You can view her work .

Sara Hayes MA

@thepublicartco

"I am absolutely thrilled to have been appointed as Festival Coordinator for this year鈥檚 Urban Tree Festival.

The project ties in so well with my work, delivering arts in the public realm with a strong environmental message is key for me! As a walking trail designer that can be working with crafts people to make environmentally friendly sustainable wooden signage, or referencing trees as an important way finding element both in cities and the countryside.

I look forward to expanding my own knowledge though the rich diversity of speakers, walks and writings in the festival this year, plus I will be sharing some of the fantastic trees we have in the newly appointed City of Colchester!"

@thepublicartco

Caroline Bourne is a keen urbanist with a background in urban design and regeneration.  She worked for the Civic Trust and the London Borough of Camden before setting up SharedCity in 2012 to showcase the communities of London through creative walks and talks.

She continues to work as a freelancer and has worked on town centre and green space revitalisation projects across the UK, as well as undertaking research in North America and Japan.  She loves walking her dog in London's amazing green spaces and exploring new parts of the country whenever possible.  She has been a volunteer with the festival since April 2020 and is assisting with marketing. Follow her  or .

Rachele Markle has worked in communications for Amnesty International and PEP the Hague before moving to Edinburgh to pursue her masters at Edinburgh Napier University, studying Tourism Destination Management with a focus on current socio-cultural issues and sustainability. She has lived, studied and volunteered internationally in Scotland, The Netherlands, Japan, and the mountains of Upstate New York where she grew up, which has fostered a passion for the outdoors, art and culture.

After her studies, Rachele hopes to continue living abroad and to work in the public sector at the benefit of local communities.  

Born in Hong Kong, Erica Cham moved to Edinburgh to complete an undergrad in Music and a Masters in International Festival and Event Management. She currently works as the Entertainment and Events admin in the Edinburgh University Students鈥� Association, and is responsible for implementing events that range from conferences to theatre shows and club nights. 

Erica finds it interesting that the Urban Tree Festival is happening virtually. This seemed like a juxtaposition at first, but she has since learned the online festival works in its balance between technology, society, and nature. 

 She hopes to continue learning in her path of event management, while branching out into the thrilling world of the entertainment industry!

LinkedIn:

Ross Findlay is a soon-to-be graduate of the Edinburgh Napier Festival and Events Management programme and works as a freelance event coordinator. Having worked at and attended many open-air events, Ross is a major advocate of utilising green-space to it鈥檚 full potential to enhance the experience and connect with nature.

Asides from his work in events, Ross is a passionate musician and has often drawn upon the natural sources around him in parks and botanical gardens for inspiration.

Alana Cook is a current postgraduate student at Edinburgh Napier University studying International Festival and Event Management.

Her background in the performing arts and undergraduate degree in Musical Theatre lead her to her current post as Head of Singing at the Theatre School of Scotland, teaching children of all ages.

Since this promotion, she was also awarded the role of Event鈥檚 Co-ordinator at the Theatre School of Scotland and assists in the organising of theatre shows and events. During the festival Alana has been helping with communications and is excited to be volunteering for the Urban Tree Festival. 

Chun Zhang has a varied background in administration in the creative industries. She is currently studio coordinator at Tonkin Liu architects, where she has worked for two years.

In her spare time she enjoys printmaking, learning languages and going for long bike rides.

You can take a look at her website

鈥淢y name is Natalia Starikova, I am from Ukraine, and I am currently studying at Goldsmiths University for Media & Communications. I work part-time as journalist for a news outlet, and freelance as a social media manager. Aside from my media-related interests, I have a profound interest in the essence of life, death, and nature. One of my biggest spiritual influences is Ram Dass, whose wisdom allowed me to reconnect with my inner self and enriched my existence.鈥�

Natalia Jurken is a Master Student on Edinburgh Napier University. Initially from Poland, currently living in Scotland. She is passionate about the festivals industry. She enjoys evening walks and cycle rides next to the seaside.

John Humphries has a diverse background in event management and organisation. He has been working in the industry for 6 years and has been a contributing team member in the production of a diverse range of events, with a focus on supporting arts and live music. John is currently working to obtain a masters degree in International Festival and Event Management at Edinburgh Napier University.

In 2016, John established Valley of the Arts festival, with the aim of celebrating traditional craft and culture in native Irish woodlands. His work here assisted local artists to gain recognition for their work and promote themselves in the public sphere.

