Grace
“We were the first females to work on the mountain side. We soon proved that we were just as capable as any man they’d had working for them in the long history of the farm. That was a defining, ‘girls kick ass’ moment.”
Grace is confident, creative, and adventurous; her adaptability has allowed her to try her hand at and master new skills across a variety of jobs. She has proven that moving outside of your comfort zone can be extremely rewarding, and that you have nothing to lose by taking chances. Having successfully steered her way through a male-dominated field of work, she is helping to pave the way for other women to do just the same. Meet Grace. This is her story.
K: Please introduce yourself!
G: My name is Grace Lane, I am a trainee tree surgeon working in Lincolnshire, UK. Over the past 18 months I have undergone City & Guilds training which qualifies me to safely use a chainsaw on the ground, fell trees, climb with ropes and perform aerial rescue. I have one more course to complete, using a chainsaw in a tree, which will deem me fully qualified by the end of this year. I also have a degree in Costume Design from London College of Fashion which I have never used in a job, but enjoyed every moment of. I am very creative and love making my own clothes in my spare time, taking inspiration from vintage workwear from the 1920’s. I also experiment with embroidery, drawing, photography and painting when the mood takes me. I am an avid charity shopper and can also be found diving into the occasional skip if I see something shiny! I love walking and find myself outside a lot of the time, either plugged into my headphones or indulging myself in my own imagination. In the words of London Grammar - ‘I am wild eyed and waiting, I am wild eyed and wandering.’
K: Describe yourself in your own words
G: There are so many elements to one human being, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually it’s difficult to know where to start. I describe myself as straight talking, confident, creative, caring, giving, positive, optimistic, brave, loving, tactile, stubborn, lazy, closed, selfish, doubtful and so much more.
K: What is your favourite thing about yourself?
G: I am versatile.
K: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
G: In 2018 I left a long term relationship, a house we had renovated together, a good job, my family and friends to board a plane to Canada with no return ticket booked. I stayed in Canada for 6 months working on different farms helping to look after and train young horses. I also spent some time working on the side of a mountain felling and processing trees for a logging company. Myself and another girl, Vanessa, were the first females to work on the mountain side. We soon proved that we were just as capable as any man they’d had working for them in the long history of the farm. That was a defining, “girls kick ass” moment.
When I returned to the UK, I happened to see a job advertised for a trainee tree surgeon and thought, what have I got to lose? Out of 150 applicants, and me being the only female, I got the job and I haven’t looked back since. Women can do anything!
K: What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
G: Don’t make plans too far into the future, things in life can change in such a short amount of time, don’t waste it by living in fear or regret. Listen to your gut, if something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.
K: What does being a woman mean to you?
G: Proving myself to men, but also other women, who don’t have the belief or confidence to see that we are all just human beings that are capable of many things. Yes there are many things that make us different as individuals but we shouldn’t judge each other on those differences. You never know what someone else is dealing with under the surface and we should be respectful of that. However it also means giddy joy when you walk into a bar, knowing you look hot as fuck and you get those intrigued glances from other people who know it too.
K: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
G: I met a woman in Canada in her late 80’s, a relative of someone I was staying with. She couldn’t have been any taller than 5 foot and had spent the years of her youth during the war mending the outer shells of aircrafts. To do this she used a rivet machine which had seriously impaired her hearing. Later in life she became a semi professional baseball player and the first time I met her we hardly spoke, instead spent 20 minutes throwing and catching a baseball. On another meeting she told me her and her husband still go ice fishing in winter and that she spends hours walking in summer. Her basement was filled with antiques and she also pulled things out of skips to renovate. If I have even a fraction of the wisdom and determination of that tiny lady I met, I will be extremely happy.