Jill Barklem was born and still lives in Epping, a small town near Epping Forest in Essex. She has loved drawing and the natural world ever since childhood. While still at St Martin's School of Art she began to develop the imaginery world of the Mice of Brambly Hedge. Her deep interest in natural history and her curiosity about traditional rural crafts and customs have spilled over into these chronicles of hedgerow life.

The first BRAMBLY HEDGE stories were published over 25 years ago and were instantly recognised as classics. Since then the series has been published all over the world in more than ten languages, televised by HIT ENTERTAINMENT and been part of an internationally successful merchandising programme.

But at the heart of all this enterprise is Jill's single determined view of the world as a place that can and should be friendly, loving and self -sustaining. It is this integrity of vision that has made the series so much loved.