Kath Rosen
Kath is the CEO at The Orchard Project. She has worked for a number of environmental and community development charities. Kath began her journey by volunteering, leading nature conservation projects in London. She trained in international development and lived for a time in Zimbabwe including studying permaculture as a system of promoting food security. Kath lives in London and has always been interested in finding ways to reconnect with nature as an antidote to the hustle and bustle of city life.
- ceo (at) theorchardproject.org.uk
Kathryn Packer
Kathryn has worked as a senior leader in national and international NGOs, and at the heart of Government on policy and delivery. Having supported The Orchard Project as a trustee, she has now joined the team as Business Development Manager, to help the organisation grow and reach more communities.
Based in London, Kathryn is a Fellow of the School of Social Entrepreneurs and a graduate of the Major Projects Leadership Academy, Said Business School, University of Oxford. Kathryn has worked extensively in central government on policies such as land use, housing, climate change mitigation and resilience, forestry and community development. More recently she has been advising the Duchy of Cornwall and establishing a Westminster office for a new MP.
Whilst working for the Natural History Museum, she led a £220M major project to create a new science centre to support research and address the global biodiversity crisis.
Kathryn has also co-founded and volunteered for community-based projects to promote a circular economy and create human-centred spaces.
Abby Cremin
Abby is our Head of Operations and Programmes for Southern England and Wales, and has been with The Orchard Project since 2016. She was previously Director of our successful Celebration of Orchards project which was nominated as one of the best Heritage Lottery projects across the UK in 2019. She ran an education charity for several years prior to joining The Orchard Project, and has a background in managing major projects for young people and schools. Abby lived in London for many years before moving to Bristol in 2021. She spends much of her spare time with her family at her allotment or out walking (up hills etc!), most recently spending two weeks walking the south west coast path.
Jo Homan
Jo Homan has the best job in the world! Being Education, Skills and Training Manager means she gets to share what she has learnt from her forest gardening background at Edible Landscapes London and go on to learn even more good things. Best of all, she is first to meet the future orchardists of the world who come on our Certificate in Community Orcharding. Here she is talking about forest gardening and here she is singing the praises of training at the Urban Tree Festival 2020. She is also working on an agroforestry project at Helen Browning’s organic farm, Edible Eastbrook.
Sarah Cossom
Sarah is our Communications Manager. A former journalist with over two decades of experience in media, events, and PR, she was formerly a Storyteller at the Permaculture Association. Based in the North East of England, Sarah also runs a community allotment and orchard in her village – The Hop Garden – which was set up to share food growing skills.
Originally a Kentish lass who grew up scrumping apples from orchards with her granddad, she was surrounded by oast houses in her childhood. With 55 degrees north being one of the most northerly locations to grow hops, she’s on a mission to share hop rhizomes across the region! Sarah is passionate about community growing and loves to experiment with new perennial plants to see if they’re tough enough to survive Northern climes. She’s also rather fond of cake (making and eating).
sarah.cossom(@)theorchardproject.org.uk
Harry Earle-Mundil
Harry is our Head of Fundraising. He is a passionate advocate for the role of community horticulture and arboriculture as essential to the development of thriving and resilient urban environments. With over 13 years of experience in fundraising for environmental and social causes, he has a proven track record of building strong relationships and securing significant funding to drive impactful projects. Before joining The Orchard Project, Harry played a key role in a variety of initiatives, including a major partnership with the Natural History Museum to foster nature education across the UK.
With an academic background in conservation, Harry is excited to help The Orchard Project maximise and maintain the value of urban orchards as biodiverse habitats, as well as enabling more communities to experience benefits such as connecting with nature through their local orchards. He believes in the power of bringing people together through shared green spaces and is eager to channel his expertise into growing this mission. Outside of work, Harry enjoys games of all kinds, particularly if there are opportunities for acting and improvisation, as well as developing and tending his burgeoning garden in London.
Paulina Szpakowska
Paulina is our Operations and Data Manager, implementing sophisticated systems to look after data, delivering smooth online processes and providing the team with IT support. Her work ensures administrative operations are effective and efficient.
