Project Members

Who are the project members & what do they do?

Simon Tilley
Helena Tilley
Trudi White
Nick White
Pete Rajan
Nick Martin
Sandy Martin
Bill Bolton
Louise Lipman

Simon Tilley (M Eng, C Eng, M I Mech E)

Simon joined the project in 1995, with a background in Mechanical Engineering. This included spending two years in Namibia working for Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO). His engineering skills have been put to good use in the project - He manages the HHP water & energy systems and a number of key HHP projects, including a DTI Domestic PV field trial (2002 to 2005).

His main contributions to the on site business are:

Technical tour guide
Technical workshop facilitator
Technical consultancy (particularly for water and renewable energy systems)
Sustainable Community workshop facilitator
Main external speaker for the group.
Leads and facilitates HHP's developments with schools educational work.

Outside environmental work includes contributions towards Nottinghamshire Agenda 21's review of energy & construction and as an Open University Associate Lecturer for the “Energy for a Sustainable Future” course for two years and mentored his replacement.

More recently Simon has been very involved with the design and build of HHP’s new eco-community building (the Sustainable Resource Centre).

Simon combines HHP work with looking after three children (Luke, Naomi & Flo), climbing & is a bit of a swinger – well at least with a croquet mallet.

Helena Tilley

Helena joined the Project with Simon in 1995 and also worked for VSO in Namibia (as a hospital doctor). Helena continues to work full time as a doctor. Helena's main interests in the project are organics and bee keeping. More recently Helena was involved in developing a training day at HHP for a group of local GP trainees. The workshop theme was holistic medicine and drew on expertise within the HHP group including acupuncture, psychotherapy and tai ji.

Nick White

Nick has been a member of HHP since the start of the construction of the homes in 1996, and contributed to the self-build. Since 1998, Nick has led the development and marketing of the Project’s on site ‘eco-business’, including coordinating publicity and media coverage.

Nick has also been involved with the following business activities for the Project:

Managing grant funded projects:
- ‘The Sustainable Community’ (Environmental Action Fund, DEFRA) (2002-2003)
- ‘The Zero Emission Network’ (BIFFAward) (2001-03)
- ‘The Sustainable Resource Centre’ (SEED Programme) (2003-04)
Drafting & publication of two guides on sustainable living (‘The Sustainable Community’ & ‘Guide to Sustainable Housing in the UK’)
Wrote the draft “Sustainable Developer Guide” for Nottinghamshire County Council
Producing a range of technical factsheets about HHP
Development of the Project website
A regular tour guide.

Outside the business part of the Project, Nick can often be found mothering his precious beans & squashes on the organics, chasing bee swarms as one of the beekeepers, or twitching around the site spotting birds and tracking water voles.

Nick combines HHP work with looking after three children (Rebecca, Francesca and Freya), mountain walking, cycling and avoiding cars whilst jogging on the local roads.

Trudi White

Trudi joined the project with Nick in 1996. Trudi is a practicing Psychotherapist in Nottingham and is a member of the National Steering Group for Psychotherapists & Counsellors for Social Responsibility (PCSR). Trudi also has an interest in the new and developing field of ecopsychology.

Trudi's other interests with the project:

Sustainable Community workshop facilitator
Tour guide
Developing training workshop for GPs covering various aspects of holistic medicine, including psychotherapy.
Helping the Trading Company define a more strategic direction (using her more distant marketing background)
Organics (particularly polytunnel work)
Managing the small flock of chickens

Trudi combines Psychotherapy & HHP work with looking after three children (Rebecca, Francesca & Freya), yoga, walking, kitting, weaving & swimming - occasionally in the Project lake – “why swim with the dolphins in the Maldives when you can swim with the carp at Hockerton”.

Pete Rajan

Pete is a Clinical Psychologist working in mental Health services with the National Health Services. His family was involved with the project at its earliest stages contributing to the complex planning agreement and supporting documentation for the project with the local authority. His main interests with the Project now are organic growing, tending sheep and supporting arts & drama activities.

