Meet the Team

Central Team

Ellie Stead, is a middle aged white woman with a grey bob, she is wearing a dark plum coloured lipstick and smiling at the camera

Ellie Stead

CEO

What is your favourite part of being involved with St Nicks? Infinite variety! St Nicks has a pretty eclectic mix of activities and because my role cuts across them all no two days are ever the same!

Eliza is a young woman with tight curly blond hair and slim framed black glasses. She is smiling at the camera

Eliza Fergusson

Charity Support Manager

What is your favourite part of being involved with St Nicks? The wide range of activities with the same aim of protecting nature & helping everyone to enjoy it

Abi is a young dark haired woman with mid length dark hair she is smiling open mouthed at the camera

Abi Gibbons

Community Engagement Officer

What is your favourite fact about nature? I am a nature nerd. I especially enjoy the weird and wonderful micro-world of the pond. My fact is dragonfly nymphs have an extendable bottom jaw, which they use to grab their prey. This was one of the creatures that inspired the sci-fi franchise films “Alien.” Pretty nerdy!

Green Corridors Team

Jonathan is a young man wearing a green cap, he has dark hair poking out of the front of his hat and a dark beard he is looking to the left of the camera and laughing

Jonathan Dent

Green Corridors Manager

What is your favourite part of your job? Getting to work with so many dedicated and inspiring people across York and North Yorkshire to protect and enhance nature.

Beki Hagger

Beki Hagger

Senior Green Corridors Officer

What is your favourite part of nature? You can be part of it and love it without needing to know the science. I also really love fungus and moss.

Nicola Ward is a woman with long dark hair tied back, she is smiling at the camera and wearing waders standing next to some water

Nicola Ward

Senior Green Corridors Officer

What is your favourite fact about nature? I don't really have a favourite fact but one thing that I can often be heard repeating at our volunteer sessions is "there are no straight lines in nature!!" usually when we've just planted a wonky hedge.

Maria Gill is a young red haired freckled woman. Her hair is incredibly long and straight. She is wearing eyeliner and smiling at the camera. She is holding a wicker heart that has woolen pumpkins and leaves sewed onto it.

Maria Gill

Senior Green Corridors Officer

What is your favourite part of your job? Playing in the mud and splashing around in rivers (sometimes both at the same time), whilst seeing a frolicking flock or birds or a flash of a fox as it sneaks on by

Maeve is a young woman smiling into the camera, she has shoulder length hair with dark roots and blue ends

Maeve Milliken

Green Corridors Habitats Officer

My favourite part of my role is the variety of practical tasks we do. I love working on different sites around York and seeing the results of our work!

Joe is a yound man with short dark hair

Joe Whitney

Green Corridors Habitats Officer

What is your favourite part of nature? I absolutely love nature! There's just something about its beauty, intricate designs, fascinating colours and being outdoors that never fails to stir my soul. One concept that resonates with me is the Japanese practice of forest bathing, "shinrin-yoku". This simple method involves taking a deep breath, being calm and quiet amongst the trees, and observing nature around you. It's a great way to reduce stress and promote better health and well-being in a natural environment.

Miranda is a woman wearing a purple wool hat, she is smiling at the camera

Miranda Dunstan

Green Corridors Ecology Officer

What's your favourite part of nature? I'm a big fan of the little beasties - invertebrates are much-maligned and under-appreciated but are a critical component of our ecosystems. I can often be found poking around under logs and rocks, and I can't pass a snail or earthworm on the path without moving them out of harm's way!

Waste and Recycling Team

Sam is a young woman with very long, straight brown hair. She is wearing eyeliner and mascara and a necklace over the top of her jumper. She is smiling at the camera

Sam Taylor

Waste & Recycling Manager

What is your favourite part of being involved with St Nicks? The people, they are so passionate about what we do. It's inspiring.

David Hammond, a man with dark hair, a prominant widow's peak and black framed glasses. He has a small amount of stubble and is smiling slightly at the camera

David Hammond

Community Recycling Officer

What is your favourite part of your job? Helping to make garden waste into usable compost.

