TEES TEAM

Tel:  07900 650371

Email: benlamb@teesriverstrust.org

Joined the Team: 2009

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I have a background in farming, horticulture, fisheries and mental health which has been quite a good combo for working with the Tees Rivers Trust. I joined the Trust in 2009 and am still discovering more about this brilliant river and the people that live and work around and in it every day. I am responsible for the running and future developments of the Trust and try and keeping things flowing smoothly, just like the river! I have overall strategic oversight of the Trust and involved in planning projects for the benefit of the Tees catchment. I am also a Director of the Trust' trading arm, Nature Based Solutions Ltd and Chair the Tees Catchment Partnership.

Tel: 07879 648354

Email: richard.holmes@teesriverstrust.org

Joined the Team: 2010

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Prior to working at the trust, I have spent time working in fishing and agriculture for the Environment Agency for 10 years. On top of that, I have spent more than 20 years working along the Tees and it's tributaries giving farm advise and working as a fisheries officer. 

Tel: 07881 271047

Email: judy@teesriverstrust.org

Joined the Team: 2020

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I worked in conservation for more than 13 years in both project management and grant fundraising with the RSPB. In total I've been responsible for the management of grant funded projects of all sizes in technology transfer and ecology sectors since 1999. I've worked around the Tees and the North East in various roles from economic development to project management for more than 26 years and am a very proud Teessider! I am a keen birdwatcher and my claim to fame is my family sparked a major twitch when we spotted a very rare bird in our garden several years ago.

Email: kate@teesriverstrust.org

Joined the Team: 2017

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I had a successful career in the automotive industry for many years, working on projects for Land Rover, BMW and Ford to name a few. Having moved back to the North East and following the arrival of my daughter, I started working part time in the charitable sector and happily landed with the Trust in 2017.  Since then, I have applied all my industrial and project management skills into keeping the Trust administration and finances in order.

Tel: 07990 757194

Email: chloe@teesriverstrust.org

Joined the Team: 2021

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I joined Tees Rivers Trust while finishing my MSc in Conservation Management, after originally studying Business – a bit of an unexpected journey, but one that means I get to mix strategy with muddy boots!

Since joining the Trust, I’ve dived into all things invasive non-native species (INNS), from biological control trials for Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed to the menacing management of giant hogweed.

What I really love is the variety – one day I’m out mapping plants or overseeing management, the next I’m running community events, wrangling budgets, or creating content for our socials. There’s always something new, and that’s what keeps it exciting. Plus, I get to work with an amazing team and volunteers who care deeply about making our rivers healthier and more biodiverse.

Email: james.keeling@teesriverstrust.org

Joined the Team: 2024 

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I have worked on and off at Tees Rivers Trust since 2016. I returned in 2024 after a year living down south. I am involved in a range of activities at the trust from in-habit river management, electrofishing, tree work and many more. I love the variety of the job, there's always something new!

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Email: henry@teesriverstrust.org

Joined the Team: 2021

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I joined the Tees Rivers Trust as a project officer on the Fish For Tees project leading on oyster restoration. I have an MSci in marine biology from the University of Southampton where I gained knowledge of marine restoration and fieldwork. Before starting with the trust I worked in shellfish aquaculture and helped set up a shrimp hatchery.

Email: warren@teesriverstrust.org

Joined the Team: 2022

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With a passion and interest in the great outdoors I left full time employment and studied Forestry and Woodland Management for 3 years. Since then I have gained 10 years of experience carrying out countryside management with Durham Wildlife Trust, Natural England and Local Councils before joining the Tees Rivers Trust as a Project Officer.

Email: kateb@teesriverstrust.org

Joined the Team: 2022

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Having worked for many years in education and outreach, I completed my degree in Environmental Science at Teesside University in 2022 and am now training, alongside my work, in ecological consultancy. I have a particular interest in marine ecology and conservation, and absolutely love working for the Tees Rivers Trust on their estuary restoration project. 

Email: dorian@teesriverstrust.org

Joined the Team: 2022

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I have worked in the environment sector since graduating in 1988.  Over this time I have gained a PhD in the population ecology of the Common Toad, looking at the impact of land management on growth, fecundity, survival and age at first breeding and have spent many hours looking for Great Crested Newts across the country.  My main project focus has been working with the Environment Agency and National Highways through its suppliers providing environmental support and undertaking Environmental Impact Assessments and developing mitigation for protected species.  Although I grew up on the North West coast, I have been in the North East since 1997.   

I have a soft spot in my heart for amphibians and reptiles, but I have a great interest in mammals and more recently worked on crayfish.   

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Email: ian@teesriverstrust.org

Joined the Team: 2024

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I’ve always had an interest in nature and the environment having grown up in the Eden valley, Cumbria. I studied Botany and Forestry and started my career as a FWAG Farm conservation Advisor in East Yorkshire back in the early 90’s. Over the years I’ve supported some large landscape scale projects including the Assynt Community buy-out of Glencanisp and Drumrunie Estate (44,000 acres) plus more recently with a Curlew project covering 5 protected landscapes. I’ve worked with many organisations over the years with a focus and interest on environment and people (disadvantaged and disability) and delivered on generating income from a wide range of more traditional fundraising pipelines. I love the outdoors, fly-fishing and the somewhat ridiculous pursuit of potholing. The latter does give you a very different perspective as to how our catchments are so defined by the local geology, whilst sharing many of the same pressures of their terrestrial cousins.  

Email: ciara@teesriverstrust.org

Joined the Team: 2024

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I have been volunteering in conservation from the age of 16, including at the University of Bristol where I studied Biology and Global Wildlife Health & Conservation. Since then, I have worked and volunteered at Gibraltar Point NNR with Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust where I somehow became a bit of a bird nerd. I’ve always enjoyed engaging others in conservation though, so I’m excited to work as a Project Engagement Officer as well as helping with our estuary projects and keeping everyone fed with my baking.

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Email: adam@teesriverstrust.org

Joined the Team: 2024

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Since completing my Marine Biology BSc at Newcastle University, I have undertaken an internship in the North West with the Wildlife Trusts focused on seagrass/intertidal biodiversity monitoring and studying seabird interactions with offshore wind. I have since moved back to the beautiful north east, where I now enjoy working as Estuary Project Officer at Tees Rivers Trust. When I'm not counting blades of grass or sea snails, I love to get outdoors and wild swim or go on long hikes in the middle of nowhere. 

Email: kennedy@teesriverstrust.org

Joined the Team: 2025

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I joined the Tees River Trust team driven by a deep passion for conservation, community-building and knowledge sharing. With a background in education and engagement, I thrive on connecting diverse communities with meaningful projects, inspiring a love for the natural world and encouraging positive change. When I’m not working, you’ll find me out frolicking with my basket, foraging or tending to my garden. I’m also a lover of adventure, animals and mindful crafting.

Email: joe@teesriverstrust.org

Joined the Team: 2025

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​After losing my presentation the morning of my interview but being fascinated with the work I could see going on in the Trust’s TERI center, I was offered a traineeship and got stuck right in. Graduating from the University of Exeter in 2023 with a BSc in Marine Biology, I pursued a wide variety of volunteering placements around the country; from counting dolphins in Scotland to surveying orchids in Norfolk. But maturing in a generation of conservationists who ride the current global surge of rewilding, I have always dreamed of working on marine restoration projects. I am interested in ecosystem processes, the oversized impacts of small ecosystem engineers, and exploring any bizarre experiments I can think of at TERI. Outside of my vial tinkering and seagrass cleaning work hours I engage in a ragtag patchwork of outdoorsy activities, camping, hiking, clay manipulating, landscape painting and so on.

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