Meet the team

Helen co-founded Kindling in 2007 from a background in grassroots environmental and community activism. She was instrumental in raising £4 million to develop and eco-refit Bridge 5 Mill, a 150 year-old former Silk Mill that Kindling now calls home. 

For Helen, Kindling is another crucial way to tackle “the unjust and damaging nature of the current system”. Something she did in spades whilst accompanying human rights defenders during her year with the Peace Brigades International; for which she was jointly awarded the International Service Human Rights Award for Women.

In preparation for Kindling's planned farm, Helen’s building on her MSc in Organic Farming by developing her practical growing experience at our Woodbank growing site.

Chris is an accomplished social entrepreneur and has helped establish two of Manchester’s biggest and best-loved social enterprises; Bridge 5 Mill eco-centre (along with co-founder Helen) and Fairfield Environment Services. He then went on to co-found Kindling in 2007, when "a group of like-minded people came together to explore solutions to our increasingly industrialised food system and the health and economic inequities it produces.”

Chris also sits on the working groups for the Enlightened Agriculture Fund and Sustain’s Waste Management Social Enterprise group, and was a Trustee of the Real Farming Trust. He is a director of Bridge 5 Mill and is a Trustee of the Fairfield Environment Trust, which supports organisations making Greater Manchester greener, healthier and more equitable.

As the The Kindling Trust’s new office manager, Amy can usually be found at our headquarters at Bridge 5 Mill, responding to all your veg related queries over the phone and via the website.

She brings a unique skill set to the trust, through experience in business and event management, as well as working with various refugee communities around Europe with Manchester City of Sanctuary, Bridge to Africa and Care 4 Calais.

Amy is super friendly, ultra organised and passionate about supporting disadvantaged communities, which makes her a brilliant new addition to The Kindling Trust and Bridge 5 Mill. 

As our FarmStart Coordinator, Helen works with aspiring organic growers at Woodbank’s FarmStart site, supporting them to develop the many skills needed to become competent and able growers. 

Helen is passionate about food growing and creating environments that inspire and support positive learning experiences. She has over 20 years’ of growing experience, gained through juggling a myriad of roles; from running courses and training, setting up community growing spaces with The Federation of City Farms and Gardens and managing an Eco Centre. 

With a longstanding interest in the environment, Luke decided to combine his personal and professional interests by joining us as our Communications Officer. Passionate about playing his part to help in the face of the climate emergency, Luke aims to spread the word when it comes to the wonderful work being done by all the staff and volunteers that make up The Kindling Trust.

Luke’s professional background is largely in marketing and communications; having made a conscious, concerted effort to step away from the private sector back in 2018 - despite not having another job lined up at the time! - he followed up this experience by volunteering with a small youth charity in the North West. Several months later, he began working for a social care provider in Stockport before taking on a role with a charity offering a social action programme to young people in secondary schools.

Rachel has worked as a project coordinator for the NHS and Third Sector organisations for the last 12 years. She has worked with a focus on creative arts and horticulture within health and wellbeing as well as informal education. She is passionate about all things growing, and completed RHS level 2 in garden design and maintenance. She wants to continue to learn more about organic gardening and food growing - she is learning lots on her allotment, which is her second home. She hopes to do more training in this area in the future. 

Naomi comes from a community arts engagement background but has since steered her engagement work to being around nature and the environment and has worked for the RSPB and Cheshire Wildlife Trust in the last 3 years. She has a passion for making accessible opportunities to connect with nature, the environment, and sustainable food. 

Naomi is a self proclaimed nature nerd and you will often find her staring up at a tree or building trying to identify the tiny bird, or down on the floor at a funny angle trying to get a good picture of yet another mushroom. She lives in Stockport and in her spare time enjoys hiking and wild swimming in the peaks with her family dog, spending time with her 2 year old niece, cooking and baking delicious, elaborate meals, and tending to her Edgeley ‘Yarden’!