Mary Hext
Farm Discovery Programme Manager
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Health and Safety Lead
Food Discovery Programme Manager
Countryside Discovery Residentials Manager & Sustaining Impact Lead
Head of IT
Digital Manager
Business Operations Manager
Senior Fundraising Manager and Farm Discovery Coordinator
Fundraising Relationship Manager
Fundraising Relationship Manager
Fundraising Relationship Manager
Finance Manager
Digital Marketing Assistant
Impact and Learning lead
Jill joined The Country Trust in 2014 and brought over 17 years’ experience in developing and directing multi-million pound award-winning public engagement programmes for the Woodland Trust, specialising in partnership development, communication and fundraising.
At the weekend she pitches in at Lathcoats Farm where four generations of her husband’s family have been specialist apple growers, focusing on the big community events the farm puts on and of course supporting her husband as a Country Trust host! She’s been a non-executive director for Dementia Adventure CIC and served as a school governor for a local secondary school for 8 years. Jill graduated from Cambridge University with a BA (Hons) in Geography.
Mary joined the Country Trust in 2013 and has been hooked ever since! Having spent her life enjoying many opportunities the natural world offers, she is passionate about sharing this and enabling as many others as possible to have their own experiences.
Mary has had a varied career based around her love for the outdoors; a degree in Environmental Science, Environmental regulation, Working with rural food growing communities on the slopes of volcanos, School playground construction, community work, Forest school and play worker training and more recently running a meadow and woodland venue for educational groups and finding the Country Trust.
Mary spends her spare time growing fruit and vegetables, running the local bike club and enjoying the outdoors with her family.
Before coming to the Country Trust Kay worked for 10 years supporting schools with sustainability and healthy eating projects, including working for Garden Organic and the Soil Association.
Kay came to the Country Trust in 2010 to deliver one of the first Food Discovery Programmes, she worked as a Farm Discovery Coordinator before stepping up to manage the Farm Discovery Team. She now over sees Health and Safety for the charity.
Kay lives in the Pennines in Yorkshire and spends her spare time tending her allotment and wildlife-friendly garden, and going on family camping and canoeing adventures with her partner and young son.
Charlotte began her role managing the Country Trust’s Food Discovery programme in autumn 2021.
She has project and programme management experience in nature engagement, food and farming education, museum and heritage learning as well as in voluntary sector infrastructure support.
Hannah is responsible for the Residential Programmes in Norfolk, Suffolk and Yorkshire and also leads on our sustaining impact work.
Working for The Country Trust brings together many years of time spent inspiring young people outdoors in her roles with the National Trust and The Wildlife Trust and her most recent role working for Teach First.
Hannah lives on a boat in Cambridgeshire but still pines for the hills of her Welsh homeland!
Martin joined The Country Trust as a Volunteer in 2015 to help set up their IT systems. After a career in banking, he left the City trading rooms to set up a software development company that provided pricing, arbitrage and portfolio management solutions for the Off Balance Sheet Interest Rate markets.
After 8 years and successfully expanding sales to 13 countries, Martin sold out to pursue other interests. The next 20 years were spent in a number of senior roles in IT and Professional Services with a focus on change management and digital transformation. Martin joined the Country Trust full time in 2021.
Martin holds a 1st Class BSc Hons in Systems Thinking and Computing.
Sarah hails from background in visual arts, and public engagement and consultation. A former freelancer in the creative sector for 12 years, she has collaborated with UK and European stakeholders to produce work for performance, public realm, capital projects and evaluation programmes.
Combining her passion for creative storytelling and audience development, Sarah’s career led her to become Communications Manager for regeneration charity, Re-Form Heritage, whose Founding Parton is King Charles III.
Sarah joined The Country Trust as Digital Manager in 2021 and hasn’t looked back since. Staffordshire based, her passion for the outdoors, nature and food cultivation stems from ‘pottering around the garden’ with her parents as a child, and her grandfather who once a week used to supply the family with bag full of freshly picked vegetables from his allotment.
She now grows food in her own garden with her two daughters and partner, under the observation of Lola the dog.
Alison is the Trust’s Business Operations Manager. Prior to working for The Country Trust, Alison worked for a local charity and a number of financial institutions in the City of London.
