OUR sTORY
The present home of FROM THE BRINK is Clarendon Street Veterinary Surgery in Cambridge. As a surgery, we have a shared passion for wildlife conservation. Our inspiration for the charity was an unexpected legacy from a grateful client, which we felt could be used for the greater good.
Our first project last year, working with Citizen Zoo to raise a cohort of Large Marsh Grasshoppers for local reintroduction, was a group effort by the practice team. In 2025 we will once again raise grasshoppers at the practice, this time housing them in the consult room to allow us to share our conservation goals with our clients. This initial project led us to the concept of ‘one business one species’, the first of our 5 goals. Our vision grew from there, and we have been lucky enough to assemble a board of trustees with a wealth of international conservation experience. We hope to use this combined knowledge and passion to help bring low-profile species currently teetering on the edge of extinction back FROM THE BRINK.
Who we are
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Patrick von Heimendahl
Patrick has had always an affection for animals, wildlife and conservation.
Qualifying as a veterinary surgeon in Berlin, he later gained a MSc in Applied Wildlife at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. During and studies and since graduating, he has joined data collection expeditions to tropical rainforests in Madagascar, Borneo and Peru. Patrick passionately believes in the responsibility of people and business alike to protect our beautiful biodiversity.
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Annette Lanjouw
Annette Lanjouw is a behavioral ecologist and primatologist who has worked for four decades to research and ensure the conservation of apes. Currently, Annette is the Chief Executive Officer of the Arcus Foundation, and leading its Species Conservation Program.
A native of the Netherlands, Annette holds a BSc in zoology and psychology from Victoria University in New Zealand, and a Doctorandus degree in behavioral ecology from the Rijks Universiteit te Utrecht in the Netherlands.
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Nancy Stephenson
Nancy was one of the first cohorts to study the combined honours Animal Behaviour and Ecology and Conservation BSc at Anglia Ruskin University, then completing a PgDip in Companion Animal Behaviour at the University of Southampton. She has worked with animals ever since and has a particular interest in mammalian behaviour. She has participated in research trips to Kenya, Tanzania, and Peru and enjoys all aspects of the natural world.
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Anna Forrester
Anna is a former BBC researcher and spent two years working at the Natural History Unit in Bristol. She has a BSc in Animal Behaviour and an MSc in Animal Behaviour Applications for Conservation from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. She has a passion for birds, and a specific interest in how anthropogenic pressures affect avian behaviour. Anna fosters and rehabilitates wild and domestic animals as well as being a dedicated trustee for the Cambridge RSPCA.
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