Meet the new Active Sussex Insight Officer

In a weekly series, Active Sussex introduces its staff and trustees.

Mac Ince is our new Insight Officer, joining the team in May 2023.

How long have you worked with Active Sussex?

I have only been at Active Sussex for a couple of weeks. Everything is so fresh and exciting! In my previous role I partnered with Active Sussex to help develop an evaluation framework to capture mental health outcomes.

Why do you enjoy working for Active Sussex?

I’ve always been motivated to help people improve their quality of life. I’ve worked in both cultural and environmental spheres, so now working to get people more active makes me an unstoppable force for all round good.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

It changes from month to month. But I’ve always felt at ease in the outdoors. I volunteer for a Local Nature Reserve, Miller’s Pond in Southampton, where I lead on their conservation work and fundraising.

I am at my happiest when learning about the weird otherworldly existences of tiny creatures we never pay attention to.

Their life cycles are fascinating, and I watch dragonflies buzzing around for hours losing track of the time.

I like to forage. And I make a lot of fermented food and drink. Beer, wine, persevered wild foods.

I’ve also got an allotment, so that keeps me busy, the fridge well stocked and my fermenters bubbling away with various (hopefully tasty) drinks.

If you had to list three things you were interested in, what would they be?

I used to play the drums. And I am really into experimental or progressive music. Thinking math rock, Avantgarde, Krautrock, proggy-psyche and all that Jazz.

Walks in the woods with friends. I do love cycling, but you can’t keep up good conversation if you’re out on the roads.

Craft beer. Can’t beat a well-made beer using local ingredients. Especially when it’s after a long walk in the woods.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I love being a tourist in my local area. There are always new ways of seeing things, learning more about local history, wildlife, culture, all that.

I love the quote for T S Elliot “We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring, will be to arrive where we started, and know the place for the first time.”

If you think you know your local area, you’ve probably not done enough research.