She is passionate that everyone should be given the opportunity connect with the countryside to widen their understanding of the land that sustains us.
Outside of work Alison likes to spend time walking her dog.
Sue has worked for the Country Trust since 2018 in two roles. As Senior Fundraising Manager Sue has a special interest in major donors and corporate partnerships, and as Farm Discovery Coordinator, Sue arranges farm visits across Northumberland, North and South Tyneside and County Durham, often inviting donors out to see our work in action.
A qualified Primary Teacher, Sue has had a diverse career encompassing commercial copywriting, PR, events, and sponsorship in the third sector. Sue is a farmer’s daughter and is an active member of the committee that organises The Northumberland County Show. She helps at her local Messy Church, charity events and community projects, combining her passions for agriculture, education and connecting people.
Henry is the Trust's Database & IT Officer. He joined the Country Trust as part of the Rank Foundation's Time 2 Shine Leadership programme in March 2021 after completing his A-Levels in 2020.
He has played a role in delivering our Warburtons, Climate Action and Early Years Farm in a Box programmes.
Now, Henry studies BSc Digital and Technology Solutions at the Open University alongside working for The Country Trust as part of a degree-based apprenticeship.
Victoria is new to The Country Trust having joined in September of this year but brings with her a wealth of experience in relationship management from her corporate career in the city which spanned nearly a decade.
Having always lived rurally, either side of her time in London, even commuting in daily to Cambridge to achieve a BA (Hons) in Business Economics from Anglia Ruskin University, Victoria is an ambassador for the great outdoors and feeling connected to the land around us.
Through her work with the Pony Club and her and her daughter’s past time of producing mountain and moorland ponies for the show ring, Victoria is keen to keep access to the countryside and its traditions open for her own children and those in their rural communities in the east and central England.
Kate joined the Country Trust in September of this year and has bought twelve years of experience in building relationships and rapport from her previous role as a midwife, latterly specialising in guideline and audit within the maternity department.
In her new position, she will be concentrating on raising funds through Trusts and Foundations.
Kate lives on her husband’s family farm in the Midlands, where they run a dairy, beef and arable enterprise. Kate also owns a small herd of pedigree Brown Swiss cattle and in her spare time enjoys country pursuits with her working Labradors. Kate graduated from Coventry University with a BSc (Hons) in Midwifery.
Victoria joined the Country Trust in 2023 as a Fundraising Relationship Manager. Victoria has a special interest in corporate partnerships - researching and contacting companies with shared values to secure their support. Victoria brings with her a wealth of experience in education and relationship management, with ten years' experience as a primary school teacher, and experience of building relationships in educational charities with a focus on improving the life chances of young people.
Victoria lives in Lancashire, where she enjoys climbing and walking her Springer Spaniel. Victoria graduated from Cardiff University with a BSc in Business Studies and Japanese.
Salmah (ACCA / MBA Financial Services) is an experienced management accountant who has thirteen years of experience working in Central London in the Health and Fitness sector, technology industry (MPIE Ltd T/A PIE Mapping, Cogmotive Ltd), educational industry (London School of Business and Finance), audit and accountancy firms (Ernst &Young and Gross Klein).
Maddie joined The Country Trust as a Digital Marketing Assistant in February as part of Rank Foundation's Time 2 Shine Leadership program. As a recent Art and Design (Industrial) graduate she is eager to apply and develop her skills to use marketing and communication strategies for positive social change.
Her passion for food, farming and adventures in nature stems from fond childhood memories exploring her family’s dairy farms in Ireland. She has recently discovered her love of wild swimming, and is adamant that it is never too cold!
Gemma joined The Country Trust as Impact and Learning lead in 2024, after finishing her PhD which involved researching the impact of outdoor spaces on children’s stress, attention and behaviour.
Gemma began her career working as a primary school teacher and assistant headteacher before working for the Chartered College of Teaching as a research and learning specialist, and later setting up a business to support settings in using research and neuroscience to inform their work with children.
Passionate about child psychology and the impact of nature on the brain and body, Gemma regularly writes articles and speaks at events about education and child development. Outside of work, she is kept busy with three sons and loves to be out in the woods and fields near her home in Essex, eating great food and sitting in the sunshine!