Find out more about

Sarah Roig is born in September 1999, in Palma de Mallorca in Spain. She is a second-year Goldsmiths University of London BA Media and Comms, specifying in Creative Writing.

She has worked with artists and as PRR and social media manager of two nightclubs in Mallorca. Sarah has recently published writer of her first novel, 鈥漀o Price, No Time鈥� and has a blog online we鈥檙e she posts her poetry, at:  

Amalie Britton is currently studying Media and Communications at Goldsmiths UOL. She specialises in journalism, however enjoys content creation, marketing and social media.

She plans to evolve into social media marketing and public relations after completing her studies.

Paul Wood is a member of the Festival鈥檚 Steering Group and one of the four founders of the Urban Tree Festival.

He is an artist and writer; the author of London鈥檚 Street Trees: A Field Guide to the Urban Forest (revised edition has just been published). London is a Forest (2019) and Great Trees of London Map (2020).

Visit Paul鈥檚 website at and follow him on social media as .

He lives in London, and was a trustee of London Wildlife Trust until 2017.

Mel Sutton is a member of the Festival鈥檚 Steering Group and one of the four founders of the Urban Tree Festival. A yoga and meditation teacher, Mel has a health coaching practice in S.E. London. She trained in meditation with Chopra Global in California.

Mel devises creative outdoor mindfulness, leading groups into meditation and forest bathing. She is also a trained aromatherapist through Neal鈥檚 Yard, a homeopath and a flower essence practitioner. She has been commissioned by The Mayor Of London, The Woodland Trust and Trees for Cities teaching meditation tools.

Mel can be contacted through her website

Mel teaches from her experiences as a meditator. 鈥淓ntering into stillness and connecting with nature deepens our understanding of our true self, releases stress and anxiety and develops our intuition and creativity.鈥�

鈥淚 am Andrew, the founder of the Museum of Walking, I love getting people outside amongst trees having fun. Unlocking one鈥檚 childhood experiences of laughter, joy and play. I use the characteristics of trees and their surroundings as a means to prompt creative thought, and encourage others to do the same, in tree treasure hunts and in composing poetry. I have devised walks and other events with several tree specialists, applying my own knowledge of urban ecology and design, bringing a fun element into each.鈥�

Andrew Stuck is a member of the Festival鈥檚 Steering Group and one of the four founders of the Urban Tree Festival.

Neil Sinden is Director of CPRE London, a branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England. Previously he worked at Ruskin Land in the Wyre Forest, one of England鈥檚 most important woodland nature reserves. He is a trustee of the arts and conservation charity Common Ground; has been a trustee of Civic Voice, the umbrella group for local civic societies; and, until 2015, was CPRE鈥檚 national Director of Policy and Campaigns.

Neil worked at Common Ground in the 1980s on their 鈥楾rees, Woods and the Green Man鈥� programme, including launching an orchard conservation campaign and the first national Apple Day in 1990.

Neil Sinden is a member of the Festival鈥檚 Steering Group.

Peter Fiennes is a member of the Festival鈥檚 Steering Group.

Peter is the author of Oak and Ash and Thorn, a Guardian Best Nature Book of the Year. It tells the story of Britain's woods and trees: their myths, history and conservation challenges.

His latest book, Footnotes: A Journey Round Britain in the Company of Great Writers, is a Guardian Best Travel Book of the Year and was shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Award for Best Memoir. He was publisher at Time Out for many years, where he nurtured a lifelong love for cities, trees and guidebooks.

Simon Edwards (@TiCLme) is a member of the Festival鈥檚 Steering Group. He is founding Director of TiCL Media Ltd. He has worked in partnership with to create website and App software to help organisations create Tree Trails for visitors to their green spaces.

Carole Wright manages community gardens in her native South London, on social housing estates. Working with residents, Carole has set-up three community orchards on three estates in Southwark and created the Tom Carroll memorial tree trail supported by the Tree Council.

Carole has a lifelong passion for urban wildlife, a bee-keeper,  who regularly leads greenspace walks in urban and woodland areas partnering with organisations who provide culturally and socially diverse programmes for lower income participants.

Carole is a Landscape Institute Ambassador and committee member of the London branch of the same organisation. Please follow her journeys on and :

Carole is a member of the Festival鈥檚 Steering Group.

Peter Coles is a member of the Festival鈥檚 Steering Group and one of the four founders of the Urban Tree Festival.

