MEET THE Straw Patch Team

Sarah

Head Gardener and Project Manager for the The Straw Patch Project vegetable garden and cooking activities.

Sarah is responsible for managing activities in the garden, including planning tasks and running weekly ecotherapy sessions, to create a welcoming place for all.

Sarah is a photographer and has worked on a wide variety of commercial shoots, as well as weddings, christenings and family photo sessions. During Lockdown 2020 this was put on hold, so she turned her hand to wood craft to keep herself busy and her Coastal Element wood craft business was born! She now divides her time between all three jobs.

Sarah has a lot of gardening expertise and has taught English for over 20 years, whilst hosting students of all ages from across the world through full immersion experiences. Among other things this included gardening, cooking, walking tours and cold water swimming. Sarah worked and travelled her way around Europe and spent a number of years working in Italy, Sicily and France, which inspired her passion for alfresco cooking, using fresh home grown produce.
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She enjoys sharing her ‘Patch to Plate’ knowledge through growing vegetables from seed, nurturing them and cooking with the produce grown.

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Alex

Alex and her husband, Nick, own and run Strawfields, a small holding, camping and glamping site on the outskirts of Ilfracombe.

The Straw Patch Project is an idea that she has thought about for some time and having met Sarah is very excited that now the project is coming to life!  

Alex is a qualified primary school teacher and taught for 14 years in Oxfordshire, before relocating to North Devon 7 years ago. Alex is competent at leading small outdoor group sessions, she is trained in leadership skills.    

​Alex has spent several years providing animal experiences for the guests at Strawfields and offers animal petting and
care sessions with the participants of The Straw Patch
Project e.g. feeding the animals, grooming the ponies,
walking sheep and alpacas etc.