With her background in data research and reporting, Paulina can turn data into insights. In previous roles she has been instrumental in developing reliable databases and online systems, that informs strategy to support the delivery of long-term goals.
Paulina loves music and is passionate about animal welfare. She is a skilled baker who can often be found experimenting with delicious vegan recipes.
Louise Owen
Louise is our Finance Manager. She has worked in charity finance for over 10 years with experience in accounts, governance, fundraising and audit.
Away from work, you can find Louise on a yoga mat, hiking in the beautiful countryside and tending to her houseplants. Louise is passionate about tackling environmental issues and the positive effects that nature can have on peoples wellbeing.
Lewis McNeill
Lewis is a London-based Project Manager. He joined in 2011 while also working on the Fruit-full Schools orchard project with Learning through Landscapes. A deep interest in ecologically sustainable food systems is the logical conclusion of Lewis’ lifelong fascination with nature and ten years as an environmental educator and activist. He can often be found with his head buried in books and papers about soil microbes and mulch, and visiting organic orchards in his spare time. He’s currently working on his Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design and is known for his passionate and engaging talks and workshops on all things fruit tree! A self-confessed chutney and cider-fiend he puts London’s fruit bounty to good use in the kitchen.
Lizzy Pegler
Lizzy is our newest London Project Manager. She has been with the charity for eight years, originally leading our apple-saving enterprise that transformed surplus fruit from the orchards we support in London into delicious cider! Although the cider enterprise has been discontinued, Lizzy is still organising urban harvests and working with communities to bring more orchards to London. Lizzy has a flair for social entrepreneurship, a love affair with nature and a passion to inspire more people to get outside and enjoy the simple and natural delights of life. She believes in our mission and the importance of re-wilding our cities creating more opportunities for people to experience the magic of nature for themselves but also for the planet. Lizzy believes the more we connect with nature, the more we appreciate and protect it. When she isn’t working you can find Lizzy sailing, swimming, adventuring and generally enjoying life!
Chris Macefield
Chris is our Project Manager for Edinburgh and the Lothians. With a background of working in NHS Public Health, Social Work and Voluntary Sector organisations, Chris has coordinated a variety of community food growing projects in different therapeutic settings, including hospitals, schools and community centres. Having studied horticulture and delivered accredited training courses in growing your own fruit and veg, he has become proud of eventually being able to grow beetroots. Subsequently, he loves locally grown, home made chocolate beetroot brownies.
When not found at the community garden near to where he lives, Chris is a keen forager and enjoys harvesting and preserving wild food. He also has a fascination with birds and when at times he appears vacant and distant, it can on occasion be down to him keenly listening to bird song.
Fergus Walker
Fergus is our Project Manager for Glasgow and Strathclyde. Fergus grew up on his family croft in the Isle of Skye and this formative education sowed the seeds of an ongoing interest in sustainable food production. He is a founder and chair of practical projects to support small scale and cooperative food growing in Scotland. He has worked on various projects including Fife Diet, where he ran the Seed Truck – a mobile education project encouraging people to explore their food culture through gardening. He loves exploring woodlands and foraging for wild food, especially fruit, and generally spending time in nature. He has a background in design and an interest in building wacky bicycle-based machines – he hopes to build a pedal-powered apple press as his next project.
Kate Davies
Kate is one of the two Project Managers for Swansea. Having worked in a commercial plant nursery for ten years, she then became Nursery Coordinator for Coeden Fach Community Tree Nursery, where she has worked for the last ten years. She also enjoys sessional work with Forest School, Swansea Community Farm and Woodland Classroom. Born and brought up in Swansea, she is proud to have already worked on many tree and orchard community planting projects, in and around her home town of Swansea. Her hobbies include walking her two dogs in the beautiful surrounding area of beaches and countryside, as well as swimming, cycling and live music. When people can’t contact Kate, it is usually because she is 30 metres under water, enjoying her other hobby, scuba diving!
