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THE Isle of Wight’s Medina Valley Centre celebrated its 40th birthday at the end of 2003 - and Roger Herbert had been there for more than half that time.
Not only that, but he met Gill, his wife, there and the centre also helped cement his passion for the natural world.
Roger, 44, who worships at St John’s Church in Newport, has also seen the links between his faith and environmental issues strengthened during his time at the centre, which is run by Christians. Roger teaches adults and young people about the wildlife and countryside of the Isle of Wight as director of field studies at the centre, which is just north of Newport on the Medina estuary.
The centre opened in 1963 as the Christian Sailing Centre, offering sailing holidays to groups and individuals. It diversified into art and crafts and wildlife holidays in the 1970s, and Roger arrived in 1982 with a brief to increase the number of schools using the centre for field studies. It now operates mostly as a residential centre for mainland children studying biology, geography and environmental studies, but also offers sailing, canoeing and orienteering.
“Eighty per cent of our work is now with schools and most of that is residential,” he said. “We offer an activity week for junior school pupils that may include sailing and environmental studies, and field study weeks for those studying GCSEs or A-levels. We have 2,000 young people through here each year.
“Children now seem to have a greater awareness of environmental issues, in that they’ve heard of global warming and climate change. But what is sadly lacking is their knowledge and understanding of natural history. These days, youngsters aren’t taken on nature walks regularly. We are often helping them to observe wildlife and the countryside for the first time.”
By contrast, Roger’s upbringing put both faith and environment centre stage. From a very early age he was inspired by watching the naturalist Jacques Cousteau on TV, and used to go rock-pooling on family holidays. He remembers saving up 2/6d to buy the Ladybird book of What To Look For In The Autumn, and would identify wildlife on family walks.
He first came to the Medina Valley Centre with a Crusader camp when he was 14, and later taught sailing there. He graduated from Portsmouth Polytechnic in biological sciences in 1980, took a PGCE at Leeds, and taught in a school there before returning to work at the centre in 1982. He has recently completed a PhD in marine ecology at Southampton University.
“My interest in the natural world enables me to put my faith in the context of the created order. In Matthew 6, Jesus invites his followers to ‘consider the lilies – and see how they grow’, and the natural world and its seasonality teaches me about the enormous faithfulness of God.
“Christians have a responsibility to take the lead on environmental issues and set an example by being good stewards of natural resources. I hope this conference will encourage people to take practical steps - in a practical conservation task, reducing waste or saving electricity by fitting low-energy light bulbs.”
His personal Christian faith was crystallised in a commitment he made to God on a Whit camp in the Wye Valley as a teenager. He now leads a ‘Way Ahead’ group at St John’s Church which is drawing up a future vision for the congregation.
“What I value most about my Christian faith is the daily communication with God,” he said. “If I want to seek guidance or forgiveness, he’s always there. That personal relationship he offers is the greatest gift to us.”
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