George Belsey: Owner and Instructor
George has been running educational events for school groups for the last seven years. He is a trained forest school teacher and holds a BSc in Conservation Biology.
He has a passion for practical building and keeping things simple making use of what is around him rather than sourcing things from far and wide.
One of the main reasons he has revived the Greenlanes Centre is to inspire others and show that anybody can create structures with a little guidance and patience.
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Valerie Belsey: Founder and Instructor
Valerie has written several books on walks and the history of green lanes. She has spent her working life educating children and adults about wildlife and the historical value of the countryside. She has appeared on Countryfile and is, at present, working on a series of story-walks all beginning at the Greenlanes Centre.
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She has also worked for Devon County Council leading events to encourage people to get out and about.
Valerie is in a folk band which plays traditional Devonshire Music. She once played in Berlin before the wall came down and didn't have sweets until she was 7!.
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Lauren Cross: Manager and Cook
Lauren is George's partner and mother to their two boys, Jack and Ikey. Lauren has a lifelong passion for food, a recent love for growing vegetables and high levels of organisation due to 15 years of hospitality management.
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With a BA History and Social Anthropology and having worked as a Childminder for the past year- Lauren has a passion for people, children and has now set her mind to organising George and Valerie!
Rebecca "Wild Bex" Benoy -Volunteer and Art Director
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Bex is a great friend who has joined us as a volunteer. Bex regularly helps Valerie and George with land management and is responsible for some of the beautiful artwork on our posters. She assists on our education days and is generally amazing with the children.
Bex is a nature enthusiast, with a particular passion for wild flowers and growing veg.
Jonathan Horning: Instructor
Jonathan is an Artist, Author, Carpenter/Builder and Geometer. He has taught 2D and 3D Geometry and structure internationally for Kairos Educational Charity and The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts in London for the past 25 years.
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His primary interest is now indigenous shelter building and the geometry of structure including geodesic domes. He has written and illustrated a book called Simple Shelters, which explores the variety of indigenous shelter building techniques from around the world and how they are created from, and therefore appropriate to, their local environment. He now resides in South Devon with his wife Amanda they have four children and two grandchildren.