Hannah Bourne-Taylor, the conservationist who appeared in the latest series of Clarkson's Farm, lives in the north Oxfordshire countryside, not far from Diddly Squat Farm itself. The 39-year-old environmental activist was invited onto Jeremy Clarkson's Chipping Norton estate to lend her expertise to local wildlife conservation efforts. Fans loved her calming energy as she advised Jeremy on the importance of protecting farmland birds and local biodiversity.
Life and career
Before appearing on the hit Amazon Prime show, Hannah was already known in the conservation world through her writing and campaigning for nature. She is the author of the bestselling memoir Fledgling, which explores grief, belonging, and the healing power of the natural world.
As a child, she moved around a lot due to her parents' jobs as a nurse and ecologist, previously telling The Observer that she lived in 19 houses in total as a youngster. Her rural home is both a haven for native birds and one of the main inspirations behind her environmental campaign work.
Campaigning and swift bricks
Hannah is a prominent campaigner who led high-profile environmental initiatives, such as advocating for mandatory 'swift bricks' in new UK housing developments to help reverse the decline of endangered urban bird populations. Swift bricks are special hollow bricks built directly into brickwork for nesting swifts.
She spoke about this on Clarkson's Farm, explaining how these simple architectural changes on farm buildings and new builds can save endangered species. As part of her campaigning, she once marched a protest through central London covered in full body paint before reading out her speech to Rishi Sunak, the prime minister at the time.
Marriage to Olympic hero
Hannah is married to Robin Bourne-Taylor, a former British international rower who represented Great Britain at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. He also rowed for Oxford University in the iconic Boat Race, even serving as President of the Oxford University Boat Club.
Following his sporting career, Robin served as an officer in the British Army before stepping into the corporate world. The couple previously spent several years living in Ghana due to Robin's military service and work commitments. This is where Hannah first began rehabilitating rescued wild birds, including an orphaned finch that famously nested in her hair. They returned back to the UK in 2021 and have lived here ever since.
