Day to day Garner & Tonic is just me, Vicky (Vic) Garner. I work from my home in Falmouth, Cornwall with the occasional working day in London. I have a trusted group of freelancers I call on for bits like website creation and graphic design.
I began my campaigning life 20 years or so ago. My first campaigning job was with Surfers Against Sewage (SAS). It’s where I learnt how to get the attention of decision takers, how to create a big impact with a small budget and how the success of a campaign is dependent not just on awareness raising and finding solutions but on listening and quality thinking.
My years in campaigns and community engagement taught me that making noise about a problem is only a small step on a big journey. You need to evidence it, you need strong ideas that feel plausible and ‘right’ and you also need well-researched solutions.
At the most basic level, I am a researcher and a communicator. But first and foremost I am a listener and creator of spaces that encourage really great thinking. And this is what has taken me very naturally down the path of mentoring and coaching.
I am not a fan of greenwash. There is only one planet earth, we need to tread lightly and time is tight.
I believe that answers come from everywhere and every one, that silo’d, top down systems squash creativity, hamper thinking and ultimately serve no one (well, maybe the few at the top!)
It is true to say that I can only work with people, brands or causes I believe in and that I won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.
And I am of the mind that when you find the right people to work with, great things can happen. So if you believe that too, perhaps Garner & Tonic is worth a phone call.
To garner; to collect, find or assemble something, especially information
Tonic; giving a feeling of vigour or wellbeing. Stimulant, restorative, refresher
I am not a hoarder of stuff. But I do love to collect stories and experiences so that we can better understand the world around us. Through awareness we can evidence the need for doing things differently, be that on an organisational or individual level
My aim is to be a tonic, to work with clients big and small to restore, refresh and stimulate positive, vibrant change and to help promote different, more long term ways of thinking, doing and indeed being
Working with Vicky helped us create a valuable space to reflect and gather our thoughts, strengthening our vision and clearing a path to the future. Invaluable
Miguel Fernandez, Ambos