Do Something Amazing: Join The Coop Committee
Preserve The Future: help us preserve the future: local, sustainable, earth-friendly farming for our children and resilient communities. Join the Coop Board and have the opportunity to make a difference where it really matters!
Our Coop Committee is elected at the AGM from the shareholder base.* Made up of volunteer shareholders who give freely of their time and expertise, the Committee supports and promotes timeless core farm values: biodynamic local farming, respect for the environment, and vibrant community engagement, increasingly recognised as the way forward in ecologically friendly and meaningful biodiversity.
We meet once a month along with the Plaw Hatch and Tablehurst farm representatives. We get involved in and support fundraising for farm projects, workshops, talks, open days & celebrations, advertising & PR and many other functions whose aim is to help our farms and the community they support to thrive.
We welcome help and are always delighted to hear from you if you have any time and skills you would like to contribute. Please get in touch via our Contact Form.
The Coop Committee today:
We're a bunch of passionate people who have an enduring love affair with our local farms. We come from diverse backgrounds and our skills and experience can always be added to. So join us and see what you can bring to the table!
Robin Evans, Chair
Robin studied Biodynamic Agriculture at Emerson College in 2008. He became Treasurer of the Coop Committee in 2007, held the position of Chair from 2011-16 returning to that role in 2019. Robin, who also served as a director of the Biodynamic Land Trust, specialises in financial and operational risk management. He lives on a farm in East Sussex where he and his partner have established the International Foundation for Equine Assisted Learning.
Elle Fox, Secretary
My family and I have been closely involved with the farms since 2010 and are all Coop shareholders. When we discovered Plaw Hatch and Tablehurst, we moved to Forest Row to be near these two precious farms. I’m a naturopath, academic editor, researcher and author with over 30 years’ clinical and research experience and a big passion for helping people with gut and mood health. I also help raise funds for farm projects running very popular food education and fermentation workshops in the community.
Josh Lelliott, onboarding Treasurer
Josh and his family are regular customers of the farms and Coop shareholders. He grew up on the South Coast and read Economics at Manchester University before training as a Chartered Accountant with one of the ‘Big Four’ accountancy firms. Josh has well rounded financial experience and currently works in corporate finance where he advises on mergers, acquisitions and fundraisings. He supports a range of local causes, and is particularly passionate about biodynamic and organic farming, countryside preservation and food education. Outside of work, he is most likely to be found persevering in his garden or drinking coffee at one of the farms’ fantastic cafés / coffee barns.
Peter Morris, Treasurer
Peter and his family have lived in Forest Row for over 40 years. Treasurer of the Coop since 2013, Peter grew up in a small farming village in Lincolnshire, read maths at Imperial and spent his working life as an actuary for the financial services industry, and the regulation of that industry during the latter part of his career, devising and introducing consumer protection rules that apply to over £1 trillion of people’s savings.
Amanda MacManus
I moved to Forest Row some years ago, having lived in London for nearly sixty years! I thought the contrast in lifestyle would be a bit of a challenge - not at all; I never looked back. I am keen to support the farms’ ethos and help where I can.
I have experience working with charities and businesses, arranging events and fundraising activities and particularly enjoy coming up with ideas for marketing.
Chris Andrews
Hi I'm Chris and I've lived locally for the last 5 years. We fell in love with the area in 2016 after using the farms’ amazing biodynamic produce to help my recovery from acute cancer.
As a member of the Coop, I'm really looking forward to understanding how the farms’ ecosystems run and serving the local community. I come from a Design/Print and property background, so learning something so different is really enjoyable. I've been running my business since 2005 so hopefully I'll be able to provide some decent input going forward.
Andrea Ashton
I have lived near Forest Row for over 30 years. With a background in education I have a passion for holistic education, inclusivity, and community development. I believe in the strength of local, small business and avoid funding large corporations. Having spent much of my youth around mainstream agriculture, I went in search of ethical, organic food production principles. This led me to the wonders that are Plaw Hatch and Tablehurst farms. I have avidly followed how the farms have changed and grown over the years and have enjoyed many farm tours and activities. I was delighted to discover that Tablehurst Farm supports and embraces adults with learning difficulties as part of the farm community.
Peter Brinch
“In 1977 -78 I had an opportunity to work on what turned out to be a biodynamic farm outside East Grinstead. I was only there for a short time (the family had to move) but it had a long-lasting effect on me. Later I did a 1-year apprenticeship at Tablehurst farm. I left farming to do other things but returned to the land, focused on horticulture, growing vegetables. I had a long-standing association with Plaw Hatch farm from 1987 til 1998 doing many different jobs on the farm. In 2001 I took on seed development work and have remained associated with the seed world pretty much ever since.
Michael Evans
Back in 1970s I studied Physics and Electronic Engineering but ended up a Chartered Accountant, joining Cater Allen, a Bank of England partner, as Finance Director.
After leaving the City, my wife and I set up a small delicatessen in Thames Ditton in 2008, when we first learnt about the miraculous concept of biodynamic farming. We have continued to learn more and more about this. To me it feels essential for our future true health and happiness.
I’m an amateur beekeeper. Unfortunately, bees don’t always read the same books as humans…
I hope my skills will help the Co-op to thrive and grow.
David Jonas
After graduating in Civil Engineering at Lancaster University in 1977, David spent 10 years working in the Construction Industry on a variety of projects including highways, marine works and municipal infrastructure.
He then took a complete career change becoming an entrepreneur in Health Food Distribution and founding Vegetarian Express Ltd in 1987. He remains a Non-Executive Director on the board after selling a majority shareholding to an ethical private equity investor in 2016.
Since 2016, he has specialised in freelance consultancy and investment in various small businesses, with a particular focus on Financial Modelling, Budgeting, Cost Control, Scaling & Profit Optimisation.
He moved to Forest Row with his family in 1999, and became a Co-op member in 2001. He has always been passionate about the village and its unique Community Farms.
Jack Woodhead
Jack worked in the Hedge Fund industry in London and Sydney for 17 years and moved to Forest Row in 2019. Jack and his wife set up a Biodynamic Cooperative in the Sydney area in 2016 which continues to run today. He volunteered at both Plaw Hatch and Tablehurst Farms in 2020/2021 in the garden and with the farmers. Jack has a passion for Biodynamic Agriculture and an interest in Anthroposophy; his children attend local Steiner educational programs. Jack is keen to support the financial future and profitability of the farms in balance with their core principles, mission statement and wonderful contribution to the community.
You!
Are you passionate about local, sustainable, organic farming?
Are you convinced that a resilient community is the future for us all?
Do you have a little time on your hands and want to get involved?
The new Coop Rules were voted in during the 2022 AGM at Tablehurst Farm. The 2023 AGM is at Plaw Hatch Farm on Saturday 23rd September. See you there!
(*) The AGM is open to everyone, not just shareholders of the Coop, but only shareholders can vote.