Witchhazel Wildwood
Witchhazel is one of two Project Managers for the Swansea area. Prior to joining The Orchard Project, she was involved in supporting and mentoring community growing projects in and around Swansea, and also founded the Coeden Fach Community Tree Nursery where she worked as Project Coordinator for 5 years. Her love of orchards began when she ran a BTCV Natural Pioneers Millennium Project renovating an old orchard. She now has her own mini orchard consisting of 7 espaliers as an apple hedge. Witchhazel has run a sustainable woodland and orchard management business for over 15 years and is also an experienced trainer and permaculture diploma tutor. She is passionate about permaculture design, since completing the Earth Activist Training at Ragman’s Lane in 2006. On the home-front, she is proud to have recently built her own timber frame home on the Gower Peninsula where she draws inspiration from the sea and also plays in a local band.
Sarah Mason
Sarah is our Training Co-ordinator. After over a decade working in the busy financial services industry, she is delighted to turn her passion for local food into her career by joining the Orchard Project. Sarah is a keen allotmenter and she has a lead role at her local Climate Emergency Centre. She has helped primary school children to connect with how their food is grown by leading the food growing project at a local school. The abundant little kitchen garden has been recognised at the local ‘In Bloom’ awards and last year produced a bumper crop of Victoria plums which were transformed into over 50 jars of delicious jam for the community. Sarah recently gained our Level 2 Award in Forest Gardening and says ‘This is such an inspiring and fascinating course, I’m talking to everyone at the allotment about which plants we can use to increase our fruit yields and how we can make our plot ecosystems more resilient! It’s such an exciting course, I can thoroughly recommend it.’ In her spare time she can be found pottering in the allotment or in the kitchen turning her harvest into delicious meals or preserves. She also enjoys sharing beautiful pictures of her bountiful harvest via her Instagram account @grubbyhandshappyheart.
Daniella Levene
Daniella is our Orchard Support Coordinator. Having undertaken the Certificate in Community Orcharding in 2018, she has since been a passionate advocate of all things orchard. With a background in community engagement, she is keen to connect people with nature. Daniella is the founder of several environmental initiatives including a community garden and a fruit harvesting project, she is also an keen naturalist and is part of a creative collective.
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Our trustees
Courtney Holm
Courtney is chair of the board of trustees. With over 20 years of experience in corporate sustainability, spanning environmental science, horticulture, agriculture, sustainable sourcing, technology and strategy consultancy, Courtney is a purpose led leader in sustainable development.
Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania Courtney’s educational background tells a story about her interests. She attended Paul Smiths College in the Adirondacks, a top liberal arts school for environmental science and forestry and moved onto St Joseph’s University in Philadelphia for literature, sociology and pottery, studied horticulture while working in the field where she began tinkering with technology, then moved to the UK in 2011 to complete an MBA at the University of Wales.
Courtney’s purpose is to future-proof how we live in a climate challenged world. She does this by fostering the understanding that humans are part of the natural world and gives people tools and skills to support innovation that brings us closer to nature. She has passion for bringing the natural environment, people, technology and business together to help organisations embed sustainability into their operations.
Courtney is building a suburban homestead in her West Sussex home with her husband and four year old son.
Satvi Vepa
Satvi is a solicitor and chartered tax advisor specialising in all things corporate tax, working in London.
A keen vegetable gardener, living in Hertfordshire, Satvi incorporates trained fruit trees into small spaces in her garden wherever possible!
She is passionate about people from all communities having access to nutritious and tasty gut-healthy food, and all the positives that come from being outside in green spaces.
Satvi believes access to biodiverse green spaces has significant benefits to our urban communities, including better mental health, better ecosystems and a better appreciation for our environment.
Hakeem Ojo
Hakeem is dedicated to transforming global food systems through strategic policies, technology, and community engagement. He works within the procurement team at PrepWorld and serves as a Board Apprentice with The Farming Community Network. He is the co-founder of Integrated Aerial Precision, an agri-tech company based in Nigeria that uses precision drone technology to increase yield and profitability in food production.
