Together with the team below, our volunteers, allotmenteers and customers all form a vital part of the wider, ever growing team at Bosavern. We try to find the right niche for every person as we get to know their strengths and interests, and we encourage everybody involved to become a Member.
As a charitable organisation are ultimately responsible to our Members who elect people to the Board at the Annual General Meeting each Autumn and delegate the day to day management to the Board Directors.
Hugh Taylor, head grower
Hugh, along with his partner Alice, moved to the Farm when Bosavern Community Enterprises was first established and together they began the huge undertaking of setting up the vegetable growing production, while also renovating the Farmhouse and outbuildings. Hugh has been tending the vegetable crops and caring for the hen flock ever since. Passionate about organic farming, wildlife and education in sustainable agriculture, Hugh is also a keen photographer. He has recorded numerous farm activities over the years in an expansive photo library and blog.
Katie Kirk, CDO and Chair of BCE
Having attended Cape Cornwall School in her teens, Katie studied Environmental Sciences at Derby University, worked for Friends of the Earth Parliamentary Unit, gained substantial community development here in W. Cornwall and qualified with a PGCE for teaching adults in informal settings. In her spare time Katie enjoys reading, moorland walks and folk singing. Katie first joined Bosavern to co-ordinate our Training & Work Experience project and joined the Board in 2020. Katie co-ordinates our strategic forward plans, partnerships, projects, funding and communications.
Dilys, Finance Officer
For many years, Dilys has worked for not-for-profit organisations and community-based projects. She provides the financial backbone for the farm operations, managing day to day accounting, invoicing, year-end reports, tax returns and pay roll. Dilys has been instrumental in securing funding for our projects and continues to keep our funders happy by managing claims and reports with support from Julie.
Lilith Adler, Educational Events Co-ordinator
Lilith has been involved in the Farm since its origin in 2010 (more) along with her family. Over the years she has volunteered in a variety of roles: in the shop, at markets, with the chickens, harvesting veg, helping with admin work. She recently graduated with a degree in politics with law from the University of Exeter, studying a variety of environment and climate focused modules. Lilith is now employed at the Farm as a part-time events coordinator to facilitate educational visits, community events, and workshops over 2024/25.
Ross Packer, Assistant Grower
Ross brings a wealth of gardening and horticultural experience to Bosavern having worked at St Michael’s Mount; at Tresco Abbey Gardens on the Scillies; as private gardener to Lord St Leven and in recent years he managed Kernow Inferno, producing a range of chili products. Ross has a calm and kindly manner which is perfect for supporting and teaching growing skills on Tuesdays and Thursdays
Frances Rippon
Frances has worked in mental health for 35 years and teaches mindfulness courses in the NHS. Originally from Hull, she settled in St Just in 1999 to raise a family and to live in closer community with people and nature. She has volunteered at the farm since its transition to community ownership – helping to organise seasonal events, growing crops, staffing the shop and St Just farmer’s markets. She will be part of the team tasked with developing the farm shop. Frances is a trustee of Bosavern Community Farm Charity and her other activities include St Just Care and Repair Cafe, Shindig Cloggers, Tai Chi, singing and enjoying our wonderful environment.
Elizabeth Hemphill
The influence in her teens of clarion voices such as Rachel Carson and Eve Balfour led to woofing, crofting in Shetland, office manager (predigital) at Sustrans, creating market garden. Then 20 years in Greece learning to restore degraded land. I’ve been in Cornwall 20 years creating forest garden, working at Archie Browns PZ shop, coastwatching for NCI at Cape Cornwall. I recently moved to St Just, and joined team of volunteers at Bosavern farm shop mainly, and hope to invest a wealth of relevant experience as a director, helping to grow the farm.
Ali Richer
I moved to St Just in 2003 and I still love it! I’ve Woofed at Bosavern, worked at the Youth Hostel in Cot valley, sung in choirs and, after working at the Dog & Rabbit Cafe as my own boss, I’m now enjoying being part of the shop team at the community farm.
Ali Campbell
Peter Davies
The Kenidjack Allotments Association manage the allocation and reallocation of allotments at the Kenidjack site, on behalf of BCE. Peter (Chair) is originally from a farming background in mid Wales. He and his wife, who is a native of St Just, have lived in the parish for almost 40 years raising their son and daughter. Peter entered the mining industry as a mineral technologist after studying at Leeds University and spent his career working for both UK and overseas mining companies including Central Asia, CIS countries and Russia. After taking retirement two years ago, Peter now provides selective consulting services through his own company based in Cornwall. He and his wife secured a plot at the Kenidjack Allotment site 4 years ago and both enjoy their time and efforts spent in the beautiful Tregeseal valley.
