I started life an animal activist. I was at one time an active member of BEAK, an impassioned animal rights group, and genius acronym of my and three of my primary school friend’s names. I was inspired by my maternal grandparents who despite retirement were patrons and active supporters of countless charities many of which focussed on animals. One year after a two-day stint as a vegetarian - secretly broken by the mouth-watering aroma of freshly cooked pork crackling - while asking my Ganga about donating to WWF, she snapped, “you care so much about all the bloody animals, but what about the people!?”.   It was a big statement for my 9 year old self to take in but it resonated deeply. I didn’t stop caring about animals but I definitely refocused and stopped thinking about their welfare so intensely.