BRIGID PRESS
Manager Brigid describes the role of managing the Rural centre as her dream job. Her mother says that she is at last putting her Business, environment & Recreation Management Degree to good use, instead of just playing cricket & hockey. An ex fitness instructor, she is also a qualified Horticulture Trainer & Assessor and has run plant nurseries and coffee shops all over County Durham. She oversees the work done on site from the 'watch tower' office on the top of the terraces. She also writes all of our funding bids, has an eye on the accounts and keeps our policies up to date. On Sunday mornings Brigid can be found on BBC Radio Tees talking all things gardening. |
SHARON BARTLE
Project Coordinator Sharon has set up and managed a series of successful plant nurseries all over Durham and has qualifications coming out her eyeballs, RHS Diploma, Assessors Award and Horticulture Therapy certificate, oh and a teaching certificate to boot!! Despite this she prefers to be outside undertaking physical manual tasks which is just as well as she is in charge of sculpting and managing the site grounds as well as planning the daily activities for the service users. Sharon likes to whittle wood in her spare time, and makes a mean corned beef pie, so if we cant find her we look for a trail of shavings and the smell of hot pastry. |
SARAH COOKE
Client Support Sarah is a qualified Horticulturalist, as well as having an armful of posh Health degrees and has plenty of experience at garden maintenance work. A time-served 'Spice-ologist', Sarah's ambitions are to grow chilies and tend to goats in Andalusia, or spend days marlin fishing in the Bahamas. She can be recognised by her multicoloured nail varnish, red/purple hair, steel rigger boots and boundless energy (mostly caffeine fueled). Sarah's job is to make sure that the service users are safe and busy all day undertaking meaningful tasks around the site. |
LOUISE WITHERSPOON
Client Support Some of you may recognise Louise from the Lions Den Tea Rooms where she used to be the manager there, but having trained up our apprentice to take over her talents are now being used in the art room where she is in charge of all things crafty. She manages to encourage all kinds of beautiful things to crawl out of the pottery kiln (apart from the money box; the money box always cracks!). Louise has just recently adopted a Romanian rescue dog and a stray ginger Tom, and also takes the breakfast club at a local primary school. You could say she likes diversity and challenges! |
SYLVIA VEITCH
Managing Director/ Company Secretary The whole idea of the Rural Centre was Sylvia's, and she is the forward momentum behind its existence. She has a background in nursery management as well as teaching. Sylvia speaks fluent German, is a musical person and plays the recorder (to a much higher level than we all used to do a school). She is also a great soup maker. Sylvia's job at LionMouth is to keep us steering on the right path and to ask people for money. She is also our conifer cutting expert. |
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CHRISTINA REES
Client Support Christina has an extensive horticultural and art based background; another member of staff with the distinguished RHS diploma (along with a degree in Art) so fits in perfectly with the goals and aims of LionMouth. Christina's passion though is Guinea Pigs, actively rescuing any stray, lost or badly treated little cavy..which means that much of her home is just one big hutch to house them all in glorious luxury. |