Alan Bancroft
Alan spent most of his working life at the BBC. He became Finance Director for BBC Broadcast Ltd, a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. Along the way he had spells working in HR, at BBC Outside Broadcasts and the Open University, as a premises manager at Television Centre, and as a commercial policy advisor in the BBC’s Legal Department. Other than his involvement with Bosavern Farm, Alan has left the world of work and is currently doing a PhD on Harold Wilson’s last government.
Matt Buckhurst
Matt is an early retired Creative Director, originally from Redruth. Having spent 30 years in London as a graphic designer. Now living with his wife in Pendeen, he renovated an old Wesleyan Chapel and has an allotment at the farm. He is also Club Secretary of Pendeen Rovers Football Club looking after the day to day running of the club and secured the funding and produced the plans in redeveloping the clubhouse and changing rooms. As a graphic designer he does the match photography, designs & prints matchday programmes and creates the various graphics for event posters, social media posts and website content. He also gets his hands dirty line marking the pitch every week, come rain or shine! Matt brings his creative skills to help the board with all matters around design, branding and marketing for the farm.
Holly Whitelaw
Holly has enjoyed a varied career alongside her environment and academic pursuits, including teaching in India and Tanzania, as a photographer and spending over a decade as a picture editor on national papers & magazines. She has had shops, sold solar and biodigestores and has worked as a cook, gardener, cleaner and in marketing and telesales. She is a founding director of Regenerative Food and Farming and Cornwall Climate Action Network and set up and manages Gleaning Cornwall. She is also on the steering group of Sustainable Food Cornwall and lectures on the multiple benefits of regenerative agriculture and the links between soil, human and planetary health. She enjoys gardening and volunteers for St Just in Bloom.
Dom Goetz
I grew up in London and Paris but moved West to do an Environmental Science BSc at Plymouth Uni in 1995. I’ve lived in west Cornwall since 2000. After graduating I spent a year working on ecology projects in Vietnam and Tanzania, plus a stint working in the London office of the Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Environment Alliance. In 1999 I got side-lined by an interest in Sustainable Construction so went and worked on building sites, learning about straw-bale, cob, rammed earth, masonry and timber-frame construction. I collaborated with Cornwall Sustainable Building Trust to run and write courses for professionals and students. I’ve also worked as personal trainer and lifeguard, plus I’ve delivered talks on the science and politics of climate change on behalf of Extinction Rebellion. I hope to be able to put my wide range of experiences to use as a director of BCF.
Ian Willsden
Born in Macclesfield, Ian studied at Sussex University where he first became involved in environmental action. He worked as a YHA Warden in the Lakes and then founded an eco group which set up a food co-op, a garden sharing scheme, a community allotment and more. During his career, Ian has worked as a Detached Youth Worker, Teacher, Home Tutor and has been active on many committees (Cheshire Schools Table Tennis Association, Cheshire Schools Cricket Association, West Bridgford Horticultural Society). He moved to Cornwall in 2013 and became a Director at Bosavern Community Farm, helping to run an allotment club at Cape School, joining the St Just Town Council climate action group and playing an active part in St Just in Bloom. During his time at the farm, Ian gave popular talks and taught courses on wildlife and organic gardening. Ian returned to Nottingham in 2021 to be near grandchildren where he is now a committee member of Stoke Lane Allotments, setting up a demonstration wildlife allotment with Notts Wildlife Trust as well as fulfilling the role of Charity Trustee for Bosavern, remotely.
Rob Pickering
Rob has over 35 years’ experience of working in, and managing not-for-profit organisations, giving advice and guidance to community organisations and to individuals in a range of areas (state benefits, Carers’ support, and domestic energy). He has been central to the formation of a number of community organisations and is one of the Founders of Bosavern Community Farm. Rob is a seasoned Fundraiser and Project Manager, and is now a Trustee of Bosavern Community Farm Charity. Rob supports our Shareholder Members.
