Our People

REAP’s Board

As an independent charity REAP’s direction and development is overseen by a volunteer Board of Trustees with a wealth of experience in the fields of social enterprise, sustainability, rural development, rural poverty and capacity building. As REAP is also a company limited by guarantee. The trustees are also the company’s directors.

 

REAP’s Staff

The work of REAP is carried out from our offices in Keith and Forres. After over ten years in the business of supporting communities in Moray, the range and depth of knowledge and experience of our staff is considerable. This enables REAP to offer a comprehensive and efficient service to our clients in the community and voluntary sector.

 

Alan Stevenson is REAP’s Office Manager and specialises in desk top publishing and the maintenance of the IT system in addition to the daily management of the office and the all-important payroll.  Alan also carries out secretarial and financial administration for a number of community organisations and social enterprises.

Alan graduated as a mature student from Loughborough University of Technology with a first class BSc (Hons) degree in Transport Management and Planning.  More recently he graduated from the Open University with a BA having studied Social Sciences and Human Geography.  He has, in addition, completed training courses leading to ILM qualifications at Level 3 and Level 4. Alan brings to REAP a wide experience of work including the public sector and self employment.  In recent years he has developed a local community project which has added breadth to his knowledge and experience of the Third Sector.

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Andrew Kingham is Energy Outreach Officer in our Community Renewables Energy Project.  Andrew is a former Rolls Royce engineer and runs his own property maintenance company.   Andrew became involved with REAP as a volunteer and is now employed part time as an Energy Outreach Officer in our solar energy project. Andrew’s interests include gardening, sustainable living and environmental issues.

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Ann Davidson works as a Community Outreach Worker at REAP, specialising in environmental work, community development and volunteer management.  She is currently delivering  a Community Energy project researching energy issues for community buildings in Moray. Ann has delivered community consultation projects for a variety of clients including NHS Grampian, the Scottish Government and the Cairngorms National Park Authority. In her 11 years at REAP, Ann has also developed and managed food access projects, environmental workshops, waste projects, green spaces projects with schools, carbon footprinting and reduction projects and environmental publications.  Ann’s work on developing REAP’s carbon reduction pack for communities won REAP a Your Moray, Your Environment award from Moray Council in 2008. Ann’s interests include Co-operatives, organic gardening, hillwalking and cycling her electric bike to work at REAP. Ann’s qualifications include a degree with distinction in Environment and Heritage Studies, PP1 in Youth Work and a BTCV Leadership Skills qualification.

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Barrie Wink is an Energy Outreach Officer in the Home Insulation Team. A local loon, Barrie began his association with REAP as a volunteer after completion of a BSc in Sustainability from UHI-Moray College. He now works for REAP as an Energy Outreach Officer.

In his spare time Barrie dabbles in astronomy and has recently re-discovered the joys of mountain biking. He also ‘plays’ the ukulele for his (if no-one else’s) pleasure.

 

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Donna Breen is a Trustee of REAP. She is Development Manager in a Moray Recycling Training Enterprise that provides training opportunities for people with Learning Disabilities.  She hails from Northern Ireland and holds a professional qualification in Youth & Community Work gained from The New University of Ulster. Donna brings over twenty years experience of Community Development work in both local authorities and the voluntary sector with a particular emphasis on Social Enterprise.Donna is a strong advocate of solutions to the key social justice, environmental and ethical challenges society faces. She  supports REAP in its aims to address these issues in the North East of Scotland.

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 Eddie Brown is Coordinator of our Community Renewables Energy Project. Originally from Glasgow, Eddie has been involved in working with communities in Moray for 10 years when he became involved with the Lhanbryde Challenge Project.  Involvement with this group inspired Eddie to go back into further education to obtain a BA  in Rural Development.  Eddie was employed for three years with Energy Saving Scotland advising on a wide range of energy efficiency issues and has a special interest in working with communities.  He is now a full time member of staff with REAP as the Community Renewables Project Coordinator.

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Fiona Samson is a Trustee of REAP. Originally from a farming background in Fife, Fiona is very interested in a range of rural matters. Fiona is a qualified Rural Chartered Surveyor (MRICS) and has worked in the North East of Scotland in the land management sector since graduating from Aberdeen University in 2006 with a MA (Hons ) in Rural Land and Business Management.

Fiona is currently employed as a Land Agent for CKD Galbraith in Elgin specialising in Estate Management and Renewable Energy.

Outside working hours, Fiona both plays and teaches sport to children in the North-East, particularly lacrosse, but also enjoys participating in a host of other sporting activities.

