Event Leaders Bio – Final

Meet our Event Leaders

Jayne Kirkham

Jayne is an experienced creative facilitator, science educator, and eco-artist with a passion for sustainability, nature connection, and mindful making. With over 25 years of teaching secondary sciences, she brings clarity, warmth, and infectious enthusiasm to every workshop she leads. Through her business JAK’sArt – Alternative Stone Carving Workshops, Jayne inspires others to explore their creativity using sustainable waste aerated concrete— transforming humble building offcuts into expressive, nature-inspired sculptures. Her sessions are inclusive, playful, and deeply grounding, with a focus on wellbeing, confidence-building, and connecting through hands-on creativity. Jayne also designs and teaches how to build EcoBee and Bug Homes, encouraging biodiversity and environmental awareness through fun, practical, family-friendly activities, while celebrating the joy of making something meaningful with your own hands.

Lucy Kay

Lucy is a BANT registered Nutritional Therapist based in Derby.

As a nutritional therapist, hypnobirthing teacher and mum of three, Lucy's joy comes from working with people and helping them to achieve their goals - whether it’s optimal health, a positive birth experience or just getting the most they can out of life. 

Lucy believes the human body is clever and knows how to keep you healthy – from childbirth to every day life. However, many factors can influence your body and how it works such as diet, lifestyle, stress, anxiety and the environment. There are many ways we can bring these things back into balance and give our bodies the coping mechanisms needed to navigate the complex world we live in. 

Her style is very personal, non-judgemental and understanding. She knows how hard it can be to follow a healthy diet when the food environment around us is determined to sabotage even our best efforts. She is also aware of how confusing it can be with so much conflicting advice and information around us. She'll help you cut through all the noise and find what works for you, offering as much support, advice and inspiration that she can along the way.

Her website is: www.mindbodytree.co.uk

Rachael Powell - Glass Artist

Rachael is a Stained Glass artist based in Leicestershire. Having  

studied art at school she has continued to be passionate about it throughout her life. 

She works across various mediums but has developed a particular passion for glass.  She loves colour and the way light and reflections play across the glass bringing new perspectives to her creations. 

Her work is inspired by nature and she works on projects large and small.  She cultivates a relaxed and patient atmosphere in her workshops to allow her students to realise their creative ambitions.

 

Her email is: [email protected]

Sarah Spencer

Think like a Tree/Think like a Forest. Sarah is a regenerative trainer and speaker, helping individuals, businesses and organisations to adopt regenerative ways of living and working, inspired by living-systems success. She is author of Think like a Tree: the natural principles guide to life and runs Think like a Tree programmes at Whistlewood, supporting people to create the lives they want, inspired by the wisdom of nature. If you are interested in regenerative practice, Sarah welcomes you to join the online Inspired by Nature Network. Sarah holds a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design and was a co-founder and lead permaculture designer for Whistlewood Common. Her family smallholding and woodland is the next farm over from Whistlewood. Her Website is www.thinklikeatree.co.uk
Andy Mason - Andy Mason Ceramics & Food. Andy has spent many years developing his ceramics technical knowledge, skill and creativity. Using this expertise he creates a range of pottery at his studio in Derby and also enjoys sharing his enthusiasm and offering tuition, practical demonstrations and workshops. Andy delivers regular public and private Raku events at Whistlewood. Andy designed and led the Central tile installation project in our Roundhouse. Andy's website is www.rakuworkshops.uk and his email is [email protected]

Sandra Da Silva - Yoga Teacher

Sandra started her Yoga journey in 1998 with a short stay in an Ashram in India, inspiring her to become a teacher. She qualified as a Wheel of Yoga Teacher in 2007 and has continued to learn ever since and teach this amazing system that integrates body, mind and spirit leading to a state of balance and wellbeing. Her email is: [email protected]
Website: www.sandradasilva.com

Richard Winspear


Richard has been birdwatching in and around Melbourne for as long as he can remember; initially walking up the brook from his childhood home towards what is now Whistlewood Common, before cycling around the local reservoirs and gravel pits as a teenager. He studied Ecology at Leeds University and went on to work at the RSPB, largely working on farmland birds and is now Agricultural Advice Manager at the RSPB. However, he is still a birdwatcher at heart.

 

During the Lockdown of 2020, he was back at home looking after his dad and regained his childhood interest in the wider natural history in and around Melbourne and has seen over 1,000 species of plants, animals and fungi within 10 miles of Melbourne, including 11 species of orchid, 33 species of mammals and over 200 species of birds. South Derbyshire and the Trent Valley is a very special area for wildlife, which Richard loves to show people.


Graham Truscott Graham is an experienced permaculture practitioner who has been involved with Whistlewood Common since its inception in 2013. Today he cares for more than 200 orchard trees across several new and established orchards in South Derbyshire, including those at Whistlewood. He leads and facilitates numerous workshops at Whistlewood, as well as festivals across the country on subjects as diverse as hiking stick creation, comedy improvisation, organisational governance and fruit tree care.