Sue Rushforth
Sue lives close to the safe harbour of Newlyn but loves coming over to the wild side! A couple of times a week she enjoys cycling over Sancreed Beacon to lend a hand wherever needed: picking and packing veg boxes; supporting the WWOOFers or helping to run the farm shop. A French graduate, who took time out to travel round the world, Sue developed a life-long interest in wildlife and environmental issues. After working in various Business Support roles in a multitude of settings Sue decided to ‘retire’ in 2022 and now happily lives a low impact, sustainable lifestyle – volunteering not only at BCF but also The Acorn Theatre, Penzance. Sue has a passion for live music, sings with local groups, runs a monthly Song Circle and founded the Penwith Voices website – a directory for anyone interested in singing. A firm believer in the strength of local community, networking, sharing and co-operative working – Sue is also a veg box customer and says she has never eaten so well since discovering Bosavern Community Farm!
Terry Sutcliffe
Terry is a lead member of the Bosavern Tree Group, a group of volunteers who meet weekly on Sunday afternoons to plant hundreds of trees each Winter and to provide after-care. As well as weeding, mulching and removing guards from the trees in the woodland, they have helped plant windbreaks around the farm and they are raising oak saplings from acorns.
SK
We don’t know very much about SK, but they help us a great deal with our maintenance, repairs and various other aspects of running the farm
Rose Wiles
Rose is an allotment holder with 10 years experience working in hospitality and event management in the UK and abroad. She lives and works locally and, with her partner, is in the throes of renovating their listed St Just home.
Nick Hall
The little we know about Nick for certain is that he won a prize at Pershore horticultural college in 1987 for his wildflower garden, and qualified as a school science teacher in 1997. In his youth he worked on several arable farms in Worcestershire and Herefordshire, mostly picking apples. He used to kayak in rivers and sea, but now he just does a bit of taichi. His favourite pastime is making up tall tales like the time he spent tracking wolves in Slovakia, or the month in a kungfu school in Southern China, or hitchhiking to Marrakech…. most of which turn out to true.
Laura Hodson
Laura grew up in York, worked for a while in Oxford, and moved to Newlyn in 2017 where she now lives with her husband. She works as a researcher at Falmouth University, looking at social justice in heritage and cultural landscapes. Passionate about locally grown food and getting back in touch with our relationship with nature and the environment, she is working particularly on funding applications to help Bosavern continue growing into the future. In her spare time she enjoys rowing, running, and wandering around prehistoric sites in West Penwith with her camera.
Hannah Smith
Hannah studied Land Management at university and is a qualified Chartered Surveyor with many years of property experience drawn from the diverse backgrounds of private, public, voluntary and community sectors. Today she is interested in sustainable, environmentally responsible construction and has recently been involved in a straw bale barn build. She has a Masters in Executive Coaching and has completed a Practical Residency in Sustainable Horticulture at Schumacher College. Here she learned the benefits of growing annual and perennial crops in an agroforestry system using organic principles, no dig/minimal tillage and with a focus on healthy soil care. She is passionate about the role local food and regenerative farming can play in building resilient communities, improving health and well-being and mitigating the effects of climate change. Hannah works for Devon Council supporting their County Farms.
Kate Beckly
Kate has been a part of Bosavern Community Farm since its early days and was a member of the board of directors from 2014-2018, seeing it through the transition to community ownership. Over the years Kate has helped to organise community events at the farm, run workshops and various seasonal craft activities, and initiated the planting of the community woodland at the farm in 2015 and 2016. Kate has been involved in a number of community projects in St Just over the years from Lafrowda, Friends of St Just Library and fundraising for the new skate park. Kate is a set designer, a keen grower of veg, a crafter and environmental activist, who is passionate about the power of communities to work together to create a harmonious and resilient future.
Karl Grupe
Leap frogging from the Canadian Prairies to the Pacific West Coast, across the pond to London landing in rural and rugged West Cornwall, the diversity of people and place formed Karl into a storyteller. He’s worked construction in Northern Manitoba in -40C, lived in house under construction cantilevering the cliffs off Bowen Island, photographed while hanging out of helicopters above the Yukon, had images published in Life magazine and The New York Times, swam from Alcatraz to San Francisco, raced Ironman’s in the Alps, grabbed a couple degrees in university and built a small, private school with his wife, Julia in London. After covid challenged the supply chain for communities he recognised the importance of supporting and protecting community farming. At Bosavern he packs and delivers veg boxes, serves on the marketing team and researches, produces and hosts the Bosavern Farm Twist & Sprout podcast.