Who’s who
Support Volunteers: we have 50 support volunteers who, in teams of six to eight, support roughly 90 supported volunteers.
Supported Volunteers: we support up to 90 people each week. Some volunteers need more support than others but everyone’s contribution is equally valued.
Management Committee: this is made up of Garden volunteers, who meet every six to eight weeks and are responsible for the day to day operating of the Garden.
Board of Trustees: as a registered charity we have a Board of Trustees who meet every two to three months and are responsible for our overall direction and the safe running of the Garden.
See below to meet our trustees.
Everyone is a volunteer –
we are very keen to minimise
any hierarchy in the Garden.
Our Trustees
Isobel Gowan
Chair of Trustees
Isobel Gowan is our Chair of Trustees. She lives locally and is a keen gardener in her spare time. She has lengthy of experience of voluntary work in the charity sector. She currently works as a Leadership Coach with NHS and 3rd sector clients and had a first career in NHS leadership.
Chair of Trustees
Dan Andrew
Treasurer
Dan is our Treasurer and tracks and reports on our income and running costs to our Management Committee and Trustees. He is also responsible for our financial policies, the day-to-day controls we operate over our expenditures, both large and small, and our budgeting process.
Dan is a Chartered Accountant and Corporate Treasurer and has lived in Dorking for many years. After qualifying in audit, he worked in commercial finance roles. Today he looks after the banking operations for an international business based in Surrey.
Treasurer
Carmel O’Shea
Founder
Carmel is the founder of the Patchworking Garden Project. She previously worked in the health service as a GP, where her interest always lay in the area of psychological medicine. With personal experience of the effects mental ill health can have, setting up the garden as a way to support others seemed a natural choice when she stopped work.
Founder
Val Theobald
Support Volunteer
Val has extensive experience in teaching and education management. She is hoping to help Chris with the Academy. Val loves walking her dog, Pilates and reading.
Trustee
Helen McHenry
Support Voluteer
Helen has a wide range of generalist HR experience gained from working for a number of charities. Helen has also been a volunteer herself for a charity.
Helen enjoys the outdoors, in particular walking and running in the Surrey Hills, as well as gardening.
Helen works with the lead for support volunteers to be a sounding board and in the management of support volunteers, as well as providing HR advice.
Trustee
Helen Clifford-Jones
Trustee
Helen lives locally and is heading up our communications and fundraising. She has had an extensive career in Publishing and Advertising. Helen’s focus is now as a painter and an installation artist. She is currently completing a BA in Art and Contemporary Craft at West Dean College of Art and Conservation. Helen has a passion for nature and enjoys walking in the Surrey Hills.
Trustee
Charity details
We are a registered charity (Charity No 1162471) and raise all our own funds. We are grateful to the many supporters who have made our success possible.
We have two Open Days a year during Spring and Summer, plus a Winter event when we sell our wreaths. Check out our Facebook Page here or go to the Calendar on this website to see what we are up to.
As a charity we have policies in place so that everyone is clear about how we operate. These are reviewed annually.
Where to find us
Get in Touch
Please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.
info@patchworkinggardenproject.co.uk
Remember to include your phone number in any email
The Garden (formerly Friends Life), Sports Ground, Pixham Lane, Dorking, RH4 1QA
Registered address: 44 Westbank, Dorking RH4 3DH