Stuart Watling a portly white red haired man with long beard looking into the camera he is tipping a box of aluminium into a bin

Stuart Watling

Senior Community Recycling Officer

What is your favourite fact about nature? Bored ducks become cannibals

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Marc Hodgson

Senior Community Recycling Officer

What is your favourite fact about nature? Ancient creatures such as dinosaurs and scorpions the size of cats.

Chris is a tall white man with red hair and a red moustache, he is riding a tricycle and is sat straight backed looking into the camera

Chris King

Community Recycling Officer

What is your favourite part of being involved with St Nicks? Riding the tricycles, always being made to feel welcome whether it’s on a break or volunteering with the Green Spaces team

Charlotte Hanson is woman with dark hair tied in a bun at the back of her head she is wearing an orange hi vis top and glasses and is smiling proudly at the camera with her hand on her hip

Charlotte Hanson

Community Recycling Officer

What is your favourite part of your job? Exploring the little known snickets and courtyards of our city.

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Martha Tookey

Community Recycling Officer

What is your favourite part of your job? Exploring York on a trike!

A grinning male with spiky dark hair, large round dark glasses and a bear looks straight into the camera. He is holding a steering wheel and there is an open vehicle window behind him

Sam Dredge

Community Recycling Officer

What is your favourite part of your job? Love being outside, chatting to our lovely customers and residents and getting good exercise in the process!

A young male with blonde hair looks straight into the camera, he is wearing orange hi vis and stands in front of a bush

Tommy Ralling

Community Recycling Officer

What is your favourite fact about nature? Despite popular opinion the world is flat (I jest!)

Nature Based Wellbeing Team

Jo is a middle aged white woman with dark blonde hair she is rosy cheeked and grinning at the camera

Jo Young

Nature Based Wellbeing Manager

What is your favourite fact about nature? The robin's spring song can start as early as mid-December. This reminds me that nature always has something special and hopeful in store.

Rachel Is a young blonde woman wearing thick black framed sunglasses. She is smiling at the camera

Rachel Hall

Ecotherapy Officer (Administration)

What is your favourite part of your job? What I love about the role is the variety of nature centred ecotherapy activities that we offer, from our Gardening and Creative Writing groups, to Bushcraft and Willow Weaving groups.

Jane is a middle aged white woman with a short brown bob, she is wearing small spectacles with half frames and smiling at the camera

Jane MacKay

Ecotherapy Officer (Thriving at Work)

What is your favourite part of your job? I love seeing how small changes can make big impacts for people when they start to implement new strategies to benefit their mental health at work.

Freya is a young woman with very curly hair tied away from her face she wears a wooden ring on a necklace. She is smilling at the camera

Freya Lovett

Ecotherapy Officer (Youth Mentor)

What is your favourite fact about nature? A spoonful of soil contains more organisms than there are people on the planet! Soil supports 95% of all our food production so it is very important to look after it.

Eleanor is a middle aged woman with brown hair shoulder length wavy hair. She is looking directly into the camera and smiling slightly.

Eleanor Tookey

Senior Ecotherapy Officer (Mentor)

What is your favourite part of being involved with St Nicks? I love the positive environment we have created. I love the energy and enthusiasm that people bring to the nature reserve. I love the passion that people have for the environment around them and making a difference to it. I love that everyone involved cares.

Eithne, a young woman with brown hair tied back from her face, she has a fringe, two ear piercings visible and toroishell glasses. She is smiling widely at the camer

Eithne Phillips

Ecotherapy Officer (Green Corridors)

What is your favourite fact about nature? I am always mesmerised by nature. My favourite fact is from the findings of Dr Qing Li, professor and leading researcher of forest medicine. He has found that certain species of tree release phytoncides, chemical compounds or "tree essential oils". The positive impacts on human health is amazing; enhanced sleep, focus, energy levels and mood have all been reported as a direct result of time in spent woodlands.