Volunteer Coordinators

Liz Chalstrey

Contact e-mail: echalstreyATwaitrose.com

Counties covered: Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Somerset, Surrey and Wiltshire.

Liz has a background in journalism and public relations, spending many years organising outdoor events for the National Trust. Liz has a degree in journalism and an MA in Nation, Language and Culture from Southampton University. Her interest in garden history and historical gardens developed initially from her work with the National Trust, and, more practically later on, from being owner of part of a Gertrude Jekyll garden in Surrey. This prompted her to join the Surrey Gardens Trust. Now based in Hampshire she is currently a member of the Hampshire Gardens Trust Research Group.

Lucy Hand

Contact e-mail: loocyhATyahoo.com

Counties covered: Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, London, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire.

Lucy's major career history originates from Australia where she was born and grew up. She studied Landscape Design (Assoc Dip of Applied Science, Landscape). She practiced amenity horticulture for many years. She then moved into conservation in the role of Tree Preservation Officer at Local Government level, developing conservation & management strategies, community education and environmental projects. Once settled in the UK Lucy has returned to horticulture. She sees her new position with this project as a valuable opportunity to be involved again with conservation, and to fulfil a passion to learn of the valuable historical resources within the UK.

Leslie Johansen-Salters

Contact e-mail: ljs124ATyork.ac.uk

Counties covered: Cheshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Northumbria, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Yorkshire, Staffordshire.

Leslie was born in Oak Park, Illinois. She spent her childhood years living and playing on the Gulf Coast in Pass Christian, Mississippi. She was nurtured through her adolescent years in Sparks-Glencoe, Maryland.
Moving back to southern climes, she obtained an MFA in Historic Preservation from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. Leaving the sultry night-breezes of Savannah she came over to York to focus on Archaeology mainly Designed Landscapes. Leslie finished her MA in Historic Archaeology and is currently PhD candidate, both with the University of York.

Caroline Palmer

Contact e-mail: caroline-palmerATtiscali.co.uk

Counties covered: all counties of Wales.

Caroline has lived in Wales for 24 years and been a long-serving member of the Welsh Historic Gardens Trust. She edits their quarterly Bulletin, a newsletter which goes out to their 700 members in Wales and beyond. Active in research in her local branch, in the county of Ceredigion, she recently published (with fellow WHGT members Penny David and Ros Laidlaw) a local book, Historic Parks and Gardens in Ceredigion, which contains a gazetteer of all the once-important parks or gardens in the county and gives a detailed description of 31 of the best and most interesting. She is thus no stranger to the recording of gardens, both through archive research and on-the-ground exploration.

Patricia Shepherd

Contact e-mail: pmshepherdATaol.com

Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hereford & Worcester, Kent, Leicestershire & Rutland, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Sussex.

Patricia has been involved in gardens and landscape for nearly twenty five years; the practice’s work covers the combined professions of architecture and garden design - projects include the conservation and restoration of historic buildings and their associated gardens as well as involvement in new landscape work. She studied Garden Design at the Chelsea Physic Garden and Writtle College, moving into conservation based work after taking the post graduate Diploma in Conservation and Restoration of Parks and Gardens at the Architectural Association. A further period working at English Heritage on the Register provided an ideal continuation of the subject.
Patricia has been teaching the principles of garden design and conservation for eight years to interested students both abroad and in East Anglia.