His global cultural history of the mulberry tree, Mulberry, is published by Reaktion Books (2019).

鈥淚鈥檓 Peter. I鈥檝e had a deep love of trees ever since I was a child, growing up on the edge of an ancient beechwood in the Chilterns. Having lived most of my adult life in cities, though, I鈥檝e found the trees of the streets, parks, gardens and surviving pockets of woodland essential for my wellbeing. As a writer, researcher and photographer, I am particularly fascinated by old urban trees as witnesses to a past that may have been buried long ago under developments. This is why I helped to set up the Morus Londinium project to document, preserve and raise awareness of London鈥檚 mulberry trees and their fascinating heritage. Old mulberry trees always have a story to tell.鈥� 

Greg Packman is a member of the Festival鈥檚 Steering Group.

Greg is Senior Tree Inspector for the London Borough of Islington: covering Local Authority tree management and working with external clients such as Epping Forest, the Inner and Middle Temples, and Alexandra Palace. Formerly Greg worked as an Arboricultural Officer for the Royal Parks in London.

In addition, Greg leads regular tree walks and presents on a number of tree management issues; particularly London plane trees and Massaria disease of plane, of which Greg has internationally recognised expertise. Greg also sits on the London Tree Officer's Association Executive Committee and co-chairs the Ancient Tree Forum London group as well as being part of the London Tree Partnership. Greg was also part of Pro Landscaper magazines '30 Under 30: The Next Generation' award in 2018.

Anna Liu is a qualified architect with over 15 years of experience in architecture, art, and landscape. Her experience has encompassed work in China, Japan, the US, the UK, and in Taiwan where she was born. In her early career, Anna worked for Arup Associates in Hong Kong and in London, on projects such as Hong Kong Central Station and Manchester Stadium.

She set up Tonkin Liu with Mike Tonkin in 2002. Together they taught at the Architectural Association School of Architecture for four years, exploring studies of patterns in nature and in human nature, an area they explored further years later with their students at the University of Westminster and at universities in Japan and Taiwan.

Anna Liu is a member of the Festival鈥檚 Steering Group.

Rob McBride, AKA

A passionate Tree hunter and campaigner for ancient trees of the UK & Europe.
Founder  CIC. READ MORE here on the BBC 

You can read his guest blog 鈥楬ealing with Trees from Windows鈥� here!

Alice Whitehead set up Save Our Street Trees in 2016 after she became increasingly concerned by the poor maintenance and disappearance of street trees in her home town of Northampton. While the main focus of its work is in Northamptonshire, campaigning for the protection and planting of urban trees in the town and its environs, Save our Street Trees supports urban tree activities and initiatives all over the UK.

Save Our Street Trees believes urban trees have huge benefits for the health and wellbeing of people and the planet 鈥� and these benefits are greater the closer trees are to where people live and work. Find out more at and .

When she鈥檚 not tree-hugging, Alice has spent 22 years as a writer, copywriter and journalist specialising in gardening and grow your own, the environment and food and drink (as long as it can be grown at her allotment!). She can be found at and .

Artist Katherine Pogson鈥檚 work considers human relationships with nature. Her practice uses Lepidoptery - the study of butterflies and moths - as an entry point for exploring an 鈥榦ther-than-human鈥� view of the world. 

In the Anthropocene age, and with growing awareness of the climate emergency, this inevitably encounters stories of loss, damage and extinction. However, in taking a moth鈥檚-eye view, this work focuses instead on the requirements for flourishing life - nourishment, procreation and the space to move freely. 

Katherine is currently a doctoral research candidate and associate lecturer at University of the Arts, London. In her previous life, Katherine was a designer-maker based at Cockpit Arts, Holborn, and Livingstone Studios, Hampstead. 

See more on her , or follow Katherine on Twitter: and Instagram:

Join Katherine鈥檚 Live Moth Event on Sunday 24th May at 8:00AM. Explore the hidden denizens of the urban forest! Find out which moths are flying now, and the local (or exotic) trees and plants on which they feed. You may be in for a surprise. Find out more, and book now.

Jini Reddy is an author and journalist. Her new book 鈥榃anderland: A Search for Magic in the Landscape鈥� (Bloomsbury) is out now. Her first, Wild Times, was published in 2016, and went on to win the book prize at the British Guild of Travel Writers Awards. She was a contributor to Winter: An anthology for the changing seasons and is a contributor to the forthcoming Women on Nature anthology. 

