Meet our Farm School Team

Angela Redmond

From Devon where great grandfather was a market gardener all his life. Originally I worked in property development in central London before becoming a teacher 30 years ago; after 18 years teaching computing in colleges and universities, I retrained for primary teaching. I've worked in London, Wigan, Bolton, Dorset, Somerset and Wolverhampton and taught in primary and middle schools. I had a passion for growing things from a very early child and have always gardened, taking qualifications in garden design, horticulture and permaculture from Cannington college, Somerset and Kingston Maurward College, Dorset. I've been a consultant examiner for City and Guilds for their horticulture qualifications in prisons.

I've started many learning gardens in schools and have two allotments of my own. I have taught forest school and growing at my present school, assisting the school to achieve the RHS's Level 5 Outstanding Certificate in It's Your Neighbourhood awards and also the Prince of Wales award for a pollinator garden in the school. I received a Devon Recycling Thank You Award in 2018 for the school's efforts in recycling. I am still a full time primary school teacher. In my spare time, I like to keep busy quilting, bell ringing and researching family history and am about to embark on a story writing for children course.

Bronwen Tyrrell

Bronwen is a teacher brimming with ideas and passion. She is a qualified secondary school Art, Photography and Textiles teacher and has three young girls of her own. She has a wealth of experience in growing, art, cooking, music, story-telling and has led many community projects. She is passionate about creating a rich and fertile learning environment that is limitless, allowing children to learn in their own unique way. Imagination and sense of wonder is something she believes to be very precious and should be nurtured in all areas of learning.

When she is not chasing her three girls around the park she loves to paint and draw. Particularly, artwork for children about magic and nature. Foraging is a new passion. Discovering and cooking-up new wild flavours that her children like is exciting. Cycling along the Exe river with all her girls in tow is a favourite family activity. To keep fit Bronwen does an aerobic dance to Drum and Bass.

Fatma Sabet

I started Farm School in the spring, 2016 where I use food as a context for children to grow first-hand knowledge of plants and the environment. As well as leading Farm School groups and community events for adults and children, I worked part-time simultaneously with Shillingford Organics growers for 1.5 years, this has enabled me to gain the horticultural knowledge necessary to develop Farm School educational program, which continues to evolve as Farm School groups grow older and bigger.

I am also halfway through a Biodynamic training course at Ruskin Mill Trust which enables me to gain a different perspective on food growing and education. As well as running Farm School groups with Farm School leaders, I am currently doing a Ph.D. that focuses on the role of school meals and food education in developing healthy and sustainable school food culture. My dream is to grow our learning community of young children and adults for a healthier and more sustainable future of food, where it is no more a commodity, but sustenance for us people, and our planet.

Helen Carey

I originally trained as a primary school teacher and worked for a short time in schools in Hackney and Tower Hamlets in London. Most of my work since has been focused on outdoor food and farming education which I love. I was with the Soil Association Education team for several years on projects connecting children to where their food comes from - visiting organic farms for day and residential visits, setting up school gardens, and cooking activities. In London, I ran a weekly organic vegetable stall for a farm in Norfolk and managed an organic farmers' market in East London for several years.

I lived in Kenya until I was 10, and have worked in Tanzania (Zanzibar) with VSO (teacher training) and more recently on a permaculture project on Lake Victoria. I am currently completing training to be a Forest School leader and am at my happiest sitting by a campfire, cooking, eating, chatting, and singing! My latest passions are for birds (who I have fallen in love with since lockdown) and nature-inspired art. I fall asleep (in a yurt) listening to the sound of owls hooting and have a tame robin who comes inside every day for breakfast! I have been in East Devon for almost 2 years because I have always wanted to live by the sea. I can be found regularly swimming in the sea at Budleigh or Sidmouth brrrr! I am delighted to have joined the wonderful team at Farm School.

Laura Davies

I first discovered the magic of Shillingford farm about a year ago, helping out on some big harvest days. When lockdown began in March, it became my main job and I felt very fortunate to be able to cycle up to the farm, be outside in the beautiful landscape, and be working with wonderful people. I now work in the Packhouse, packing veg boxes which I then deliver to Exmouth. I’m also one of the team that runs the Shillingford stall at Exeter Farmers Market.

Previously, I was a primary school teacher in London for 7 years. Following this I did some childcare work. Realising that I love working with children, but don’t love the constraints of a more formal learning environment, I then trained as a Forest School leader. Now, the idea of combining growing, being at one with nature, and being part of a learning community feels exciting and hopeful. I am very much still growing my own knowledge about the wonders of plants, and I look forward to learning together with you all.

Bea Yates

Back in 2018 I first brought my daughter (now four years old) to Farm School - and fell in love with the site and the sessions, which quickly became the highlight of our week. Since then I’ve been involved in helping out with the running of Farm School community days, and of course through attending sessions with my daughter. My background is in education and the arts, and I have facilitated creative extra-curricular workshops for children and young people in Malaysia, Guatemala, and Spain - as well as here in the UK. I’ve worked for big organisations like Tate Modern, to tiny NGO’s supporting refugee communities, and am passionate about inclusivity for all.

A huge love of exploring and being in the outdoors myself - and wishing the same for my daughter, led me to begin forest school training in 2019. We moved to Dartmoor at the beginning of this year, aiming to be closer to wild and green spaces, and have since taken on a stunningly placed allotment which is slowly taking shape with the help of little hands. My perfect day would combine sea swimming, rock climbing, cooking up some delicious organic food over a campfire, and sharing great conversations about permaculture, self-sufficiency, and alternative education.