Hannah Cottrill

I joined the Royal Parks Foundation in 2004 – I was the first official employee!

I’m lucky enough to spend my working day in the heart of Hyde Park. As Senior Administrator and PA to Sara, our CEO, I support the team across all sorts of projects. It’s a hugely varied role and best of all, I’m part of something which is helping to protect the magic of London’s amazing Royal Parks for everyone to enjoy.

The best thing about my job is…apart from being in the middle of an iconic London Park, it’s such a varied role. I can be working on an event, writing a speech, collecting a visitor in the golf buggy, researching the history of a statue, wearing a giant squirrel outfit for a photoshoot… there’s always something different!

My favourite Royal Park is...It has to be Hyde Park, where our office is based. I’m a country girl at heart, so working here gives me my daily dose of trees and grass. I never tire of its sights and sounds – the wind in the trees, geese flying across the Serpentine, people quietly relaxing in the sun with a book. It’s an amazing oasis in the heart of London.

My favourite fact about a Royal Park is...Apparently there are more ancient Oaks in the Royal Parks than in France and Germany combined...

If I were a creature in the Parks, I would be...A honey bee. Flying around all day, collecting pollen, enjoying the sunshine and being incredibly useful at the same time (as long as I didn’t bother people having picnics)!

If I had a super-power, it would be…Teleporting. No more commuting and you could be anywhere in the world in a split second, at the click of your fingers.