'She was born in London to Indian parents who grew up in South Africa, and was raised in Montreal, Canada. Jini has a B.A. in Geography, an M.A. in English Literature and a passion for writing on travel, eco-spiritual themes, and life generally. Her byline has appeared in The Guardian, TIME  magazine, The Independent, The Times, The Sunday and Daily Telegraph, National Geographic Traveller, Geographical, BBC Wildlife, Resurgence & The Ecologist and many other publications. She was named a National Geographic Woman of Impact in 2019.

Follow Jini on Twitter: and Instagram:

Picture: Lisa Bretherick

Jini will be discussing Wanderland with Peter Fiennes on Wednesday 20th May in the Urban Tree Festival Book Club. Find out more, and book now.

Jini鈥檚 book Wanderland, will be published by Bloomsbury and is .

Robin Walter has worked with trees and woods for 30 years, as climbing arborist in London, on the saws as a forestry contractor in Dorset, managing estate woodlands round Wessex, as a site manager for the Woodland Trust, as an auditor for certified forest management.  Suddenly everyone loves trees, so how can we apply this enthusiasm to the world before us?

Drawing on this wide experience, he articulates how we might live better with trees, in our gardens, towns and countryside.

See more on .

Robin will be in conversation with Paul Wood on Sunday 17th May in one of the Festival鈥檚 Tree Rings Webinars, Living with Trees in the City. Find out more, and book now.

Robin鈥檚 book Living with Trees, will be published very soon by Little Toller and is available to .

Hannah Sylvester is a specialist in connecting people, with nature. She鈥檚 passionate about leading guided Herb Walks and nature discovery sessions, helping people to build deeper connections with our native plant life.  She has worked as a registered Medical Herbalist for the last 10 years in Lincolnshire, and also lectures on the BSc Clinical Herbalism degree in Lincoln.

Geoff Sample specialises in recording birds and natural soundscapes as fine art and documentary. He combines a musician鈥檚 ear with an extensive knowledge of bioacoustic science and the cultural context of hearing music in nature. He is the author of the best-selling Collins Bird Songs and Calls, contributed extensively to BBC Radio4鈥檚 Tweet of the Day and regularly contributes to contemporary arts projects from the likes of Marcus Coates, Hanna Tuulikki, Caroline Bergvall and Mike Collier.

Check out his Daily Birdsongs here

Amanda Tuke is a south east London-based nature writer. She writes about the joy of urban and suburban nature and exploring the impact nature has on wellbeing.

For the Urban Tree Festival, Amanda reads a number of #sundaynatureworship blog posts written since the start of 2020 based on her weekly visit to Sydenham Hill Wood

Check them out here 

Gail Astbury was born in 1967 and is an artist and teacher. She studied Fine Art at Wimbledon School of Art and has an MA in Contemporary Arts Practices from Goldsmiths University London. She has held numerous posts as Artist in Residence and exhibits internationally. Clients have included the BBC, the Royal Albert Hall and the Museum of Modern Art in Rijeka Croatia.

As well as her painting practice, she makes site specific and collaborative work to commission for both private and corporate clients. Her work explores the contextual relationships that we have with each other and our surroundings. Gail lives and works in London and Limoges.

Check out her event here

Award-winning Canadian, David Merleau is a media artist, performance storyteller and independent audio doc producer living in North Bay Ontario.  David creates forest-centred immersive StoryWalks in the depths of the Canadian wilderness. For more information, visit 

Check out the Forest Talk Radio here

Samantha Walton is a poet and non-fiction writer, whose books include Self Heal, a collection of poems about nature and the self, and The Living World, the first literary study of the Scottish nature writer Nan Shepherd. She鈥檚 currently writing a book about the deep history of the 鈥榥ature cure鈥� for Bloomsbury, exploring the science and stories behind this relationship, and considering how the climate crisis will affect our mental health.

Check out her Nature and Poetry workshop here

Tracey Benson is an artist and researcher based in Canberra, Australia. She focuses on issues related to belonging, wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviour change.

Projects explore a range of media including  walking, video, online, open data, mobile technologies and augmented reality. Tracey often collaborates with cultural owners and guides - working with Indigenous communities, historians and scientists. Her work has featured in many international and national media festivals since 1996. Tracey is currently an adjunct at the Institute of Applied Ecology at University of Canberra and visiting researcher at the More than Human Lab at Victoria University, Wellington, NZ.

