Meet the team: Laura Reineke

In April we welcomed Laura Reineke to the team as our fundraising and marketing lead.

A keen open-water swimmer, Laura is a founding member of the Henley Mermaids (A group of 5 women who came together through the love of open-water swimming) and regularly takes on swimming challenges to fund her campaigning for sewage-free waterways.  Alongside the other Henley Mermaids Laura has helped to raise more than £100,000 for charity in the last seven years – an amazing effort!

For her next challenge, Laura is taking on the 20 Bridges Swim in June, a 48.5km night swim around Manhattan Island! Laura is completing this incredible test of endurance to raise money for WildFish – please support her if you can. Good luck, Laura!

What was your background joining WildFish?

I am a professional violinist by trade, and founded a music education charity to fill a gap in the government’s funding 18 years ago. I am still on the board of Henley Music School, but my more recent campaigning for clean waterways led me to WildFish.

Tell us about your role.

As fundraising and marketing lead for WildFish, my role is to raise the profile of this fantastic charity, and in turn, raise much-needed funds vital to the important work we do to protect wild fish and their waters.  I can safely say that I am the polar opposite of everyone else in the team. Working with scientists and lawyers (with brains the size of planets!) is very different for me and I am excited to bring another dimension to the work we do. 

How will your role have a positive influence on wild fish conservation?

I think my role will bring the one thing that WildFish has missed – a big mouth! I love meeting new people, and am passionate about our blue spaces and their inhabitants. I already love my new job, and am looking forward to many years working alongside this fantastic team of fishy activists

Favourite freshwater species and why.

My favourite freshwater species is the Atlantic Sturgeon, which are now no longer found in our inland waterways. This marvellous fish is very rare, and can live for 40 years. Unchanged for over 200 million years, they’ve outlived the dinosaurs – AMAZING!!