Meet the People
who manage Eden Nature Garden
Philippa Gould
Chairperson
Philippa became involved with the Eden Nature Garden in 2004, becoming its Chairperson in 2005. In addition to working in the garden on the weekly volunteer days, she oversees the admin side of the group, which includes the large task of applying for funding to keep the operation running.
Benny Hawksbee
Head Gardener
Benny is in his 8th season as Head Gardener for us, having started in 2015. Benny originally studied Marine Biology, before working on sea turtle projects for the best part of 5 years in the Mediterranean and Latin America. His passion for wildlife eventually spilled over into the world of plants and after initially starting as a volunteer in the garden, he eventually became a full-time gardener with Eden as one of his main projects. He is driven by the need to improve our urban gardens and spaces, in order to help mitigate biodiversity loss and to help us deal with the increasingly erratic and difficult conditions that climate change is bringing. When not gardening, Benny can be found hiking, birdwatching or bee-spotting.
In May 2022, Benny was filmed for BBC's Gardners' World. The episode can be viewed here.