Check out Tracey鈥檚 Connecting with Trees in Ngunawal Country here

These writers are the winners from two competitions run by the Museum of Walking and Sampson Low Publishers whose works have been published in two illustrated anthologies: 鈥�Canopy鈥� and 鈥�Autumn Colours鈥�. The competition required writers to compose poems or stories of 250 words and under. This contributor list features writers from 鈥楥anopy鈥� - please click here to see the authors of 鈥楢utumn Colours鈥�.

To wrap up the festival, the writers are showcasing their work in this event, so please join us in showing your support! You can also purchase a copy of the book here, with all proceeds going towards supporting the future development of the Urban Tree Festival.

Paul Chown is 52 and lives with his wife in  South London and works in local government.

Paul鈥檚 story: 鈥�The Sycamore Stake鈥�

Nick Fox is a librarian, living in Upper Norwood. He enjoys reading, walking and volunteering with the London Wildlife Trust. He dislikes clothes shopping.

Nick鈥檚 story: 鈥�The Guardian of Spa Wood鈥�

Deborah Harrison works for Environment Movement and SilverLeaf Associates in policy research and campaigns on rivers and wetlands, farm wildlife conservation, local food, community enterprise, eco-arts.

Deborah鈥檚 story: 鈥�Millennium Wood鈥�

Robert Hogg is a Canadian poet, retired English professor, farmer, and miller has practiced ecopoetics on his organic farm in Eastern Ontario since 1973.

Robert鈥檚 poem: 鈥�Spring 2016 The Chestnut Forests of North America鈥�

Albert Pellicer is a poet born in Barcelona and based in London. His work focuses on concepts of the unheard and text beyond the page.

Albert鈥檚 poem: 鈥�Passage imbued with tree鈥�

Rachel Playforth is a Sussex-based librarian-poet. She co-edited the wild swimming anthology Watermarks and is currently working on a multimedia poem sequence 'Twitten'. @archelina

Rachel鈥檚 poem: 鈥�On being asked about my favourite tree鈥�

E. E. Rhodes is an archaeologist who lives in Cardiff, with 4,000 books, a tolerant partner, and at least a couple of mice. @electra_rhodes

E. E. Rhodes鈥� story: 鈥�Grief, Like the Apple Tree Grows Not Straight鈥�

Mark Stewart is writing in the literary edgelands in the belief that the short story and the poem have as much to say as the novel, perhaps more.

Mark鈥檚 story: 鈥�The Woodland Chimes鈥�

Joseph Surtees lives in London, writes often about memory and has been published in a couple of places.

Joseph鈥檚 story: 鈥�Sink Earthwards鈥�

Amanda Tuke writes and blogs about the joy of urban/suburban nature-watching and the impact nature has on wellbeing particularly for city-dwellers.  Instagram/Twitter @suburbanwilduk 

Amanda鈥檚 story: 鈥�Bed Bound Birdwatching: an escape into the canopy鈥�

To wrap up the festival, the writers are showcasing their work in this event, so please join us in showing your support! You can also purchase a copy of the anthology , as well as the upcoming Canopy here, with all proceeds going towards supporting the future development of the Urban Tree Festival.

Jane Adams @wildlifestuff Nature writer. Amateur naturalist. Photographer. Trail runner. bTB badger vaccinator. Wild bee watcher. Bath Spa MA student. Micro-adventurer. Dorset.

Jane鈥檚 story: 鈥�Autumn Dawn鈥�

Andrew Anderson is a civil servant from Bathgate, Scotland, writing fiction in his limited spare time鈥攈e can be found on Twitter: @soorploom 

Andrew鈥檚 story: 鈥�Sayonara, Kyoto鈥�

Ruth Bradshaw (@ruthc_b) writes short stories and creative non-fiction and recently completed an MA in Wild Writing at the University of Essex

Ruth鈥檚 story: 鈥�A Flash of Colour鈥�

Mel Davies earns her crust teaching meditation and yoga. A self proclaimed health nut with a passion for the planet and nature. I'm really happy daydreaming and listening to a play on the radio. Give me a beach a book and pen and I'm in heaven! @naturalhealthwithmel

Mel鈥檚 story: 鈥�Autumn Colours鈥�

Rachel Dowse is a conservationist and nature writer living in London. She often speaks at conferences, and occasionally tweets @Redowse

Rachel鈥檚 story: 鈥�Leaving鈥�

Pennie Hedge @PennieHedge is a would-be naturalist and conservation volunteer with the London Wildlife Trust.

