Ecological Land Cooperative

Zoe Wangler

Zoe Wangler co-founded the ELC and was the Managing Director from 2009-2015. Zoe led on the planning applications for the ELC’s first two sites. She currently works with the Landworkers’ Alliance on a two-year project to increase support from the UK governments for agroecology and agroforestry.

Oliver Rodker

Oliver Rodker works on a variety of environmental projects and campaigns. He is one of the founding directors of the Landworkers’ Alliance. He co-founded Equinox Housing Coop in Manchester and Landmatters Coop, a 42 acre permaculture community in Devon. Oli is also a co-founder of the ELC and works as the Site Development Manager.

Lynne Davis

Lynne Davis has been working in land and food system transformation for the past decade. She has a background in software, regenerative agriculture and food system policy. Lynne now works with food producers and community and regional food distribution enterprises across the country as CEO of the Open Food Network.

Chris Smaje

Chris Smaje owns a small farm near Frome in Somerset, comprising a market garden, woodland, campsite and a small livestock operation. Having helped to steer his project from bare agricultural land to a functioning farm, he is committed to the ELC as a model for widening access to farming

Holger Westphely

Holger Westphely has advised hundreds of social organisations over the last 10 years on finance, strategy and business planning. More recently Holger has focussed on social investment and impact measurement, looking at social metrics in his work at CAF Bank.

Sonia Sinanan

Sonia has over 35 years of experience working in the not-for-profit sector, and has worked at a senior management level for the last 20 years. Her areas of expertise include operations, administration, financial and project management, organisation and community development, participation, and the use of ICTs. Sonia has worked across the voluntary sector in homelessness, drug misuse and international development organisations. She was a founder member of the charity Computer Aid International where she was Director of Operations for 10 years, and a board member for 6 years. She has also worked as a UK Grants Officer at Comic Relief, Deputy CEO at the Association of Charitable Foundations, Director of Operations at the peacebuilding charity, Conciliation Resources, and is a co-founder of Web Gathering Ltd. Sonia is currently a trustee of the international development charity, Coda International. At The Ecological Land Cooperative Sonia coordinates the work of the organisation and provides support to the staff team and the board of Directors

Oli Rodker

In addition to working for the cooperative as Site Developer, Oli also sits on the ELC board of directors. Oli is part of the core group of the Landworkers’ Alliance. Over the last twenty years Oli has also worked – and continues to work – on a variety of environmental projects and campaigns. Previously Oli co-founded Equinox Housing Co-op in Manchester and Landmatters Co-op, a 42 acre permaculture community in Devon. He is a director of Knott Wood Coppicers, a workers’ co-op specialising in woodland management and tree planting

Oliver Bettany

Oliver brings with him to the ELC over 20 years of professional experience working as a web developer and digital consultant in the corporate and not-for-profit sector, working with organisations like the BBC, McGraw-Hill, LloydsTSB, WaterAid and Friends of the Earth. He has been actively involved in environmentalism and agriculture since 2011. Before joining us at the ELC, he earned his stripes as a project manager in the enlightened agriculture sector through his work at Sacred Earth, a biodynamic land, education and community project based in Sussex, where he project managed the organisation’s transition into community ownership in 2016. Oliver is also a humanistic counsellor, ecotherapist and group worker who is passionate about developing organisational culture in order to get the most out of small teams.

As well as organising member events like our AGM and representing us at events across the UK to promote our work and encourage people to join us, his job is to communicate with and support our existing members and manage the recruitment process for new stewards of ELC land. We’ve identified this as an important role as the organisation grows and develops, in order to maintain strong links with the grassroots of our membership

Phil Moore

Phil is a freelance filmmaker and writer having worked for a number of organisations including The Real Farming Trust, Agroforestry Research Trust, ActionAid, The Environmental Law Foundation, Ecologist Magazine, Permaculture Magazine, Permaculture Association Britain, The Environmental Justice Foundation, Global Action Plan and The Sheffield Documentary Film Festival.

Ruth Munns

Ruth has been actively interested in Low Impact Development and land based living for many years. Originally, during her undergraduate studies in International Relations at the LSE, this was through the prism of sustainable international development, however her interest quickly became centred on the importance of grass root solutions to global issues, which led her to focus closer to home. Ruth’s interest in planning grew from this and her strong commitment to environmental and social justice. As such it was not until later that she began concentrating on the importance of the planning system in creating positive change. This new focus led to her studying for an RTPI accredited MSc in Urban Planning, at Bristol UWE, where she later graduated with distinction. She now has 4 years planning experience working with Ruston Planning Ltd (RPL) and as a self-employed consultant. Her work to date has covered a wide range of applications from Gypsy Traveller sites, through Low Impact Development, to work relating to a land-based school. Although her previous professional planning experience falls within the private sector, she has worked closely with many third sector organisations; including the work that RPL carried out for the ELC at the Greenham Reach site.

Ruth's role for the ELC includes researching, writing and submitting planning applications for our low impact small farm clusters and campaigning for changes in planning policy to support low impact, sustainable rural development.

Mary Hogan

Before moving to the UK, Mary taught secondary school English and Music in Ireland for 10 years. Since her move to the UK Mary has worked with the charity/social enterprise sector, mostly helping them raise funds from trusts and foundations. She has worked with WaterAid, the Quakers, Citizens Advice and the literacy charity Beanstalk, all of which she enjoyed, but really 'found her tribe' when she started taking jobs with environmental organisations: 10:10 Climate Action, the Conservation Volunteers and Sutton Community Farm. Mary adores all aspects of Nature and loves growing food weekly in a community garden and playing the piano (not at the same time). Mary works on raising funds for the development of the coop.