Creating and maintaining the spaces
where you enjoy the moments that matter
Creating and maintaining the spaces where you enjoy the moments that matter
Hard Landscaping Team
Roger Young – Contracts Manager
Qualifications: NC Hort, NPORS E/D, FAA Level 3 Emergency First Aid at Work (RQF)
Drinks: Black Tea with one or two, depends how I’m feeling.
Biscuits: A nice Rich Tea please
Roger joined us from Clifton Nurseries where he was working as ‘Chief snagger and finger pointer’. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience to head up our hard-landscaping teams, having worked on high end projects for Clifton Nurseries, Scotscape as well as in Australia. After a while away from the industry he realised that his passion lay in the great outdoors getting his hands dirty. If he’s not liaising with Craig or with one of our clients or designers, he will be in the office crunching numbers on his supercomputer, he loves a spreadsheet!
In his spare time: If he isn’t sweating over a home DIY project or ferrying his kids to a club, you’ll find Rog in the Surrey Hills grinning innately riding over a trail. Just don’t talk to him about e-bikes!
Craig Deeley – Head of Landscaping
Qualifications: SMSTS qualified. Level 2 in Environmental Sustainability
Drinks: Coffee by day, red wine by weekend.
Biscuits: Ginger nuts
Craig joined us from Kebur Garden Materials, where he was landscape contracts manager for their hard landscape team. Before this he had run his own landscaping business for 14 years and has been in other associated positions.
The wealth of experience that Craig brings to us cannot be underestimated, he has a calm head, a steady hand and is hugely likeable and a great role model to the team members who work under him.
His particular love is, all of it: problem solving, imparting his knowledge to the youngsters, getting the work done, and getting it spot on.
In his spare time: he is busy, a family man, running his children around, looking after the garden, doing the shopping, what a dream! In truth, he loves his family but he is busy earning brownie points so he can go fishing!
Craig is the founder of Chunky Fish Clothing & Bait, which organises charity fishing matches to raise money for Children With Cancer UK . Over the past 3 years, these events have raised tens of thousands of pounds. He is also a team member of the Anglers Against Cancer who over the last 10 years have raised in excess of £500,000 for Children With Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer.
Bill Witham – Senior Landscape Foreman
Qualifications: NPORS 202/204 & 304
Drinks: Nice thick Espresso Coffee
Biscuits: Chocolate Hobnobs or digestives – perfect!
Bill is a very welcome returnee, he left to travel Italy for a while, then set up on his own, and now, happily, has found his way back to us. Bill is passionate about the materials and the finish, it’s got to be right, if it isn’t, then he isn’t happy! This is a good thing, it ensures that his work and that of his team is spot on, without exception.
In his spare time: He may well be cheering on the ‘Hammers’ or working on his house.
Mike Lydford – Landscape Foreman
Qualifications: Level 2 Horticulture, FAA Level 3 Emergency First Aid at Work (RQF), NPORS 202/204 & 209 & 304
Drinks: I’m not fussy, maybe a herbal tea?
Biscuits: Oooh got to be a Hobnob!
Mike joined us as a fresh faced 19-year-old, a few years on now and Mike has gone from a landscape labourer to Team Leader, cutting his teeth on a variety of landscape projects whether building a retaining wall or laying in a new lawn, Mike loves nothing more than changing an outdoor area into a new space that transforms our clients living and interaction with their garden. Mike is still only young but firmly has a long career in landscaping ahead of him, mixing the brick trowel with a landscape rake to get the best finish no matter what the task ahead.
In his spare time: There just isn’t enough Mai-Tai, running, boxing… he’ll give anything a go, but Mike’s happiest place if climbing a craggy old rock or climbing wall somewhere.
Eric Smith – Landscape Foreman
Qualifications: NPORS N304
Drinks:
Biscuits:
Eric has been around landscaping for a long time, it was always a family affair, a family business, he learnt it all the old school way. He then had a break from it and decided to join the army, after a number of years he returned and rejoined the family business, eventually taking it over, with his brother. Some years later, they decided to find paid employment and Eric went to a local, high end landscape company but then made the move to us. And with that move we have a highly skilled landscaper, one who loves to get the job done.
In his spare time: Eric spends plenty of time with the family, out on his Vespa, or training for Brazilian Jujitsu events. He’s a regular participant, and often winner, of this full-on martial art.
Ben Armes – Landscaper
Qualifications: NPORS N304
Drinks: Tea with one sugar
Biscuits: Rich Tea
Ben came to us from his family business, he has grown up in the industry and is very keen to always be learning, immersing himself in the training we provide and training he has sought himself. Ben has really found his feet with us and has become a very dependable team member who is honing his skills.
In his spare time: You will find Ben playing or watching cricket, winter is spent in the nets.
Luke Perrin – Landscaper
Qualifications: NPORS 202/204 & 209, FAA Level 3 Emergency First Aid at Work (RQF)
Drinks: Strong, milky coffee with two!
Biscuits: Chocolate Hobnob. Elite level biscuits!
Luke has his background of working at a well-known timber supplier so is well versed with his 2×1 and his 6×2 and not mention his PAR or Cedar batten, he can even give you the product numbers if you so wish. Despite a change in career, it has held him in good stead with some of our timber project work and Luke has shown what he lacks in knowledge he more than makes up in enthusiasm to get stuck in. A good team mate on site, Luke has quickly learnt how we do things and is building up his skill set.
In his spare time: Music is Luke’s passion, obviously apart from his wife and kids. If he’s not singing on site he’s at home strumming his guitar.
Liam Bartlett – Landscaper
Qualifications: NPORS N202/ 204 & 304
Drinks: Tea with one sugar
Biscuits: Bourbons
Liam was on an apprenticeship scheme with Dorking Wanderers, so when this wasn’t going to go any further he turned his attention to staying outdoors and getting dirty, to become a landscaper. Signing himself up at Merrist Wood College on an apprenticeship and working around his studies, Liam has quickly learnt some of the basics with our garden care teams and getting very familiar with some soft landscaping. Since then, he has been kept busy with one of the landscape teams learning how to become a skilled labourer, before getting to grips with the skills of becoming a fully-fledged skilled landscaper. He is in good hands with the team around him helping and supporting his learning.
In his spare time: Liam is enjoying his youth and socialising with his friends, that and following the Brighton and Hove Albion Seagulls travails at the Amex stadium.