Pennie鈥檚 story: 鈥�The Old Goat Willow鈥�

Sarah Leavesley is a poet, fiction writer, journalist and photographer who fits life around words, and words around life. She also loves walking and cycling. Instagram: s.a.leavesley Twitter: @Sarah_James

Sarah鈥檚 story: 鈥�Rarely鈥�

Jane Lomas is a worrier in remission. Her most treasured possessions are a fountain pen and her walking boots: protection against the fears. @completelyjane

Jane鈥檚 story: 鈥�The Edge of the World鈥�

Sarah Mosedale: published in Ellipsis, Funny Pearls, Flash Flood Journal; longlisted Flash 400, Flash 500; performed at Manchester鈥檚 Verbose and That鈥檚 What She Said @moseywriter 

Sarah鈥檚 story: 鈥�A Little Night Music鈥�

Sharon Pinner is from Cambridgeshire and my Instagram account name is sharonnpinner.

Sharon鈥檚 story: 鈥淓xplosion of Colour鈥�

John Woolner鈥檚 interest is in how encounters with nature and experiences of travel have the potential to support people in transcending difference and creating meaningful connection.

John has two stories in the anthology: 鈥�The Last of the Mohicans鈥� and 鈥�The Maple Leaf鈥�

Natalia is one of our team of dedicated volunteers helping to make the Urban Tree Festival happen.

She鈥檚 a Master Student on Edinburgh Napier University. Initially from Poland, currently living in Scotland. She is passionate about the festivals industry. She enjoys evening walks and cycle rides next to the seaside.

Rachele is one of our team of dedicated volunteers helping to make the Urban Tree Festival happen.

Rachele has worked in communications for Amnesty International and PEP the Hague before moving to Edinburgh to pursue her masters at Edinburgh Napier University, studying Tourism Destination Management with a focus on current socio-cultural issues and sustainability. She has lived, studied and volunteered internationally in Scotland, The Netherlands, Japan, and the mountains of Upstate New York where she grew up, which has fostered a passion for the outdoors, art and culture.

After her studies, Rachele hopes to continue living abroad and to work in the public sector at the benefit of local communities.  

Ross is one of our team of dedicated volunteers helping to make the Urban Tree Festival happen.

Ross is a soon-to-be graduate of the Edinburgh Napier Festival and Events Management programme and works as a freelance event coordinator. Having worked at and attended many open-air events, Ross is a major advocate of utilising green-space to it鈥檚 full potential to enhance the experience and connect with nature. Asides from his work in events, Ross is a passionate musician and has often drawn upon the natural sources around him in parks and botanical gardens for inspiration.

Erica is one of our team of dedicated volunteers helping to make the Urban Tree Festival happen.

Born in Hong Kong, Erica moved to Edinburgh to complete an undergrad in Music and a Masters in International Festival and Event Management. She currently works as the Entertainment and Events admin in the Edinburgh University Students鈥� Association, and is responsible for implementing events that range from conferences to theatre shows and club nights. 

Erica finds it interesting that the Urban Tree Festival is happening virtually. This seemed like a juxtaposition at first, but she has since learned the online festival works in its balance between technology, society, and nature. 

 She hopes to continue learning in her path of event management, while branching out into the thrilling world of the entertainment industry!

Alana is one of our team of dedicated volunteers helping to make the Urban Tree Festival happen.

Alana is a current postgraduate student at Edinburgh Napier University studying International Festival and Event Management. Her background in the performing arts and undergraduate degree in Musical Theatre lead her to her current post as Head of Singing at the Theatre School of Scotland, teaching children of all ages.

Since this promotion, she was also awarded the role of Event鈥檚 Co-ordinator at the Theatre School of Scotland and assists in the organising of theatre shows and events. During the festival Alana has been helping with communications and is excited to be volunteering for the Urban Tree Festival. 

John is one of our team of dedicated volunteers helping to make the Urban Tree Festival happen.

John has a diverse background in event management and organisation. He has been working in the industry for 6 years and has been a contributing team member in the production of a diverse range of events, with a focus on supporting arts and live music. John is currently working to obtain a masters degree in International Festival and Event Management at Edinburgh Napier University.

In 2016, John established Valley of the Arts festival, with the aim of celebrating traditional craft and culture in native Irish woodlands. His work here assisted local artists to gain recognition for their work and promote themselves in the public sphere.

Find out more about