South Wales Office
Horticulture Network Wales
Aberglasney Gardens
The Folly
Llangathen
Carmarthenshire SA32 8QH
Tel: 01558 668023
Fax: 01558 668998

North Wales Office
Welsh College of Horticulture
Holywell Road
Northop
Mold
Flintshire CH7 6AA
Tel: 01352 841016
Fax: 01352 840573

Horticulture Network Wales Project Team

For further information contact a member of the project team.

Kevin Thomas, Project Manager
An agriculture graduate from the University of Reading, Kevin spent two years with Management Development Services (MDS) working on training secondments within major horticultural businesses in East Anglia and Kent. Following a further five years in Kent working for a major salad grower and prepacker.

Kevin returned to Wales to take up a series of agricultural and environmental posts with the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority. In 1999 Kevin moved to the newly established Food Directorate of the WDA and continued working within strategic and funding roles associated with Farming Connect and the Horticulture Strategy for Wales following the merger with the Welsh Assembly Government.

As Project Manager Kevin is responsible for the overall delivery of all aspects of the Horticulture Network Wales project, and linkages with other partners.

Kevin also runs an organic 80 acres upland beef and sheep farm near Brecon, Powys 

Tel: 01558 668023
Email: kevin.thomas@wcoh.ac.uk

Garry Smith MBE, Development Officer
Having completed 33 years in the Royal Navy as a Marine Engineer, the last 12 years of service were spent in middle management as a senior administrator. He was responsible for the development and planning of training programmes for the Royal Naval Marine Engineering School and New Entry Officer Training College. In his last appointment in the service, he was responsible directly to the Second Sea Lord for briefing and presenting conditions of service to all naval personnel and their dependent families and reporting their responses directly to the Admirals and Government Ministers. 

As Development Officer for the project Garry is responsible for developing the Administration and strategy, to create pilot clusters for the project and to attend and arrange meetings with cluster companies.

As a keen gardener Garry tends a large vegetable plot and fruit orchard, which gives him 80% self sufficiency.

Tel: 01352 841016
E mail: garry.smith@wcoh.ac.uk

Amy Brickland , Project Researcher
After leaving school Amy worked on the family dairy farm for 15 years until the business went out of milk into beef. Amy then returned to full time education at the Welsh College of Horticulture to study Landscape Design, graduating in 2001.

Amy now spends her working time split between Fforwm Tirlun (Welsh Landscape Industry Forum) as the Events Organiser and Horticulture Network Wales as Project Researcher based at the Welsh College of Horticulture.

Tel: 01352 841016
Emai: amy.brickland@wcoh.ac.uk

Rachelle Hall, Project Administrator
Employed at Nat West Bank as a clerk for 8 years after leaving school she then went on to join the National Botanic Garden of Wales in August 1997 as Receptionist. During her 9 year period at NBGW she worked for a number of people including the Director of Finance, Head of Facilities and General Manager.

In 2003 her role as PA to General Manager expanded to include organising a successful events programme and marketing activities which assisted in the recovery of visitor numbers at NBGW. She joined Horticulture Network Wales in September 2006 and is based at the Aberglasney office.

Tel: 01558 668023
Email: rachelle.hall@wcoh.ac.uk

Sara Fox, Project Officer
Sara obtained a degree in English Studies from Sunderland Polytechnic in 1988. She became interested in horticulture when she started growing vegetables on a traditional allotment site in Newcastle-upon-Tyne where most of the allotmenteers were ex ship buiders and miners. 

Since 1989 she has run a small gardening business and nursery in Rhandirmwyn with her partner Tom, specialising in historic varieties of cottage garden plants and unusual forms of native wild flowers.  In 2005 she was one of the founder members of the Carmarthenshire Growers Association and became Events Organiser for the group. 

In spring 2007 she published a history of Cilycwm School. Sara is studying MBA Tourism Management at Trinity College Carmarthen. 

As Project Oficer based at Aberglasney, she wil be assisting the HNW team to deliver the project in South West Wales.

Tel: 01558 668023
E-mail: sara.fox@wcoh.ac.uk