About Us & Client Testimonials >> Meet The Trustees

Knutsford GROW is a charity and is run by a board of unpaid volunter Trustees elected each year at our Annual General Meeting.

We have a Chairman, Secretary,Treasurer and three general Trustees.  The board meets approxiately every two months.  Interested in becomming involved? Click here. 

  

SECRETARY / CHAIRMAN: Neil Forbes

Neil was appointed Chairman at GROW's 2021 AGM having previously served from February 2008 until April 2014.  A locally elected Town Councillor and Knutsford resident, Neil is disabled himself.  After a lengthly career with a major bank where he ended up a Senior Project Manager, he worked in the charity sector locally from 2005 to 2019 which included (at times) helping train social workers and managing a county-wide team of care package brokers.

 

TREASURER: Ian Barlow

 

 

 

 

 

Our Treasurer Ian works at Tatton Park and provides a valued connection with this large estate along with his bookkeeping and cashflow skills.

 

 

TRUSTEE: Vacancy: 

Could our Next Trustee be YOU??????

If you are interested in learning more, please get in touch using our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.

 

 TRUSTEE Andy Martin

Andy is our Volunteer Manager and also our Contractors' Relationship Manager

 

     

Andy Joined GROW as a Trustee in May 2020

Andy Martin lives in Knutsford with his young family.
After years pedalling the streets of Manchester as a bike courier, Andy worked as a Countryside Warden, specializing in environmental education, and working with mainstream and special schools across the City. Wanting to concentrate more on special schools, Andy then joined Groundwork Cheshire as a Project Manager to deliver their Wild At Heart Project, which engaged young people with special needs with their local and wider countryside.
During this time, Andy also became Manager of Groundwork’s Grozone Project – a community and wildlife garden that offers volunteering and learning opportunities to people of all ages, abilities and disabilities in Northwich. The garden celebrated its 10th birthday in 2018, and has received ‘outstanding’ status by the RHS ‘In Your Neighbourhood’ Awards in 2018 and 2019. The garden is proud to value the contribution that everyone can make, regardless of their ability or disability, to their local community. Andy and his Grozone Team are well aware of the mental and physical benefits of gardening and being outdoors, and work hard to make these benefits accessible to everyone.
Andy also manages delivery of Groundwork’s Nature Friendly Schools Project in Cheshire, working with secondary schools in the most deprived areas of the county to increase pupils’ access to, and use of, outdoor learning opportunities.
Andy has degrees in Psychology and Conservation Biology, and is passionate about getting everyone to enjoy and benefit from being outside.

 

TRUSTEE Clare Brabbins

 

Clare joined the Board in May 2021

She has lived in Knutsford for over 30 years, and since retiring from working in the NHS in 2019, she has taken the opportunity to widen her interests.  Clare has been a keen gardener for many years, and enjoys working with people.  She is involved in various activities in Knutsford and is keen to volunteer for Knutsford GROW, as well as being a trustee.  Clare is also working towards starting an accessible allotment in the town for others to enjoy without having responsibility for a full allotment themselves 

 

 

 

 

 

  Find us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter @KnutsfordGROW