Marianne Heredge is one of those unique quiet and unassuming individuals that does so much to help others and enriches lives.

She does non-stop travelling, it certainly feels like that. Apart from being based in Nice, having moved from London, Marianne can be found in far off places such as Nepal.

From being a would be teacher to becoming a finance high flyer in London, many things in Marianne’s life she puts down to accidents. Accidents, but in a nice way. Marianne arrived by easyJet in Nice one day whilst taking a few days away from work. It was only supposed to be a fleeting visit to somewhere different. Marianne did not expect to fall in love with Nice but she did fall and planned from then on to settle in Nice when the time was right.

During Marianne’s extensive travels she spent time in India close to the Nepalese border. At the time Nepal was in difficulties so tourists were advised not to travel. That did not deter this determined adventurer. Once in Nepal, Marianne taught English. In a roundabout, the usual accidental, sort of way this grew and changed so that it culminated in her own charity, which is still in full operation today.

Marianne has seen first hand that Nepal is undergoing climate change. This has its pros and cons. For instance, they can now grow potatoes which is good, but the glacial lakes could collapse and cause severe flooding which would be awful.

In Nice, Marianne can be often seen with her group of urban sketchers, Facebook group Urban Sketchers Nice. She took over running the Nice arm of this international group and now has significant number of active participants. The group sketch all along the coast from Marseilles to Sanremo and away from the coast into the beautiful perched villages.

When it comes to being involved in great initiatives then Marianne is no slouch. She has a masters in sustainable development. This in turn led her into auditing travel agents for sustainability. Once again, by accident, the agent she was targeted with auditing was in Nice. Marianne is pleased to confirm that France, the number one destination for travel, rates highly in sustainability. Excellent news.

If that isn’t enough, Marianne also arranges walking tours in Nepal.

All photos courtesy Marianne Heredge