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From editing and writing for university magazine, Pugwash, to working with Brian May, Ricky Gervais, and Dame Joanna Lumley on animal protection. We caught up with BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing graduate, Jenny Canham to hear all about life after University.

I chose to study English and Creative Writing because I couldn’t choose between the two courses. I wanted to study English as I loved reading and it was always my best subject, but I also had a love of writing that I wanted to explore too, so the course was a perfect fit for me. I’m really glad I chose it, as it’s proven to be really useful to the career I have now.

I have worked in animal protection for over a decade, beginning just days after graduating from the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in 2011. During this time, I’ve achieved critical and long-lasting changes for animals, working with some of the most established animal protection organisations in the world.

I’ve always wanted to help animals, so it was a matter of finding out what skills I had and how they could be of most use within the animal protection movement.

I love writing, and studying English and Creative Writing at Portsmouth enabled me to really find my voice. This was something I was keen to continue and use to help animals. After graduating, I completed a National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) Diploma in Journalism and started writing about different animal protection issues around the world, and publishing stories on my own website. I was determined to raise awareness about how animals are suffering, and what we can do to help.

I then began working directly with organisations, and have been lucky enough to play a leading role in some of the most important achievements for animal welfare over the past few years. I’ve worked with celebrities including Brian May, Ricky Gervais, and Dame Joanna Lumley to urge the Government to ban the imports of immensely cruel products like fur and foie gras into the UK.

I’ve also worked to achieve the implementation of historic new laws that will change the future of animal protection, such as the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022, and achieved landmark legal victories for animals who are often forgotten, like fish. Last year, I met with representatives of the Scottish Government to secure mandatory inspections in fish slaughterhouses – for the first time ever – impacting approximately 50 million animals. I’m continuing to work with fish welfare experts to raise awareness that these unique animals feel pain and can suffer, much like all animals.

There is still so much work to be done in the area of animal protection, but the achievements I’ve had in my career so far remind me that change is possible. I’m glad I was able to put my skills toward a cause I truly care about.

Using skills from my degree

One thing I learned from Creative Writing was to just keep writing. If you feel inspired, just write what’s in your head and think about what to do with it later. I remember filling up multiple journals of drafts before I came up with a final piece. 

In time, I also learned about my own personal writing style, and that one of my strengths is being able to write in a way that’s relatable to the reader. This is key to communicating about animal protection. Whether it’s politicians, celebrities, or the public – putting myself in other peoples’ shoes can really help me to write in a way that engages others with a message of compassion towards animals.

Future plans

I plan to continue working to achieve critical change for animals globally. There is so much work to be done in this area – but there is a lot of hope too. Most people care about animals, so it’s about sharing information and helping people make informed decisions. Public awareness has grown dramatically over the past few years, and I know this will continue.

One of my favourite things about my career so far has been achieving legal change for animals, and I will continue working with governments to make sure animals are protected through legislation. I know things like a ban on foie gras, made by force-feeding, are imminent. The public, celebrities, and politicians are constantly urging the Government to ban it, and landmark progress towards a ban has been made in the past couple of years. The days of foie gras in the UK are numbered, and when a ban is implemented – this will spare the lives of hundreds of thousands of ducks and geese.

This is the reason I love the work I do – seeing the impact my work actually has on animals. I’m really grateful to be able to work in an area where I can make a difference, and play my own part in working towards a more compassionate world.