Huckleberries Nurture Farm

—Trustees and Leadership—

Beverley Cook

Beverley Cook

Chief Executive Officer

Bev serves as CEO, Programme Lead, and Designated Safeguarding Officer for Huckleberries, bringing a wealth of expertise to her role.  She is an accredited Nurture Practitioner through NurtureUK,  Youth Mindfulness Practitioner, and a dedicated environmentalist.

Bev is an eternal optimist and a strategic, systems thinker, who believes in the power of collaboration, hard work, and staying true to one’s values, to achieve great things. She spent 25 years in the environment sector leading sustainability programmes on complex construction projects, such as Heathrow’s Terminal 5, and working with Boards across the sector to define and deliver sustainabilty Strategy.

As a parent to three children and a school governor for 13 years, Bev holds a deep understanding of the escalating mental health crisis facing young people, recognising the role that education and social systems play. She believes that “young people don’t need fixing, its their environment that needs to change, and the way we hold space for them so they can be their amazing authentic selves – this is what we set out to achieve at Huckleberries”.

Through  her passion to improve outcomes for children and her love of all things outdoors,  Bev founded Huckleberries  Nurture Farm in her back garden in 2019 as a Community Interest Company. During 2020 she developed the new site in Elstead with family and friends, which opened in June 2020. In 2024, the Charity ‘Huckleberries’ was registered and all operations transitioned from the CIC to be delivered wholly by the charity in January 2025.

Emma Herbert

Emma Herbert

Chair of Trustees

As Chair of the Trustee Board, I see my role as working with my fellow Trustees and the Chief Executive to ensure that Huckleberries is effectively governed and focused on its mission to ‘transform the lives of children and young people, especially those facing mental health challenges’.  When I see the incredible, positive impact of Huckleberries on the children and young people who come here, I feel privileged to be a Trustee and to play a role in creating that impact.  I am driven by a sense of equity and a determination that no child or young person should face barriers in achieving their full potential. 

I have worked in the charity sector for over 20 years, primarily supporting charities with their governance.  Prior to that, I was a Solicitor in private practice, specialising in Employment. 

In my spare time, I enjoy pilates, cycling, and the theatre, and I am also dog crazy!

Keith Armstrong

Keith Armstrong

Vice Chair of Trustees

As a Head of School who has been in Education for 27 years, I have come to appreciate organisations that support and help children to flourish. Often our systems are set up to support children with serious challenges or children who are talented and gifted, but there are often many children who are overlooked – Huckleberries is a safe haven for learners who are overlooked or missed as their needs are not at the end of the continuum. I believe education should cater to all and so I am honoured to be able to serve in our charity. My time in education has seen me work in numerous schools within the state and independent sectors across different countries and I have been involved in senior management for over a decade.
At Huckleberries I offer my experience on safeguarding of children within education, current and future educational programmes and curricula, as well as ensuring good governance of the Charity.

I hold service to others, empathy and compassion, and kindness as values to live by, and I believe Huckleberries embodies all of these values. Helping children to navigate life is a great privilege – with the hope that they will be able to one day pay forward the service and kindness they have experienced. 
Molly Biddell

Molly Biddell

Trustee

Molly loves farming, food, and nature restoration, working at the Knepp Rewilding project in Sussex and Hampton Estate, a family-run regenerative farming business in Surrey. Within her roles Molly works in emerging nature markets and farming policy, also assisting on projects such as the Weald to Waves nature recovery corridor and the River Adur Landscape Recovery project. At Hampton Molly leads nature-based solutions and community engagement, is involved in the Sussex beef herd, and during September, harvesting hops for breweries across the UK. Molly writes about farming and nature in her Farmers Weekly and Green Chronicle columns. She is passionate about revitalising the rural sector with new thinkers, doers, and ideas and sees rural land management – producing nutritious food and restoring habitats – as the most hopeful place to work, where solutions to the climate, biodiversity, and health crises can be delivered.  

Bringing her expertise in regenerative farming and nature-based solutions to Huckleberries Molly helps to guide the implementation of our mission, placing the re-wilding of children and young people at its heart. She brings clarity and energy to Board meetings, ensuring our mission is ambitious and achievable.

In her spare time, Molly can be found exploring the UK in her campervan and on her road bike, or trying out new seasonal recipes in the kitchen. She loves a Scottish beach, Hebridean sunset and a locally brewed ale.

 

John Wills

John Wills

Trustee

John is Head of Sales for Airbus Geospatial (UK), with over two decades of experience in Earth observation and the broader geospatial sector. John has held various roles in sales, business development, and project delivery.  His academic background includes a PhD in Environmental Health and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and a BSc Honours in Human Ecology. Throughout his career, John has focused on leveraging imagery and geospatial information to address complex challenges across various industries, using his knowledge and relationships to deliver innovative solutions to clients.
As a trustee of Huckleberries, John leverages his extensive experience in sales and business development to support our mission.  John is usually present at Huckleberries’ working parties and is equally adept at digging post holes or erecting timber structures to help develop the site for our beneficiaries.