Missing milestones

Our 20th anniversary flew by with barely a mention. We didn’t get a new key to the door for our 21st. We even managed to miss our Christmas mailshot for the last two years! We were just too busy doing stuff to find the time to talk about ourselves. But, despite being as busy as ever, we cannot let our 25th year, nearly over, pass by without a mention.

World domination...

We set up as 2B in February 1998. For our first 13 years, it was just Bill and Elizabeth, the 2 B’s. You could say that world domination was never part of the plan…

We already knew Amanda from links between our Landscape Institute (LI) Branch and students at University of Sheffield. When Amanda graduated in 2011, we knew it was the right time to take our first scary steps into being employers. 12 years on, this has definitely proven to be a good move, with many comments down the years like 'how have you managed to keep hold of her so long' and 'why isn’t she president of the LI yet?'.

We have subsequently employed a number of people and even reached the heady heights of having five staff for a while. We are currently four, ourselves plus Amanda and Hannah. Hannah joined us in 2020, and brought with her a similar passion for landscape and volunteering for things environmental.

Or not...

So, what have we learned in 25 years of running 2B Landscape Consultancy? Well, clearly, not the route to world domination through the medium of landscape consultancy – but it is a rewarding and enjoyable journey, nonetheless.

Perhaps, most importantly, we have learned not to be overwhelmed or despondent because we can’t change everything - what matters is to try to change those things that are within our capability. This is why: we continue to support the Landscape Institute in various voluntary roles; Amanda helped to found Slow The Flow in Calderdale; we have set up West Wolds Slow the Flow in our local catchment; and Hannah has set up the North Lincolnshire Woodland Trust.

Within the business we are increasingly focussed on Green Infrastructure, Sustainable Drainage (SuDS) and Natural Flood Management (NFM).

The idea is gaining traction that we all need to do our bit towards reducing climate change and managing its worst effects. If you share the view that landscape is not just for prettification and now has a critical job to do, we look forward to working with you in the near future!

Twenty-five at twenty-five

As we are 25, we have indulged in choosing 25 projects that have been particularly special to us, for one reason or another – look out for our ‘5x5’ blogs over the coming weeks, and discover the variety of projects we get involved in, as we head out of our 25th year and into the next quarter-century! Here’s the first: LINK TO BLOG

Finally...

Please spare a thought for those who have to look at Christmas from a different perspective.