Working with The Orchard Project offers Hakeem an ideal way to promote food sustainability and nature biodiversity within our urban communities. He believes working with marginalised communities takes this a step further, as it echoes urban community development with those often overlooked and underrepresented by society.
Chris Wooff
Chris lives in Wandsworth, London, and feels lucky to enjoy easy access to green space, with two beautiful Commons on his doorstep. This proximity has given him a deep appreciation for the role of nature in urban life. He first discovered The Orchard Project while exploring ways to revive the ancient idea of the Commons – places rooted in community, sustainability and harmony with the land. Discovering that The Orchard Project was actively bringing this ethos to life, he’s thrilled to help raise awareness of the project’s vital work.
Chris is currently the Global Brand Director for Winsor & Newton, a leading art materials brand, and brings over 15 years of experience working with luxury and FMCG brands across the globe.
Lisa Stonestreet
Lisa’s career to date has been focused specifically on sustainable investment and finance. Lisa is currently the Head of Communications and Charity Impact at the EIRIS Foundation, a charity working to increase the positive impact of sustainable and responsible investment and drive the transformation to a more sustainable economy. Lisa was previously a Programme Director at the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF), supporting the growth of UK market demand for responsible investment and other financial services that advance sustainability through activities such as Good Money Week, the Ethical Investment Association and support for Pension Funds and Charity Investors. Lisa initially developed an interest in sustainable finance while studying Finance and Environmental Economics in South Africa. Lisa is passionate about green spaces, thriving communities and the need for people to be given opportunities to celebrate the natural world.
Andrew Lamb
Andrew is a chartered accountant with a background in property. Having begun his career in a diverse entrepreneurial business, he then moved into the social housing sector, working in technical accounting and financial planning roles. He currently works as financial planning and analysis manager in a national environmental charity.
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Our ambassadors
Carina Millstone
Carina Millstone is a Founder of The Orchard Project and is now an Ambassador. Carina is a permaculturalist, who first noticed the opportunity in London’s environmental movement – everyone seemed to agree fruit trees were a great thing, but no one was really doing anything about it. Reflecting that a vision of a London covered in fruit trees was actually not a pipe dream- the Victorians had had similar visions for a green London when they had planted London planes- she decided to make it happen while on a jog on her local common. In addition to setting up the Project with Rowena, Carina also acted as Chief Executive before handing over to Kath. Carina has worked as a sustainability consultant for Environmental Resources Management, and served as Manager of Programmes for the New Economy Coalition in the States. She has also been a Visiting Research Fellow at the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University and is a Fellow of the Schumacher Institute. She has written a book entitled “Frugal Value: Designing Business for a Crowded Planet”.
Rowena Ganguli
Rowena Ganguli is a Founder of The Orchard Project. She is passionate about all things fruit related and developed her food industry expertise working for the likes of Innocent Drinks and Abel & Cole. So far in her working life she has sourced over 100 million litres of apple juice for Innocent, managed a global supply base spanning 12 countries and 3 continents, and created ground breaking sustainability initiatives in food production and manufacturing. She strongly believes in community ownership of urban orchards as a means to bringing neighbours together with a common purpose: to nurture their local environments into productive, resilient and beautiful spaces.
Our experts
We work with a team of experts who support our work, provide guidance and help make sure our orchards get the care they deserve, including:
Russell Miller, trained arboriculturalist, with plenty of letters after his name, who has planted orchards in his home borough of Hackney for the last decade with his group the Tree Musketeers.
Bob Lever, orchard expert and member of the East of England Apples and Orchards Project, and a fountain on knowledge for orchard restoration and apple identification.
Tom Adams (Tom the Apple Man) runs a specialist organic fruit nursery, teaches on our CICO courses and also advises and supplies trees for our Welsh orchards.
Our orchard leaders
We have trained and supported around 400 Orchard Leaders from our partner community groups. Our Orchard Leaders are responsible for the implementation of the orchard management plan developed with us. They are therefore critical to the success of the community orchards, so thank you all for your hard work and keep it up!