Everyone who works at Tweed Forum shares a passion for the amazing Tweed catchment and the plants, animals and people living within its boundaries. Under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer, Luke Comins, the team covers a broad range of expertise and experience in land and water management. You can find out more about the team below.
We also provide consultancy services under the trading arm of Tweed Forum – Confluence Consulting. Offering a wide range of ecological and project management services to both private and public sector clients, Confluence Consulting delivers high quality, bespoke solutions for our clients. Over the years, we have built up a track record of working with land managers to achieve practical works that deliver multiple benefits.
Luke Comins
Chief Executive Officer
luke.comins@tweedforum.org
With a background in environmental management, Luke provides strategic leadership for Tweed Forum including project development and policy work. More than two decades ago, Luke oversaw the consolidation of Tweed Forum from an informal liaison group to a fully staffed company with a clear remit to work in partnership to conserve, protect and restore the Tweed catchment. This ethos continues to underpin Luke's stewardship of Tweed Forum, with a strong focus on nature-based recovery.
Katrina Bruce
Administrative Assistant
katrina.bruce@tweedforum.org
Katrina provides business support for the team at Tweed Forum. She has broad experience including administration, communications and community engagement across a range of sectors and organisations. Katrina was born and brought up on a farm in the Scottish Borders and, after living and working in Edinburgh for a number of years, she has returned to her roots in the country!
Rachel Coyle
Project Officer
rachel.coyle@tweedforum.org
Rachel delivers peatland restoration throughout the Tweed catchment in partnership with NatureScot's Peatland ACTION programme. Rachel has a background in biology, with a B.Sc. in Animal Biology from Napier University, and experience of wetland and woodland habitat management with the RSPB. Over the last few years, Rachel has carried out peatland survey work, project planning and managed restoration projects on upland blanket bogs and lowland raised bogs throughout the catchment. Rachel also assists with bird surveys and carries out GIS mapping for various Tweed Forum projects.
Charlotte Douglas
Senior Project Officer
charlotte.douglas@tweedforum.org
Charlotte is helping to deliver Destination Tweed, an ambitious project which aims to establish a long-distance trail and various enhancement schemes along the course of the river Tweed. She brings with her over a decade of experience in designing and delivering community archaeology and heritage projects, latterly working with HMS Unicorn in Dundee to develop a complex and ambitious multi-year project to preserve one of the world’s oldest ships still afloat. Charlotte’s post is funded by the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund.
Luke Fisher
Project Director - Destination Tweed
luke.fisher@tweedforum.org
Luke leads on the development and delivery of Destination Tweed. Destination Tweed aims to create one of the great long-distance routes in the UK as well as conserving, celebrating and promoting the Tweed from source to sea. Luke brings a range of project management experience, having worked for NLHF as a Senior Grants Officer and as a Senior Consultant for one of the UK’s leading management consultancies. Luke's post is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF), South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) and a range of project funders.
Sophie Gartshore
Communications & Digital Content Manager
sophie.gartshore@tweedforum.org
Sophie is Communications and Digital Content Manager for the Destination Tweed project, delivering an exciting digital strategy to conserve, celebrate and promote the Tweed from source to sea. Sophie has a background in digital content creation for heritage and tourism projects, having worked most recently in the Highlands and Islands on the Inverness Castle Experience project, as well as for museums and visitor attractions throughout Scotland. Sophie has a keen interest in the areas of landscape, culture and heritage and holds an M.A. in History and an M.Sc. in Archaeology from the University of Glasgow.
Jane Gibson
Project Officer
jane.gibson@tweedforum.org
Jane is helping deliver our targeted riparian woodland planting programme as part of the Riverwoods Blueprint project. Alongside a B.Sc. in Environmental Resource Management from the University of Edinburgh, Jane also holds a Postgrad Certificate in Forestry, and it was while studying for this that she developed a keen interest in integrated land and water management and the multiple benefits of woodlands. Jane has previously worked with Scottish Forestry and the Argyll & The Isles Coast & Countryside Trust and is looking forward to working with land managers and communities throughout the Tweed catchment to promote woodland creation and the important ecosystem services this key habitat provides.
Julia Henschel
Project Officer - River Till
julia.henschel@tweedforum.org
Julia is implementing core areas of the River Till Restoration Strategy by supporting woodland creation and river restoration throughout the Till catchment. Julia is also collaborating with Great Northumberland Forest on tree planting opportunities across north Northumberland as part of their ambitious woodland creation initiative. With deep family ties in the area, Julia brings both local knowledge and her background in environmental auditing, climate adaptation, and nature-based solutions, to help care for the landscapes she loves.
Jenny Holmes
Education & Engagement Officer
jenny.holmes@tweedforum.org
Jenny is delivering our ambitious Destination Tweed environmental education outreach programme, with a strong focus on creating a sense of stewardship for the River Tweed amongst primary-aged children throughout the cross-border catchment. With an M.Sc./B.Sc. in Wildlife Ecology and Animal Behaviour, Jenny has been working in environmental education for a number of years throughout the UK with NGOs such as the RSPB, TCV and the John Muir Trust. With a particular interest in the many benefits a connection with nature can offer young people, Jenny enjoys working with educators throughout the region to offer a range of experiences and resources.
