Arran Eco Savvy AGM
On Sunday 23rd November 2025, Arran Eco Savvy Community SCIO held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) online via Zoom. Hosting […]
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Meet The Board
Helen Ross – Trustee and Chair
Helen is the Eco Savvy Chair. Helen received a good grounding in public service & administration in the Civil Service and professional work in the voluntary sector placing people for work experience, planning community care services, providing an information service & developing community projects with older people in rural areas.
She continued her work with the community, gaining 19 years experience at local, regional and UK level in Public Health, developing sustainable services that also improve our lifestyles and our health and well being. Constructing or retrofitting existing buildings with improved insulation and renewable energy systems such as solar and air source, cycling and walking instead of driving, sourcing and growing food locally and organically, reducing and composting food waste, and recycling pre-loved goods, can help to save money and contribute to our health and well being as well as reducing our carbon emissions and impact on Climate Change.
Helen moved to Arran in 2017, is an allotment holder on the Arran Community Land Initiative & a volunteer in the Eco Savvy Hub in Whiting Bay.
She became a Fellow Through Distinction with the UK Faculty of Public Health in 2022.
Sarah North- Trustee and Secretary
Sarah lives at Thundergay and moved to Arran in 2020, having fallen under Arran’s spell on a trip to the west coast of Scotland. Sarah has worked for Greenpeace in the UK and globally for over 25 years, designing campaign strategy. She now runs her own campaigning consultancy and is also a Trustee of Genewatch and the Pirnmill Village Association. She has a MSc in Nature Conservation from UCL and is passionate about helping Arran maximise it sustainability across its energy, food, waste and transport systems.”
Donald McNicol – Trustee and Vice Chair
Donald left the island in 1977 to (eventually) get a degree and even more eventually become a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He returned in 2013 for good and has since been involved with Whiting Bay Primary, Kilmory Primary, COAST and latterly with Eco Savvy. His background is in feasibility, design, design management and due diligence of conventional and latterly renewable generation. His role is to help Eco Savvy identify community renewable opportunities on the island and assist in their development to the environmental and financial benefit of the island residents.
Elsa Rodeck – Trustee
Elsa joined the Eco Savvy team at the end of 2019 to help with minute taking at trustee meetings. After some years commuting between Arran and Glasgow, since the Covid-19 pandemic she and her family have moved back to Arran full time and are delighted to have the opportunity to immerse themselves more fully again in the island’s community and natural environment. Before lockdown her main work was in primary schools running peace education programmes for children. While this work is on hold, as well as supporting Arran Eco Savvy with some admin, Elsa has been helping the Pioneer Project set up the community garden in Cordon. She also continues her work as editor for the Voice for Arran, a publication covering social, political and environmental issues on Arran. She is very happy to find her place on this beautiful island, helping to promote the health and sustainability of it through different environmental projects.
Neil Wilkinson – Trustee
Neil joined the Board in 2024, after retiring from 14 years as the island’s social housing officer. He has advised hundreds of people in housing difficulties, helping people threatened with homelessness, those in fuel poverty and the many living in substandard houses. Neil does voluntary work in the wider Green movement on policy, and is an active campaigner.
He believes that Arran, because of its sense of community, can become a trailblazer in moving towards and beyond net zero, starting with north Ayrshire’s Green Islands plan.
Andrew Fawcett – Trustee
Andrew Fawcett- Trustee
After a 30-year career in Technology Product Management, Andrew relocated from rural North Yorkshire to the Isle of Arran in 2024, fulfilling a lifelong ambition to live by the sea. He runs a small online business specialising in pre-loved vinyl records and CDs, combining his love of music with a commitment to reuse and sustainability.
Andrew’s wider interests include photography, music, and food. As a trustee, he is a strong advocate for the circular economy and environmental sustainability, believing that both individuals and communities have a responsibility to protect the natural world for future generations and to help repair the damage already done to global ecosystems.
Kieran Geraghty – Trustee
Kieran has lived on the island for all his life, he stayed in Brodick for 10 years and now resides in Kildonan, he is a Boat Building Apprentice studying mechanical engineering, and is keen to do his bit in helping the environment. His role is to help facilitate the voice and ideas of the younger generation of folk on Arran to the organisation.
Jim Oribine : Trustee
Jim lives in Torbeg on the west of the island, having moved to Arran with his partner Isobel in 2021. He has spent over 35 years working at a senior level in destination management, and as a consultant and manager on heritage projects around the UK. As well as having substantial experience in marketing and grant fundraising, he has managed strategic planning for cities, world heritage sites and rural destinations including England’s Peak District.
