Ally Graham
Ally is our Project Manager and is passionate about health and wellbeing. She loves plants, woodlands and learning about the native heritage that is around us every day.
Ally is a trained Action Learning Set Facilitator through the Action Learning Centre and is a Forest Bathing Guide. She is a trained Branching Out Ranger with Scottish Forestry, is a qualified beekeeper and a fully qualified ground based chainsaw operator (small, medium- large & windblown trees). She completed a B.A., an MSc from Edinburgh University and later a MSc Gastronomy at Queen Margaret University.
She enjoys sunshine and all things warm, being encircled by green, and is passionate about hands on & practical learning and education. She is a dreamer and works hard to see those dreams realized. Ally enjoys photography, foraging, home brewing and eating well with friends. She is also a huge fan of Mary Oliver, Brené Brown and Karine Polwart.
Sammy Saunders
Sammy is our Senior Outdoor Learning Ranger and runs our Woodland Wellbeing programmes as well as Branching Out at Beechbrae. Sammy is passionate about encouraging people to get outdoors and in touch with nature, through creative environmental art, bushcraft and cooking over a fire.
Sammy has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Community Development at the University of Glasgow. She is trained in cycle maintenance, bikeability as well as a Cycle Ride Leader. She is also a Health Walk Leader for Paths for All and has completed the John Muir Award deliverance training.
Outside work Sammy enjoys walking her dogs and camping. She is a big foody fan having previously been a catering manager and loves innovative ways of creating new recipes for the camp fire.
Judy Chapman
Judy is our Outdoor Learning Ranger and facilitates Branching Out Groups at Beechbrae. She loves getting people outdoors and interacting with nature. She is very playful and enjoys supporting people of all ages to play and have fun.
Previously Judy has volunteered with the RSPB in education roles sharing the love of outdoors with school children. She was also a community play worker in Midlothian bringing opportunities to play and learn to the public parks. Whilst not at Beechbrae Judy works in a High School in South Edinburgh.
Outside of work Judy enjoys taking her dog for a walk, gardening and doing crafts such as crochet with her cat on her lap.
Beechbrae Board
Mark Smillie
Mark is the Head of Partner Support & Finance at Central Scotland Green Network Trust (CSGNT, a charity) since March 2014. Prior to that date he was the Head of Development at the Central Scotland Forest Trust (CSFT), the predecessor body to the CSGNT which he joined in 1993. CSGNT was created to provide capacity to help realise the Vision for the Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN).
As Head of Partner Support & Finance, Mark has overall responsibility for finance and the Finance Team. He oversees the work of the Partner Support Team in the development and fundraising of all project works to help deliver the CSGN, circa £1.5m per annum, along with a wide range of partner support functions including the management and operation of an annual grant open to organisations of circa £500k per annum.
Mark has experience working with projects such as the Greenlink project, which created 7km of walk and cycle ways through derelict and socially disadvantaged communities. In addition to the above, his team oversee the management and maintenance of the John Muir Way (JMW).
Mark is a Director of Falkirk Environment Trust, the Environmental Key Fund and been elected to chair the Scottish Landfill Credit Forum. Since joining the charity sector Mark has focused on the management and administration of charitable bodies to deliver a wide range of environmental and social outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged communities. His personal interests include walking, cycling, computing, working on old cars and engaging in North Lanarkshire Council’s volunteer programme.
Charlie Hanks
Charlie has been involved in food growing, making and activism in Scotland since 2015. He is a baker in north Edinburgh at the new Granton Garden Bakery, a social enterprise focused on improving community health through real bread. He is also working with Taybank Growers Cooperative growing wheat and building community engagement, particularly with schools, on local food production and ecological farming, and is an active member of Scotland the Bread community benefit society. Charlie is also co-director of The Real Junk Food Project Edinburgh and completing his MSc in Gastronomy at Queen Margaret University, bringing experience of building communities around food and of the complexities of food systems and behaviour change.
Originally from Yorkshire, Charlie has a MA(Hons) in Modern European Languages from the University of Edinburgh and continues to work sporadically as a freelance translator and editor.
Joe Myles
For almost twenty years Joe worked in insurance and risk management. Joe managed risk and purchased the insurance for a number of international operations including Hays Recruitment, Plan International and KPMG.
In 2017 Joe moved home to Scotland and started his first social enterprise – Greater Good Consulting – as a way of passing his experience on to the third sector who, so often, aren’t able to leverage the insurance and risk market the way that big business can. In 2019 Joe set up Greater Good Wood in Blackridge, West Lothian. This is a social enterprise which builds and sells unique gifts and furniture from recycled and reclaimed wood as a way to fund the work of Greater Good Consulting.
Joe is a resident of Blackridge and is passionate about charity, social enterprise and ethical business practices in Scotland. He is a firm believer that ‘business is more than just the bottom line’.
Neelum Yousaf
Neelum has worked in accounting and finance for 17 years and has been predominantly in the real estate sector for the last ten years. She is Director of Finance at Mys Living, a values-led student accommodation manager and operator. Neelum is a Chartered Accountant, a Chartered Tax Advisor and has a Diploma in Compliance.
Neelum loves the outdoors with hiking in nature being of particular interest. She also enjoys reading, going to the gym and running. Driven by her value in a better life for all, she always seeks to join those fighting the good fight.
Neelum is also a Director on the Board at Dundee International Women’s Centre.
Sue Munro
Sue has worked for NatureScot for over 25 years and has a breadth of experience in nature conservation. She currently works as a Greenspace Officer with a national remit. Areas of experience include greenspace, outdoor learning, nature connection, project management, data management, protected sites and species and countryside management. Prior to working for NatureScot, Sue worked as a countryside ranger, volunteered for The Conservation Volunteers and worked at a residential Field Centre teaching Geography to school groups. Sue has a MSc in Environmental Management from the University of Stirling and a BA (Hons) in Geography.
Sue has a passion for connecting people with nature and has a strong interest in the wellbeing benefits of nature. In in her spare time, she writes a blog on wellbeing and nature. She also enjoys photography, gardening, walking and reading.