Management Committee

Angela is a medical doctor with a grown-up family and lives in Bristol. She was part of the group of volunteers that established The Farm in 2010. She’s been on the management committee since the beginning, and became Chair in April 2015. Her motivation comes from a commitment to social justice and the care of the natural world. After qualifying in medicine, completing junior hospital jobs, and working for a while in Africa, Angela moved to Bristol in 1984. She worked as a Consultant in Public Health, and then became involved in Transition Bristol in 2008 and Bristol’s Food Policy Council in 2011.

Born in Croydon, South London, our family holidays to the countryside (combined with a love of food) created a basic curiosity in where food comes from. My education focused on business: Business Studies at school, Management at university, and then Financial Audit and becoming a Chartered Accountant as a graduate. But it was an organic veg box in Brisbane, some stern words from my partner, and the purchase of a campervan that persuaded me to spend six months on organic farms in Australia; this lit a passion for food and farming that helped me realise just how vital these things are when trying to look after our own health as well as that of the land. Following my return to the UK, I decided to pursue an MSc in Sustainable Agriculture. It was during these studies that I was lucky to start volunteering at The Community Farm. The rest is history! As Managing Director I am bringing together my experiences of both business and farming to guide The Community Farm forwards as it navigates turbulent times.

Annie is a regular volunteer at The Farm, both with the Field Team and the Wildlife Group. She trained as a social worker in Liverpool and worked and lived for many years in the Bristol area specialising in early years childcare and support. Since moving south of the city she’s enjoyed being involved in the way of life of The Community Farm. She carries out monthly ‘Bee Walks’ on The Farm as part of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s national monitoring scheme, as well as the summertime Big Butterfly Count, which she’s supported along with leading wildlife and pollinator walks during the annual Valley Fest. Annie is devoted to supporting the close working partnerships across this organic farming community where ethical food production and increasing biodiversity are seen as mutually beneficial.

Ben is Chief Finance Officer at Yeo Valley Limited, and in the past has run his own business, providing financial services to assist new start-up businesses in the South West. He is a Chartered Accountant. He is passionate about organic horticulture, sustainability and environmental conservation, and is a founding member of Chew Valley Plants Trees and Chair of the Compton Martin Parish Council’s climate working group. He recently sat his RHS Level 2 Horticultural exams and is a keen gardener. Ben strongly believes that The Community Farm plays a vital role in the community as a platform for locally farmed organic produce that benefits our environment and our health and wellbeing.

Claire is Chief Executive of Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support and has worked in the voluntary and social enterprise sector for 20 years. Her family rented a house in the field next to the Community Farm in 2018, became box customers, and were impressed by the work of The Farm. Born and raised in Dublin, Claire has always been passionate about social justice. She has a degree in politics and social policy and worked in the homelessness sector in Ireland before moving to London where, for three years, she supported apprentices at the Jamie Oliver Fifteen Foundation. Claire’s love of food and farming blossomed during this period. Then, after ten years in Australia working as a senior manager in policy and charities, Claire returned to the UK with her partner and two young children, switching from city life in Sydney to the joys of rural Somerset, and they are loving it.

David has held roles as Head of Services at a small charity in Bristol and trustee of an HIV organisation. He is currently Social Investment Lead for an international development social enterprise. An intermittent box scheme customer (and reluctant cook), he was motivated to get more involved with The Farm when old interests in food and sustainability reappeared as part of family life. Originally an apprentice electrician, David studied digital communications and art history and worked in IT before moving overseas to run an environmental social enterprise. He has worked for charities in Bristol since moving here just over ten years ago and is strongly supportive of The Farm’s community and education work.

Born and brought up in Spain to Scottish parents, Jason is a real “Foodie” and passionate about everything food, appreciating good produce and recognising the benefits of clean eating. With a strong business background and a BA in International Management, Jason is lending his considerable expertise to The Community Farm. He has worked for nearly 30 years in the food service industry, from growing up as part of a small family food business through to managerial level posts in major companies, both in Spain and in the UK. Jason lives in Saltford with his fiancée and 2 children and is never happier than when cooking food for friends & family.  

Mas has been a volunteer at The Farm since 2016. She joined the board in 2017. She has a keen interest in both Japanese and British food and cooking, and the melding of these two cultures. She is keen to help The Farm develop and is introducing us to a range of pickling and fermentation approaches that help minimise food waste. Mas blogs about cookery and food, does catering and runs Japanese cookery and culture workshops. Born in Kyusho, Japan, she moved to Luxembourg with her husband (originally from the Chew Valley). While living there she ran a Japanese food shop. Mas is trained as a therapist and works from her home, in Pensford.

Selena moved to the Chew Valley in the 1980s, raising her family here and completing her training as a Public Health Doctor. She is a founding member of The Community Farm, a Veg Box customer, a keen gardener, and in 2018 she took on the chair role for the Farm's Wildlife Group. The Wildlife Group has led the way on introducing pollinator-friendly flowering plants, changing the management of hedgerows and field margins, and linking with numerous biodiversity experts to ensure the Farm is planning for, and monitoring biodiversity on our site.  As Professor of Public Health at the University of the West of England (now Emerita Professor), and four years Chair of the West of England Nature Partnership, Selena is helping the Farm become part of a wider context, enabling us to be visible and valued within the local area as part of local nature recovery approaches.

Rachel is a Landscape Architect, Urban Designer and gardener by trade, specialising in edible landscapes, food production and biodiversity planting. She has worked in the sustainability sector for the last 20 years – in finance, recycling, eco building, cycling and food, whilst always growing her own food and learning from her grandparents who had an acre for food growing when she was growing up. She now runs edge, a non profit which educates on and designs urban food production systems and ecological/regenerative farming practices.

Phoebe moved to Bristol seven years ago after life in France and Shropshire. She has worked in several small businesses and third sector organisations in Bristol since, including FareShare South West (a surplus food redistribution charity) which opened her eyes to the national picture of food injustice and our thoroughly broken food system. It also made her no stranger to food warehouses, potatoes by the tonne and food box packing! Phoebe holds a Diploma in Fundraising and brings her experience working in business development, comms and fundraising development to the management committee alongside her enthusiasm for The Community Farm as a model for a fairer food system.

Naomi has lived in the Chew Valley for over 20 years and in this time been a regular veg box customer and rather more irregular volunteer at The Community Farm. She is a social and market researcher having run her own business for over a decade working with a range of organisations in the environment and sustainability arena (e.g. Sustrans, Soil Association) and the food and drink industry. She brings this commercial and research experience to the management committee alongside an interest in the impact of spending time in the natural world on mental & physical wellbeing.