired by Ansel Adams who was an American conservationist. His use of photographs to convince people certain natural areas were too beautiful to be spoilt has inspired her to do the same. She hopes to inspire her own generation of 16 to 18 year-olds to work harder to protect vital areas of the environment in the Hull area through her pictured landscapes.

Faith hopes to achieve this because she believes nature is important for people like her parents who have been forced to work in inner city areas their whole lives to make a living. In her own words, she wants 'people to look out the window and see a world they want to be in rather than something quite drab.'

Her philosophy is also reflected in her home where she grows organic produce herself in a small allotment which she 'will develop into a farm as soon as I leave college.' As a vegan, she also keeps animals for what they produce (milk and eggs) rather than as food.

She hopes that this magazine will help interviewees like her to get their voices heard so that all ages understand the importance of the environment and working together to protect it.

Jim Fathom - Mental Health Volunteer (Art and Design)

Who are they?

He is an artist and support worker of 18 years in his local area of Barton-Upon-Humber, using art and design to provide therapy to many his age struggling with mental health issues who can visit the local charity centre to chat and create expressive images. Funded by the nationwide charity, Mind, Jim is working to develop his own subsidiary charity now that he has left college whilst still doing safeguarding training on the side.

Jim continues his artistic work, which started at a young age, in his spare time for his own therapy, saying that the charity is about 'people who have found the light at the end of the tunnel guiding others who haven't.' He openly talks about his poor mental health which developed in a period of bereavement at the time of his A-Level examinations. He says 'sometimes, artwork was the only thing that made me get out of bed, even if I had an important examination that day.' Jim wants to use artwork to give people a sense of purpose like it did for him and to build people's lives back up after traumatic experiences, events or to help ongoing disorders, which is precisely what he does with a warm smile at his charity every day.

Jim's artwork is inspired by many different artists but his main inspiration is Carlos Penalver whom he believes confronts important mental health issues in each painting with gentleness and respect. He had the pleasure of meeting Carlos at the Saatchi Gallery in 2021 and the mural on display so profoundly affected him and gave him comfort that Jim finally decided to pursue artwork as a means of helping people.

Overall, he is very humble about his work and simply states that 'it's what I hope others would encourage me to do: opening up about mental health and seeking support through things like art.'