Meet our team

Diana Tottle

Director

I joined SAGE in November 2007 after 4 years helping set up SHEBEEN (Sheffield Black & Ethnic Minority Environmental Network).  Before that I had worked for several years for International development charities in West Africa.  In SAGE I was attracted to a well managed organisation that is helping support some of society’s most vulnerable adults in a powerful, long lasting way.  I am particularly proud of our diversity and can be easily tempted from the office to try a new organic vegetable stew rustled up by one of our asylum seeking members!

Janet Milton

Support Worker & Volunteer Coordinator

I started with Greenfingers in May 2004, as a support worker just as the project was getting going. My background has been working with people in a variety of settings, but never before in the outdoors. At the time I had been getting to grips with my own shared allotment whilst learning about organic gardening by volunteering on allotments run by SOFI, Sheffield Organic Food Initiative. I enjoy supporting others to gain confidence and skills in gardening, growing organic fruit and veg to share or take home, and seeing how this can help people become more confident in their lives generally.

I am also volunteer coordinator. Volunteers provide a valuable role in this project, practically and creatively, and this is often a source of inspiration for me.

Fran O'Key

Admin and finance worker & volunteer support worker

I’ve been at SAGE since January 2009, having come to Sheffield to study English Literature. I’ve worked for both universities in Sheffield, supporting disabled students and I gained some experience in admin work at Shelter.

My favourite thing about my job is its variety – one day I’m writing copy for the website, another day I’m on the phone to a potential member discussing how our project can help them, another day I’m helping out at the women’s group on the allotment, which might be gardening, cooking or making flower cards.

Stella Lewis

Support Worker

I started at SAGE in May 2004.  My initial training was in horticulture/landscape and I worked for many years in design offices. I changed direction by becoming a support worker for people with dementia and retrained by taking a Diploma in Therapeutic Horticulture. I enjoy seeing people develop their skills and confidence, getting my hands dirty and growing slightly unusual veg: last year there were tomatillos, this year we’ve grown gherkins, and always there are the tragopogons...

Val Ellis

Support Worker

I have a background of working with vulnerable adults. I worked for a domestic violence project for 4 years and Sheffield Mind for 2 years on the welcome desk. Then in 1998 I started work for the Primary Mental Health Care Project (PMHCP) at Pitsmoor Surgery, where Greenfingers was then a 2 hour session on Monday afternoons. Over the years, Greenfingers has blossomed into SAGE Greenfingers and I still work here with the Monday group. The rest of my time I work for the PMHCP, supporting people to attend health walks, a knitting group and other social activities.

I really enjoy supporting the members at this session with their chosen tasks on the allotment and encouraging them to eat healthy food. It’s also great to see members socialising and enjoying each other’s company.

Helen Lyle

Support Worker

My background is in Adult Education. I first got involved with the project as a volunteer with the women’s group after completing an NVQ in Environmental Conservation. Working outdoors and learning new practical skills had made a very positive difference to my own well-being and I wanted to continue this kind of activity with people who could benefit from a group session doing something as therapeutic as gardening.

Some of the highlights of working here are our beautiful site, the way in which our members support each other and the positive changes they make through attending over time.

In the rest of my life, I work facilitating groups of people to sing as leader of a couple of Sheffield choirs. SAGE has given me the opportunity to pilot some very successful ‘Singing for mental health’ groups for women locally, which has been an enriching offshoot of our allotment-based work.