I grew up on the outskirts of a farm in Donegal, surrounded by two brothers. I have always been inspired by nature and the environment but I also loved dressing up as Madonna 😄. I was lucky that I was encouraged to do everything the boys could do on the farm and at home. I am fascinated by the world and the different traditions within it.

I followed my passion and left Ireland at 18 to embark on an Environmental Science degree at the University of Stirling. I would never turn up to a lecture or field trip unless I was looking and feeling my best 🙂 Where did I fit in? Glam and eco don’t normally go hand in hand?

Fast forward many years, after a lot of field work and many construction sites later I thought I worked hard and strived for a lot in life but little did I know my biggest job was yet to come.. becoming a mum! I felt that I had ‘parked’ my career but I was actually working harder than ever! I chose to start out on reusable nappies and embarked on the relentless task of constantly preparing fresh food in little pots. I was absolutely determined that having children would have as little affect on the environment as possible (this became increasingly harder by the third child and I relented a lot!). As the children grew I really wished for them to be aware and conscious of their world - I have constantly pushed back against society “norm” or chosen to be different (my husband refers to it as my stubbornness) and all the pressures that comes with being a parent but now I do feel it’s starting to pay off. I simply couldn’t let my children think it was ok to get swept up with the ‘norm’. It was so important to me that they grew up to be kind and conscious children. I am not without my vices, nor are they, far from it, my patience is pretty non existent, I can’t always find the right words to express how I’m feeling, I talk too much, I love my freedom and I also love driving - I especially love a classic car (my husband restores them) there are many many more but then I pull myself back to the positives - we went back to delivered milk bottles 12 years ago, my kids haven’t had balloons for their birthdays for many years, McD’s has always been pretty much out of the question (but I’ve always had the excuse of being vegetarian) and I also chose to raise my children without devices and with very strict television time. They weren’t always best pleased with this!

We survived 5 years without wi-fi at our holiday cottage in Ireland where the children had all the freedom of the farm and the great outdoors. I started to feel proud that I’d somehow won against society, that it was ok not to give them everything that everyone else had - guilt goes hand in hand with being a mum but I truly believed in my heart I had given them more but for a while they were too young to understand, now they do and I feel my eldest teen is very responsible with screen usage.

Then lockdown happened. I genuinely could not cope with homeschooling so I let my children run free in the garden and we pretty much took to the water kayaking and paddleboarding most days.

When I started to research for La Pomme (which started out as my portfolio for a professional styling and propping course) I started to discover amazing talent that encompasses all the things I love - make up and vitamins that arrive in cork/tin and not plastic, handbags and blankets that use recycled waste, clothes that are sustainable (so you don’t always have to shop on E bay when you’re in need of some retail therapy without the guilt), straws that fit into your handbag for a good night out with friends 🍸👏 I discovered there are so many more choices than just the day to day alternatives but they’re really hard to find. I found the people behind these creations so inspirational and I really wanted to champion and support them.

I simply love lovely people, I always have done. I wanted to create a shop where everything could be found in one place from the day to day items to events, gifts and styling products too- a world where the next generation could be inspired by, express their great ideas and creativity whilst helping restore our planet. I also wanted to make people feel good, I love making people feel good and I never forget how people make me feel. I really do believe that small changes lead to big impacts and I hope La Pomme helps more people discover some fantastic sustainable alternatives from some very inspirational talent in this world. Be the agent of change and guess what we don’t have to be perfect to do this! 💕

Cheryl 🍏

#sustainableliving #sustainableproducts #proudtobedifferent #raisingchildren #universityofstirling #environmentalscience #sustainablefashion #sustainablegifting #ecofriendly