Oxford

If Jo wasn't presenting she'd be working with wildlife or be be found in the saddle somewhere on the Ridgeway.

However, it's a unique career in radio that has allowed her to combine experiences like these over the last decade.

Having grown up in Kenya, it was a chance encounter that led to her first radio job.

"I was so hungry to be a part of this exciting new station in Nairobi that I pretty much offered myself up for free.

"I just wanted to know what it was about… and once I got through the studio doors I was bitten by the bug."

That led to four years with the station in question before making a new year's resolution for the new millennium to try out everything she had learned on a bigger scale - and she moved to the UK in 2000 armed with two suitcases and a demo tape.

Jo quickly found work in London, but it is in Oxfordshire - her new adopted home - that Jo really found her place.

"I love Oxfordshire, and the longer I stay the more I discover, and wonder why I hadn't know about it before" she says.

"As a city, Oxford is the right size for me - I'm a country girl at heart, and getting out and about and hearing about the different walks of live and characters that make our county so special really excites me.

"Every afternoon I am faced with new and unique personal stories - and it makes me proud to live with so many incredible people."

Q & A

1. How did you get into radio?

By asking the boss of a yet to be launched station on Nairobi if there was anything - ANYTHING - I could do to work in the industry. Being on air was the furthest thing from my mind. I just loved the buzz that surrounded the place

2. What was your first broadcast?

Travel news on 98.4 Capital FM, Nairobi.

3. What other jobs have you done besides broadcasting?

I taught riding for a while - my real passion sportswise - and groomed polo ponies in Australia. I tried my hand at sales - seagrass furniture to be precise - and waitressed at a well know pizza chain with a blue and white logo.

4. What would you like to be if you weren't a radio presenter?

Wildlife film maker, conservation worker or international show jumper. Some things girls don't grow out of!

5. What would your listeners be surprised to learn about you?

Probably nothing. I'm not that exciting!

6. Which person would you most enjoy being stuck in a lift with?

My sister. She is an artist based in Kenya so we don't get to see each other nearly enough. If we were stuck in a lift together we could make the most of the time and have a really good girlie natter.

7. If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?

Where to start..?

8. What is your worst habit?

I tend to see both sides of most arguments. Which isn't particularly helpful. And I'm untidy...

9. Tell us about your 1st:

Car: A red Fiat Uno that didn't stand up particularly well to a) my driving b) the Kenyan roads

Job: Riding instructor

Kiss: A lady never tells…

Record/CD: Now 4: Paul McCartney - No More Lonely Nights, Bronski Beat - Why?, Malcolm McLaren -Madame Butterfly... I could go on…

10. What is your favourite:

Food: Most of it!

Sandwich: This will change - but you can't go wrong with a tandoori chicken and coleslaw baguette

Place in Oxfordshire: The Ridgeway

Item of clothing: Jeans, jeans, jeans… always looking out for the perfect pair...

Song: The Dixie Chicks - Easy Silence, or Wide Open Spaces… they both represent very different times in my life and are my 'markers'

Singer: Impossible to answer…

Film: I like a good cry….or even a howl if the film warrants it. Again, so many to choose from...

T.V Show: Grey's Anatomy - don't try and call me when it is on! Also Who Do You Think You Are - one day I'll do my family tree…

Click here to email Jo.

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