"I quit my top job to spend a year with subcultures from A-Z - including aristocrats, vampires, goths, naturists and trainspotters"

A woman gave up her high-flying corporate job to spend a year living with 'misunderstood' subcultures - one for each letter of the alphabet.

Lucy Leonelli, 29, quit her executive role to hang out with aristocrats, circus performers, vampires, Morris dancers, goths and naturists.

She had been working in the business world and craved the diversity and new experiences she had enjoyed growing up.

Lucy left her job and spent a year travelling the UK, spending time with its wildest and weirdest subcultures and groups – from A-Z.

They included Aristocracy. Battle Reenacting, Dog showing, Fox Hunting, Goth, Hill Bagging, Pigeon Racing and Larping.

She tried Morris Dancing, Paganism, Sci-Fi Super Fans, Train Spotting, UFOlogy, and the Zeitgeist Movement.

Lucy, from Bristol, tried to immerse herself into the culture of each group.

She interviewed members and participated in their activities - raced pigeons, investigated crop circles, did naked Yoga and had fangs fitted.

She then included all of her experiences in a book to capture everything she’d learnt.

Lucy published her account of her year of adventures – A Year in the Life: Adventures in British Subcultures.

Writing the book helped Lucy process her experiences – a year that has left her with some profound realisations about how people connect with each other.