Pete’s children are slowly abandoning him for University degrees (Helen & Nicky) with just Jenny left to share the organic bounty.

Also owner of the infamous 'Pickles' (A tiger in cats clothing) - Many visitors to HHP will know him well!

Nick Martin

Nick, a founding Project member, has a unique experience and knowledge of energy efficient housing. He first became interested in the early 1990’s after acquiring a 25-acre site just outside the village envelope of Hockerton, in rural Nottinghamshire. Combining his interests in renewable energy and low impact developments he set to work on various concepts leading him to the earth-sheltered option. In the meantime he won the tender in 1993 to build the home of Prof. Brenda and Dr. Robert Vale, the UK’s first sustainable town house - an autonomous house with ‘net zero CO₂’ emissions, of low embodied energy, deriving power from photovoltaic arrays and passive solar heating. Nick Martin was so convinced by many of the construction principles that he commissioned Dr. Robert Vale to design a rural hamlet of 5 earth sheltered sustainable dwellings, Hockerton Housing Project, to similar energy and environmental performance standards - autonomous and with ‘net zero CO₂’ emissions. Nick supervised this self-build project from August 1996 to Sept 1998.

Nick Martin is now one of the most experienced eco-builders in the UK. He leads the project consultancy work, including new designs for ultra low energy housing, as well as being directly involved in new eco-building projects. More recently he has been involved with the design and build of HHP’s new eco-community building (the Sustainable Resource Centre) a pair of earth-sheltered homes in Hockerton, a single eco-home, an eco-barn conversion and many eco-retrofits (including involvement in the Nottingham Eco-House). He is currently developing a proposal for a 12 home ultra low energy scheme in Hockerton.

Nick is also currently studying for an MSc -Energy efficient and Sustainable Building at Oxford Brookes University- “there is always more to learn”.

Despite all this Nick somehow finds time to regularly go canoeing, cycling (recumbents) and jogging around the HHP site chased by his dog Alfie. Then again his kids (Megan & Ricky) have left home giving him lots of spare time for these activities.

Sandy Martin

Sandy was one of the Project’s founding members and very involved with the complex planning agreement for the project with the local authority. Sandy has a degree in Fine Art & Sculpture which has been put to good use with a range of art projects at HHP.

Sandy’s other interests with the project include:

Leading all the arts & drama projects, including working with local theatre groups and an artist in residence for 6 months
Leading the site’s land management, including maintenance of grassland, woodland and footpaths.
Managing the flock of sheep including recent acquisition of five black Hebridean ewes from the National Trust’s flying flock.

Bill Bolton

Bill joined the project in Feb 2002 and has settled into life at Hockerton very rapidly. Indeed he still thinks it’s fantastic!

Bill has a degree in Art and is now a successful illustrator working on projects with books, cards & packaging (see his website - www.billboltonillustration.com) – you may have received one of his birthday cards, or your children had one of his pop up books! Bill’s skills have been put to good use with the Project, producing the artwork for the Project’s exhibits, posters, educational resources (see POD our educational mascot in the schools KS2 section) factsheet graphics and the design for the website.

Bill also frequently gets distracted by their youngsters Ben & Amy, sharing the childcare with his wife Louise. Otherwise you might see Bill around the site helping to manage the Project’s flock of sheep, fishing, cycling or mowing the many miles of footpaths.

Louise Lipman

Louise joined the project in Feb 2002 with husband Bill and has settled into life at Hockerton very rapidly. Louise is an acupuncturist involved in both treatment and training – but not on her fellow Project members! Her expertise, along with other Project members with health skills, was used in developing a HHP holistic medicine workshop; including acupuncture, psychotherapy and tai ji. This has been used successfully with a group of local GP trainees.

Louise’s other interests with the project include:

Developing & delivering school educational programmes
Running guided tours

Louise also frequently gets distracted by their youngsters Ben & Amy, sharing the childcare with her husband Bill. Otherwise you might see Louise around the site exercising with tai ji, racing about on the tractor or entertaining her many family & friends.

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