Emily Iles
Project Officer
emily.iles@tweedforum.org
Emily oversees our work on invasive non-native species (INNS) within the Tweed catchment. This includes the long-standing Tweed Invasives Project as well as other initiatives to minimise the impact of these harmful species. With a B.Sc. in Wildlife and Conservation from the University of Kent, Emily has previously worked in environmental education and invasive species control within other UK catchments. She has also worked in agriculture and has a keen interest in UK wildlife.
Philip Kearney
Contracts & Project Manager
philip.kearney@tweedforum.org
With a B.Sc. in Countryside Management and over twenty years of experience in environmental project management, Phil is delivering a diverse and exciting portfolio of river restoration projects throughout the cross-border Tweed catchment. With a background in river restoration; native woodland creation; and management of outdoor access and public realm infrastructure across Scotland, Phil is passionate about working to restore and enhance the landscapes and biodiversity of the Tweed catchment.
Janet Landells
Finance & Operations Director
janet.landells@tweedforum.org
Jan has a broad range of administration and finance management experience, having worked for both large organisations and small businesses within the public and private sectors. A native Borderer with a passion for the landscapes and culture of her home region, Jan ensures clear and accountable delivery of everything from small-scale local restoration projects to large multinational EU projects.
Craig Marshall
Senior Project Officer – River Till
craig.marshall@tweedforum.org
Craig is delivering key elements of the River Till Restoration Strategy, as well as working closely with Great Northumberland Forest to deliver woodland creation opportunities across north Northumberland. With a B.Sc. in Environmental Science, Craig has extensive project management experience in the engineering and infrastructure sector, leading projects of all shapes and sizes. He has founded a number of enterprises aimed at bringing people back to nature and is particularly passionate about his native Northumberland and the need to restore habitats and natural systems to facilitate nature recovery in the region.
Hugh Martin
Project Officer
hugh.martin@tweedforum.org
Hugh has a passion for restoring nature and is currently delivering peatland restoration projects throughout the Tweed catchment, in partnership with NatureScot's Peatland ACTION programme. With a varied background in arboriculture and native woodland creation, as well as a degree in Engineering, Hugh also leads on Tweed Forum’s UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) surveying work, ensuring that Tweed Forum continues to maximise the use of aerial survey techniques across various disciplines.
Marina Piper
Project Manager - Destination Tweed
marina.piper@tweedforum.org
Marina is helping deliver the ambitious Destination Tweed project and is delighted to be working with a range of partners, communities and landowners establishing the River Tweed Trail, whilst supporting the team who are enhancing experiences and landscapes along the river. She has a long career in land management and engagement, working previously in the Dee and Forth River catchments, for Forestry and Land Scotland and also the National Park Service. Marina’s post is funded by NLHF, SOSE and a range of project funders.
Hamish Robertson
Senior Project Officer
hamish.robertson@tweedforum.org
Working with Tweed Forum since graduating from Edinburgh University in 2020 with a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Resource Management, Hamish's focus is on woodland creation, natural flood management, agroforestry and natural capital. Living and working on the family farm gave Hamish a clear understanding of the issues currently facing the agriculture sector and he is well-placed to collaborate with land managers on integrated land management. His other passions include soil health and regenerative agriculture.
Derek Robeson
Conservation Manager
derek.robeson@tweedforum.org
Derek helps facilitate landscape-scale conservation projects, with a focus on promoting integrated catchment management and delivering projects that benefit wildlife, the environment and people. Derek is a native Borderer, with a background in Geology and a Ph.D. from Trinity College Dublin. He has spent almost three decades working with Borders farmers, helping them deliver natural flood management, soil and water quality enhancement, and habitat creation projects. Derek also coordinates our programme of (tertiary) student visits and inputs regularly to university-level sustainable land management courses.
Eileen Rutherford
Finance Officer
eileen.rutherford@tweedforum.org
Born and raised in the Scottish Borders, studies and work took Eileen away for over 20 years before finally returning in 2019. Eileen oversees Tweed Forum's financial administration, applying her diverse experience from across private and third sector organisations throughout the full range of Tweed Forum activities. Eileen's keen attention to detail and analytical mindset help support strategic decision-making across the organisation, and her keen eye for detail is also very handy for her favourite pastime - the ancient craft of hand-sewing kilts!
Ben Townsend
Senior Project Officer
benjamin.townsend@tweedforum.org
Having worked in commercial woodland creation and riparian woodland restoration, Ben is helping deliver our award-winning riparian native woodland creation programme throughout the Tweed catchment and beyond. From a background in engineering and furniture making, Ben went on to complete an M.Sc. in Forestry at the University of Bangor and is passionate about restoring landscapes and ecosystems to increase the resilience of nature and rural industries to a changing climate.
