Meet Annie - Trail & Feature Designer at Discovery Land
If you’ve ever wandered through Discovery Land and found yourself smiling at a character, discovering a hidden detail, following a story, or watching your children become completely immersed in imaginative play, you’ve experienced a little piece of Annie’s magic.
As Trail and Feature Designer, Annie is one of the creative minds behind the world of Discovery Land. Her role is wonderfully difficult to define because it stretches far beyond simply designing features. She is a storyteller, illustrator, maker, planner, problem-solver and, most importantly, someone who understands how to turn an idea into something real that families can experience together.
From creating characters and stories to designing seasonal events and working alongside the Estate team to build new features, Annie’s role is about bringing imagination to life in a way that feels natural, playful and connected to the land.
Turning Ideas into Adventures
There is no such thing as a typical day for Annie, and that’s exactly what makes the role so special.
One day she might be sketching a new character or developing a story, the next she could be painting murals, helping build a structure, sewing props, creating decorations for an event, or walking the trail looking for the next opportunity to add a little more magic.
“It’s a true joy to work somewhere where everyone genuinely cares about what we’re creating,” Annie says. “We’re all invested in making this the best possible place for families to visit.”
Working within a small and passionate team means ideas can move quickly from a conversation to something visitors can experience. Unlike larger businesses where a concept can take years to progress, at Discovery Land there is the freedom to experiment, adapt and create together.
It also means every detail has a story behind it. Every feature has been imagined, built and cared for by people who know and love the place.
For Annie, that connection to the land is particularly special.
“Working on the land that my Grandfather once walked and curated, surrounded by all this green, is inspiring and good for the soul,” she says. “I love its ridges, the old trees, the curves of the earth and its woodlands.”
That sense of place is a huge part of what inspires Annie’s work. Discovery Land isn’t just about creating play features, it’s about creating experiences that feel like they belong there.
Creating a World of Wonder
One of Annie’s most recognisable contributions to Discovery Land is the creation of Fern, Timber and Pebble, the nature explorers who have become part of the identity of the trail.
From their names and personalities to their illustrations and the stories that surround them, Annie helped transform Discovery Land from a family walk into a world filled with imagination.
“They were a way of introducing Discovery Land as an actual place,” Annie explains. “A place where fairies live, where dragons exist, where there’s a little bit of magic around every corner.”
That storytelling approach has become woven throughout the trail. Each feature has a purpose, not just to entertain, but to encourage children to explore, imagine and interact with the world around them.
Over the years, Annie has helped create many of the experiences families return for year after year, including:
- The Junk Dragon – a much-loved creation inspired by farm materials and brought to life with the help of the Estate team. You can read more about his story here.
- Giant Bugs and Bug Bingo – combining nature discovery with playful exploration.
- The Halloween Spooky Trail – continually evolving over the last six years.
- Brother Hay – bringing a new storytelling angle to the spooky season.
- The Big Book – encouraging children to read, imagine and become part of the story.
- The Pumpkin Rainbow – transforming an existing feature into something completely new.
- The Christmas Trail – creating seasonal magic for families visiting throughout winter.
Alongside these physical creations, Annie has also helped develop the many stories that bring Discovery Land to life.
But despite everything she has already created, Annie’s favourite project is always likely to be the next one.
“The funny thing about being creative is that you’re never quite satisfied,” she laughs. “Nothing is ever enough, you can always make something better. But that’s also the joy of being creative. The best ideas are still ahead of us.”
It Takes a Team
Although Annie leads much of the creative vision behind Discovery Land, she is the first person to say that nothing is created alone.
“It’s definitely not a one-person job,” she says. “I’m incredibly lucky to work with such a talented team.”
Behind every feature is a huge amount of collaboration, from carpentry and metalwork to landscaping, building and problem-solving. Ideas are shaped by the skills and experience of the people around her.
A design might start as a drawing or a conversation, but it takes a team of people willing to say “let’s give it a go” to make it happen.
Over the years, many people have helped influence Discovery Land too, including educators, creative collaborators and Annie’s own nieces and nephews, who have happily taken on the important role of testing ideas and making sure they work from a child’s perspective.
“Everyone brings something different,” Annie says. “That’s what makes it so special.”
The Art of Turning Ideas Into Reality
Behind every magical moment is careful planning.
A new feature needs to consider everything from weather and materials to safety, budgets and how children of different ages will interact with it.
“It’s a big puzzle,” Annie says. “You have to think about whether it will work, whether it will last, whether children can enjoy it safely, and whether it will appeal to a three-year-old as much as a nine-year-old.”
This ability to move between creative thinking and practical problem-solving is one of Annie’s greatest strengths.
She has previously been described as a “jack of all trades”, something she once saw as a criticism.
“But actually, in a small business, it’s a real strength,” she explains. “You have to be adaptable. You have to understand different parts of the process and be willing to get involved wherever you’re needed.”
And while she may describe herself as a jack of all trades, at Discovery Land she has certainly become a master of many.
Finding Inspiration Everywhere
For Annie, inspiration doesn’t follow a set formula. Sometimes ideas appear while she is actively designing; other times they come unexpectedly while working on something completely different.
Nature itself is one of her biggest influences, the changing seasons, the landscape, and the freedom of outdoor play she experienced as a child.
She is also inspired by the people around her: the team at Priory Farm, the families who visit, and especially children themselves.
“Watching how children play is fascinating,” Annie says. “Seeing what makes them curious, what excites them and what gets their imagination going, that’s what we’re trying to capture.”
In a world that is becoming increasingly digital, Annie believes there is something very special about creating experiences by hand.
“It’s about keeping things human,” she says. “Real ideas, made by real people, for real families.”
A Journey Back to Nature
Before joining Priory Farm, Annie built a successful career in lingerie and swimwear design, working with major brands including Gilly Hicks, Marks & Spencer and Amazon.
But creatively, she found herself wanting more freedom.
“I realised how much I missed being outside, and how important creative diversity was to me. That’s what led me here.”
The move from a desk-based design role into a hands-on outdoor environment has been a big change, but one that feels completely natural.
“It was time to get my hands dirty again,” she smiles. “And they often literally are!”
Looking Ahead
Discovery Land continues to grow and evolve every year, with new stories, features and experiences always being developed.
For Annie, the goal remains simple: to create somewhere families want to return to, somewhere that encourages children to explore, imagine and enjoy being outdoors.
“At its heart, it’s still a family walk,” she says. “But now it’s also a place to play, to imagine, to explore and to connect.”
Encouraging families to spend more time outside, whatever the weather, is something Annie feels passionately about.
“We want this to be somewhere everyone can enjoy together.”
And with Fern, Timber and Pebble leading the way, the adventure is far from over.
“We’ve got so many ideas still to come,” Annie says. “Just wait and see where we go next.”
Experience Discovery Land
A truly unique 40-acre outdoor experience for families who love nature, play and adventure on the Priory Farm Estate in Surrey.
Where children can explore the great outdoors, play freely, and step into a world of storytelling, imagination and discovery.