In 2025 Jim established Meadowbank Studio CIC with Isobel, based on a new purpose-built creative studio in Torbeg, but which now also delivers community arts activities at village locations around Arran. A Fine Art graduate, Jim has recently picked up his paintbrushes after a long break, inspired by Arran’s breathtaking light and environment.
Become a Trustee
Eco Savvy is seeking to appoint new Trustees. We wish to appoint Trustees who will strengthen and support Eco Savvys’ ongoing work through knowledge, networking, and experience, in accordance with its charitable aims.
Find out what being a Trustee involves
Meet the Eco Savvy Team
Jess Wallace – Sustainable Food Coordinator
Jess has been working as the food coordinator for Eco Savvy since 2019. She helped expand the Food Share scheme, runs sustainable food workshops, works in partnership with other local food initiatives and delivers the Zero Waste Cafe project with the rest of the food team. In her spare time she loves exploring the Arran hills, is a keen cook (and eater!) and is a strong advocate for the human and planetary benefits of seasonal, local produce. Jess believes that food is a great way to bring the community together and to connect with climate issues.
Donna Gold – Zero Waste Cafe Officer
I am very passionate about not wasting food and have been volunteering with the Eco Savvy Food Share since 2019 and more recently working as part of the Zero Waste Cafe team. I’m a creative cook, often developing recipes as I avoid food waste whenever possible. I use my practiced skills and family recipes at the Zero Waste Cafe when repurposing Food Share and using donated locally grown veg to make seasonal soups and homebaking. Outside of Eco Savvy you’ll find me making jams and preserves or working at Arcas.
Sofi Graham – Event & Project Manager
Communications Officer
Sofi moved from Glasgow to Arran when seconded here in 2019. She had never visited and very quickly fell in love with all the island has to offer.
She’s since moved back to the mainland but splits her time between Arran and Glasgow as she still has family here. Previously she worked to support small, female owned businesses with their communications, but before that spent her time teaching sewing and quilting to adults and children across the central belt of Scotland.
Since becoming a mother she’s become even more passionate about the environment, her impact and how she can make her life more sustainable. In her spare time you can find her pottering around her kitchen garden at home where she spends her time protecting her plants from slugs or in the kitchen garden in Arran where she spends her time trying to find a happy balance between growing food and keeping the bracken at bay.
Sofi Graham
Emma Tracey – Active Travel Hub Officer
Emma first moved to Arran when she was a young teenager, but moved back to Glasgow to study at Glasgow School of Art where she graduated with an honours degree in Communication Design.
She has never wanted a car, as a child she understood that burning fuel is terrible for the environment so held off driving until she was in her early 30’s. When she moved full time to Arran she discovered rural living is extremely challenging without a car and thus her love of cycling really came into play. She is passionate about the social, well-being and environmental aspects that cycling brings and is keen to pass on her knowledge.
This is Emma’s second time joining the team at Eco Savvy, previously she worked on the Sustainable Island Life project from 2019-2021.
She also runs Arran Bike Hire with her husband and they have a young son.
Emma Tracey
Nikki Harris – Shop Manager
Nikki is a long term resident of Arran who is a passionate environmentalist and enjoys working with the community.
Nikki has spent time working in the public sector as a Youth Worker, in the private sector as a shop keeper and in the voluntary sector working for COAST.
Knowing the Arran Community as well as she does, she hopes this will stand her in good stead as the new Eco Savvy Shop Manager.
Nikki is eager to contribute to the islands green credentials and sustainability. Nikki also runs her own part time Picture Framing business and outside of work Nikki enjoys a variety of crafts and upcycling, learning Spanish and walking.
Stuart Wallace – eBike Coordinator/Mechanic
Most people call me Wally. I have worked as an outdoor leader since I was 18 and have lived on Arran for 15 years. A UK mountain leader, mountain bike level 2 leader and Ctech 2 cycle mechanic. I have been riding the road on a bike as long as I can remember, I resprayed and rebuilt my first full size bike which I was given as a hand me down from my brother. A 1966 Carlton criterium, the frame of which I still ride today.
Geoff Stockill : Eco Savvy Treasurer
Appointed in February 2026, Geoff is a Chartered Accountant with experience in charity sector, gained from running his own practice and from employment within the University sector. He is a District Treasurer within the scouting movement, a primary school governor (Vice Chair and Chair of the Finance Committee) and helps a number of local charities and churches with their financial reporting and year end accounts, on a voluntary basis.
Outside of work Geoff likes to get out in the fresh air and enjoys walking, photography and nature. He can often be seen “treading the boards” and being the “technical guy” with a couple of local amateur dramatics groups.
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