Ben Thorne Senior Farm Conservation Adviser Expand Ben has over 25 years’ experience working with farmers in Somerset and is currently leading on the delivery of the land management workstream of the Somerset 20 Year Flood Action Plan. Ben specialises in agri-environment schemes, making the environment relevant for every farmer and Natural Flood Management. Ben also acts as Team Leader in Somerset.
Adam Lockyear Farm Conservation Adviser Expand Adam has been a farm conservation adviser for 8 years. He has worked on many stewardship agreements and climate change issues. Adam works on the Value of Working Wetlands Project covering the Somerset Levels and Moors working with farmers managing wet grassland habitats. He also runs a dairy goat farm for a cheese maker in Somerset.
Ann Langdon Resource Protection and Farm Conservation Adviser Expand Ann has worked for FWAG for the last 10 years. Her experience ranges from advising on and preparing agri-environment schemes to providing more specialist soil, water and grassland management advice. Recent work includes working as the adviser on the Somerset Levels Flood Recovery Project and providing nitrogen use efficiency advice to farmers across the south-west. She currently leads the team of advisers working with farmers on the Somerset Levels to increase farm resilience and adaptation to flooding.
Rebecca Mills Farm Conservation Adviser Expand Rebecca is an experienced adviser and has been delivering environmental advice to farmers with FWAG SW for over 15 years. She has a sound working knowledge of agri-environment schemes and the environmental aspects of Cross Compliance. Rebecca has been involved in various projects based around species and habitat conservation and protected landscapes as well as working with farmer producer groups to help them meet their environmental obligations. She benefits from a strong farming background, farming beef cattle and sheep with her husband in the Brendon Hills.
Jo Oborn Farm Conservation Adviser and region wide Resource Protection Specialist Expand Jo has worked with farmers in the Somerset area, and beyond in Devon and Dorset, for more than 25 years. She is a qualified crop agronomist and specialises in practical advice on soils, nutrients, manures and sustainable crop rotations.
Joanna Uglow Resource Protection Adviser Expand Joanna works on the Hills to Levels project offering advice on natural flood management (NFM) and soil management. Joanna also specialises in mapping using Geographical Information Systems and has modelled flow pathways for river catchments in Somerset, as well as using mapping techniques to design NFM interventions. Before joining FWAG SW in 2015, Joanna worked in soil science consultancy and has carried out many soil surveys across the UK to provide soil management advice in a number of situations. Joanna’s love for the environment goes beyond her work, and she can often be found walking or white water kayaking on Dartmoor.
Roy Hayes Senior Resource Protection Adviser Expand Roy has worked for the Environment Agency and Natural England. Roy is currently on secondment to FWAG SW. He works on the Hills to levels project and Catchment Sensitive Farming in the Tone and Parrett Catchments linking diffuse pollution initiatives with Natural Land management to reduce flooding. He has helped many farmers apply for capital funding and specialist advisory visits.
Lauren Clarke Farm Conservation Adviser Expand Lauren joined FWAG SW in 2012. Lauren’s role includes advising farmers and landowners on Mid Tier and Hedgerow and Boundary Grants under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and completing relevant applications. On top of this Lauren organises the annual Farm Plastic Recycling Scheme, which enables farmers to recycle their plastic at 15 sites across Devon, Dorset and Somerset.
Sabine McEwan Resource Protection Adviser Expand Sabine joined FWAG in 2014 as a Resource Protection Adviser. She offers farm advice on natural flood management, soil management, diffuse pollution issues, regulation compliance and agri-environment schemes. She is mostly working on the Hills to Levels approach in Somerset, but is also delivering Mid-Tier Countryside Stewardship workshops in South Devon. Sabine is coordinating the Multiple Benefits Project, which is part of the Hills to Levels approach and involves holistic catchment management. Sabine gained extensive experience with monitoring throughout her PhD, when she was researching the effects of different grassland management on soil and water quality with the University of Exeter and Rothamsted Research (North Wyke Farm Platform).
Thomas Mansfield Farm Conservation Adviser Expand Tom joined FWAG South West at the start of 2016 as an Assistant Farm Conservation Adviser. He has been working on a wide range of projects, surveys and mapping tasks over the last few years with an emphasis on woodland creation, management and wildlife surveys. Tom is an enthusiastic naturalist and can often be found undertaking breeding bird, small mammal or botanical surveys throughout Somerset, holding both a hazel dormouse and great crested newt handling licence. Tom has a particular interest in woodland management and landscape scale conservation projects, incorporating these interests into his work.
Victoria Munday Assistant Resource Protection Adviser Expand Vicky provides GIS mapping and other support to the FWAG SW Hills to Levels Project team in Somerset, as an Assistant Resource Protection Adviser. With a degree in Physical Geography and a Masters in Environmental Management, Vicky has previously worked in environmental sustainability, so is keen to put her knowledge of environmental best practice to effective use with FWAG SW.
Emilie Graille Somerset Catchment Partnership Coordinator Expand Emilie has a broad knowledge of water management, previously working in catchment management in the Bristol Avon as well as overseas, where she facilitated the delivery of improvement works for the water environments on a catchment scale. Her new role will focus on providing support to the Partnership group members, ensuring effective communication within the group, and making sure that the works carried out in the Somerset Catchment are joined up.