The Team
Helen Brown
Rivers have always been my passion and my playground. I studied geography at Leeds university specialising in river basin management before moving to Scotland to work with Scottish Wildlife Trust. My first job being at the Falls of Clyde. In 2002 I took up the post of Trust Manager with WoLCT and have gradually built up our operations over the years, thanks to a wonderful staff team and volunteers.
Ruth Prince
Ruth has an Msc in Outdoor Environmental and Sustainability Education from Moray House School of Education at the University of Edinburgh. Her dissertation was called 'The Best Way to Learn about a River is Going in One'! She is an experienced outdoor teacher with groups from nursery to senior stage high school and special schools, as well as leading training.
Johnny Wells
Johnny is our boots on the ground worker who you’ll meet proudly wearing his high-viz jacket and busy doing something to improve the river or walkway most days. Johnny has a BSc in Social Work and has been involved in leading practical conservation tasks with groups for close to twenty years.
Dan Rayner
Dan’s background involves over a decade of experience in various forms of outdoor education and in recent years he has developed his experience in conservation and volunteer leadership through working at Easter Craiglockhart Hill. He has an honours degree in Sustainable Development and Social Anthropology gained in 2020 which is relevant to helping to care for a well-used river in an urban setting, and understanding the meanings and attachments people form and attribute to the river. Dan grew up locally and spent much of his youth exploring Colinton and Craiglockhart Dells, forming his own meaningful relationship with the Water of Leith. He considers the responsibility of looking after the river a great privilege and an absolute pleasure
Kat Kane
I wear many hats in my role at the Visitor Centre. I support volunteers to run the café, assisting them with enquiries from the public, and I’ll always take time to say hello to the dogs that visit (and their owners too)! I can sometimes be found out in the woods doing what I love best; helping people connect with nature through events, birthday parties and guided walks. I also work behind the scenes as the Trust’s main Administrator and Membership Secretary. My background is in Volunteer Development, but I’ve had a strong love for the environment since I was young and the river is very much my happy place.
Gillian Wilson
I work with Kat in the Visitor Centre supporting volunteers to run the cafe, doing admin and taking kids out to the river for birthday parties. The Water of Leith is one of my favourite places in Edinburgh and sharing it with others is a pleasure! My passions are the environment and human rights, especially helping New Scots to feel welcome and start a new life in Scotland. I love my allotment, growing some of my own food, and also help run a local group in Edinburgh loaning out electric cargo bikes to the community and supporting people to reduce their heating footprint
Rosie Phillips
On Sundays I’ll be a friendly face in the cafe and Visitor Centre helping to support volunteers. I am always eager to hear about the wildlife people have spotted around the river- especially any otter sightings! I am also a student at the University of Edinburgh studying Ecological and Environmental Sciences. I'm very passionate about environmental sustainability, and I also love learning cool facts about plants and animals. I try to spend as much time in nature as I can, whether that be on walks along the Water of Leith, or on adventures in the Highlands!
Katie Cole
I am always happiest outdoors and when not at work, am mostly found running, cycling and wildlife spotting around the hills, glens and green spaces of Scotland and beyond. I have a BSc Hons degree in Environmental Science and a breadth and depth of experience in working with volunteers, environmental education, outdoor leadership, conservation work and wilderness medicine. I love facilitating connections between people and nature and have a bit of an obsession with otters!
Laura McRedmond
I work supporting Ruth with Outdoor Learning, taking groups out on the River and teaching them how to study rivers in order to take care of them. My MSc is in Environment and Development, my dissertation was on the role of volunteer work and how it can be so important to the political ecology of an area. This research led me to pursue volunteering opportunities, which introduced me to Outdoor Education. I've loved spending time outdoors since I was a child and so now I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to facilitate that relationship in others.
