Project Members

Who are the project members & what do they do?

Simon Tilley
Helena Tilley
Liz Lainé
Rob Cartwright
Pete Rajan
Nick Martin
Sandy Martin
Bill Bolton
Louise Lipman

Simon Tilley

Simon joined the project in 1995, with a background in Mechanical Engineering. This included spending two years in Namibia working for Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO). His engineering skills have been put to good use in the project - He manages the HHP water & energy systems and a number of key HHP projects, including a DTI Domestic PV field trial (2002 to 2005) and Sustainable Hockerton’s 225kW community owned wind turbine. (2002 to 2010)

His main contributions to the on site business are:

· Managing Renewable Energy projects

· Technical tour guide

· Technical workshop facilitator

· Technical consultancy (particularly for water and renewable energy systems)

· Main external speaker for the group.

· Leads and facilitates HHP's developments with schools educational work.

Previous outside environmental work includes Open University Associate Lecturer for the “Energy for a Sustainable Future” course , two years and mentored his replacement, VSO Course facilitator for technical volunteers and contributions towards Nottinghamshire Agenda 21's review of energy & construction. He is currently a director of Sustainable Hockerton Limited.

More recently Simon was very involved with the design and build of HHP’s new eco-community building (the Sustainable Resource Centre).

Simon combines HHP work with looking after three children (Luke, Naomi & Flo), climbing & painting.

Helena Tilley

Helena joined the Project with Simon in 1995 and also worked for VSO in Namibia (as a hospital doctor). Helena continues to work full time as a doctor. Helena's main interests in the project are organics and bee keeping. More recently Helena was involved in developing a training day at HHP for a group of local GP trainees. The workshop theme was holistic medicine and drew on expertise within the HHP group including acupuncture, psychotherapy and tai ji.

Rob Cartwright

Rob first visited HHP on an introductory tour whilst studying for his Masters degree in Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies at the Centre for Alternative Technology; he liked it so much he bought a house here!

Rob's early career was in IT and Management Consultancy, but more recently has worked in the energy efficiency sector, focusing on the existing housing stock, having worked for National Energy Services and London's pioneering Green Homes Concierge Service. He now helps run the business at HHP, as well as working as an independent sustainable building consultant. His main contributions on site include:

Tour guide
Day-to-day business operations

Project management
Existing homes energy efficiency advice and assessment services
New build energy efficiency and sustainability advice and assessment services
Chicken backup for Liz
Organics duties

Liz Lainé

Liz joined the Project with Rob in 2009, drawn from central London by the opportunity to live a lower carbon lifestyle. She’s passionate about community action: whilst in Camden she co-ordinated the local Friends of the Earth group, ran ‘Energy Zones’ at Green Fairs in Camden and Brixton, co-ordinated volunteers for an award-winning EcoHouse and set up a Carbon Reduction Action Group. Since arriving in Hockerton, she’s got involved as a Director of Sustainable Hockerton during the implementation of the community-owned wind turbine, but her involvement with local Green groups has so far been limited to attending film and curry nights...

Around the project, Liz has the following interests:

Caring for our small flock of chickens
Occasional tour guide

Community Renewable Energy Master Class facilitator
Organics duties

Liz has a Masters in Corporate Governance and Ethics, is currently extending this with a PGDip in Environmental Decision-making, and works full-time from home for Consumer Focus as an advocate of sustainable consumption.

Pete Rajan

Pete has worked in mental Health services as a Clinical Psychologist with the National Health Services for thirty years and has recently retired. His family was involved with the project at its earliest stages contributing to the complex planning agreement and supporting documentation for the project with the local authority. Pete’s main interests within the Project now are organic growing, tending sheep and supporting the work of the project office. Pete’s children are slowly abandoning him to work in different parts of the country (Helen & Nicky) with just Jenny left to share the organic bounty.

Nick Martin

Nick, a founding Project member, has a unique experience and knowledge of energy efficient housing. He first became interested in the early 1990’s after acquiring a 25-acre site just outside the village envelope of Hockerton, in rural Nottinghamshire. Combining his interests in renewable energy and low impact developments he set to work on various concepts leading him to the earth-sheltered option. In the meantime he won the tender in 1993 to build the home of Prof. Brenda and Dr. Robert Vale, the UK’s first sustainable town house - an autonomous house with ‘net zero CO₂’ emissions, of low embodied energy, deriving power from photovoltaic arrays and passive solar heating. Nick Martin was so convinced by many of the construction principles that he commissioned Dr. Robert Vale to design a rural hamlet of 5 earth sheltered sustainable dwellings, Hockerton Housing Project, to similar energy and environmental performance standards - autonomous and with ‘net zero CO₂’ emissions. Nick supervised this self-build project from August 1996 to Sept 1998.

Nick Martin is now one of the most experienced eco-builders in the UK. He leads the project consultancy work, including new designs for ultra low energy housing, as well as being directly involved in new eco-building projects. More recently he has been involved with the design and build of HHP’s new eco-community building (the Sustainable Resource Centre) a pair of earth-sheltered homes in Hockerton, a single eco-home, an eco-barn conversion and many eco-retrofits (including involvement in the Nottingham Eco-House). He is currently developing a proposal for a 12 home ultra low energy scheme in Hockerton.

Nick is also currently studying for an MSc -Energy efficient and Sustainable Building at Oxford Brookes University- “there is always more to learn”.

Despite all this Nick somehow finds time to regularly go canoeing, cycling (recumbents) and jogging around the HHP site chased by his dog Alfie. Then again his kids (Megan & Ricky) have left home giving him lots of spare time for these activities.

Sandy Martin

Sandy was one of the Project’s founding members and very involved with the complex planning agreement for the project with the local authority. Sandy has a degree in Fine Art & Sculpture which has been put to good use with a range of art projects at HHP.

Sandy’s other interests with the project include:

Leading all the arts & drama projects, including working with local theatre groups and an artist in residence for 6 months
Leading the site’s land management, including maintenance of grassland, woodland and footpaths.
Managing the flock of sheep including recent acquisition of five black Hebridean ewes from the National Trust’s flying flock.

Bill Bolton

Bill joined the project in Feb 2002 and has settled into life at Hockerton very rapidly. Indeed he still thinks it’s fantastic!

Bill has a degree in Art and is now a successful illustrator working on projects with books, cards & packaging (see his website - www.billboltonillustration.com) – you may have received one of his birthday cards, or your children had one of his pop up books! Bill’s skills have been put to good use with the Project, producing the artwork for the Project’s exhibits, posters, educational resources (see POD our educational mascot in the schools KS2 section) factsheet graphics and the design for the website.

Bill also frequently gets distracted by their youngsters Ben & Amy, sharing the childcare with his wife Louise. Otherwise you might see Bill around the site helping to manage the Project’s flock of sheep, fishing, cycling or mowing the many miles of footpaths.

Louise Lipman

Louise joined the project in Feb 2002 with husband Bill and has settled into life at Hockerton very rapidly. Louise is an acupuncturist involved in both treatment and training – but not on her fellow Project members! Her expertise, along with other Project members with health skills, was used in developing a HHP holistic medicine workshop; including acupuncture, psychotherapy and tai ji. This has been used successfully with a group of local GP trainees.

Louise’s other interests with the project include:

Developing & delivering school educational programmes
Running guided tours

Louise also frequently gets distracted by their youngsters Ben & Amy, sharing the childcare with her husband Bill. Otherwise you might see Louise around the site exercising with tai ji, racing about on the tractor or entertaining her many family & friends.

Shortcuts