 

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Lynne Laing is an Energy Outreach Officer in our Home Insulation Team. Lynne hails from Lochaber. She is passionate about nature and the outdoors and has studied Applied Environmental Sciences and further environmental studies with the open university, working in Moray for the last ten years in environmental education for children and in energy awareness with SCARF. Lynne’s other interests are running the Scottish Wildlife Trust junior watch branch in Moray, Forest schools, piping, sustainable living and spending time with her family.

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James Hiddinga is a REAP Associate. He is a physicist, process engineer and a doctor of chemical engineering. He has been involved in energy related projects for more than 30 years.  James is working as an independent renewable energy consultant and project manager on renewable energy projects for community groups, local authorities, housing associations, transition community initiatives and colleges throughoutScotland. His experience in the application and use of micro generation systems gives him a unique insight into all aspects when deciding what is best for a particular situation. He works as a trainer and adviser to REAP on our renewable energy initiatives.

 

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Dr Nick Brown is a REAP Associate. He is a consultant architect and town planner, with supplementary coaching, leadership and management qualifications. After initial years practising in the private sector , he joined Moray Council, firstly as a Conservation Officer, then as Principal Planner working mainly on a corporate response to sustainable development.  He then led the highly successful multi-agency Aberdeenshire Towns Partnership (ATP) – a strategic ‘community planning’ delivery mechanism, core funded by Aberdeenshire Council, Scottish Enterprise Grampian and Communities Scotland.  Both he and ATP received awards from the Scottish Executive and the RTPI for excellence in urban design, sustainable regeneration, and engagement of the private and voluntary sectors. Particular personal skills include portfolio/project management, chairmanship, facilitation, negotiation, public speaking, partnership working, coaching and mentoring, action planning, monitoring and evaluation, and securing external funding. He has been a loyal member of the Scottish Ecological Design Association since its foundation in the early 1990s.

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Sue Mitchell is a Trustee of REAP. She has a background in community arts and education work.  Her varied career has seen her work as Education Co-ordinator at HMP Peterhead, Out of the Darkness Theatre Company for adults with learning disabilities and with the Moray Council Community Learning and Development Team.  She has a joint honours degree in English and French, is a fluent French speaker and has a postgraduate diploma in Community Education.

Sue was with Lead Scotland for almost 2 years before taking up her present post as Area Tutor Organiser with the WEA in Highland.

Sue is also a published poet: Poem: “Logo“

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Ruth Anderson is a Trustee of REAP. Ruth has a long and distinguished background in rural and economic development.  Ruth started her career in community education then moved across to work with Grampian Regional Council in economic development, supporting the development of community businesses, the forerunners of the social enterprise movement.  She also worked with WEA with vulenerable groups, tutoring individuals to find a positive way forward in their lives.
Moving to a national role with a Scottish NGO, Rural Forum, Ruth was Head of Department with 30 staff carrying out projects throughout Scotland, including small business development, Tayside LEADER, alternative currency development, and general rural development work in partnership with organisations such as Councils,the Scottish Executive, the Post Office , Deer Commission and the Churches.  She was part of the team which initiated the Rural Action Network, organising conferences and events for communities throughout Scotland to help share experience and promote new ideas. She is experienced with fundraising, project management, staff management, policy development and business planning.  She obtained and managed a 3 year trans European project working with some of the most deprived areas of Europe such as Vallecas in Madrid.

Ruth has a long standing commitment to supporting rural communities to remain healthy and economically viable, with an underpinning ethic of sustainability and environmental awareness.  She has a Diploma in Community Education and degree in Social Sciences.

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Wilf Schenk is the REAP Outreach Worker  leading our innovative Grampian Thermal Surveys. Wilf’s varied work experiences include managing a complementary health clinic and health care charity in Moray, the management of the finances of an independent local primary school as well as running his own recycled stationery and property maintenance business.

Wilf is also an Energy Outreach Officer with our Community Renewables Energy Project.

Wilf has a lifelong passion for all things environmental, especially related to buildings and the build environment. For that reason he has been engaged in environmental studies with the Open University, the German Institute for Building Biology and in self-studies of holistic interior design for over a decade.

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William Methven is REAP’s General Manager specialising in environmental matters and social enterprise. William is originally from Northern Ireland, but claims Scottish ancestry going back over 400 years to coalminers and farm hands in Fife! He spent 25 years working in large multinational corporations at senior executive level in the fields of retailing, catering, education and property development working in operations management, marketing and financial control in Ireland, Switzerland, UK and Norway. He has wide experience in project management and also of mentoring small businesses in business start-up.

Since 2000 William has been working in the not for profit sector initially founding a charity supporting men’s health. He became a director of a large ecovillage in Ireland and was a National Project Manager for the sustainable transport charity Sustrans working with schools throughout Scotland and Northern Ireland, building cycling infrastructure and lobbying government to improve access to cycling and walking routes. William has a deep commitment to local sustainability and community development.