Staff

Eugénie is co-founder of Grow 73, a community growing project started by Eugénie and Lynn Semple in 2015. She has been with the organisation ever since, initially in a voluntary role as co-organiser, then co-manager and Trustee when charity status was granted in 2018. She took on the role of Project co-ordinator in 2020, a role which has been full-time since January 2022.

Eugénie is responsible for the day-to-day management of Grow 73 including coordinating all our volunteer activities, managing the community garden, liaising with funders suppliers and contractors, organising educational activities, reporting to the Board of Trustees, planning future developments and regular raking of our composting toilet.

Eugénie represents Grow 73 at various meetings and committees of the local voluntary sector and has spoken of Grow 73 and our work at various national occasions including meetings organised by Keep Scotland Beautiful and NatureScot. She appeared in an episode of the BBC’s Countryfile, talking about Grow 73 and its Bee-line, and during Cop26 she spoke at the Festival of Discovery organised by the Eden Community, other speakers at the event including Sir David Attenborough. She also authored a chapter about Grow 73 in the book ‘Seeds to Solutions’ published by the Incredible Edible organisation.

Dave joined Grow 73 as a full-time employee in June 2023. After obtaining a Bsc in Horticulture from Glasgow Clyde College and SRUC – Scotland’s Rural College in 2022, Dave accepted the role of Community Gardener based with our local friends at the Leap organisation with a commitment to 10 weekly hours based at the Grow 73 Community Garden. Dave’s horticultural knowledge has been of huge benefit to Grow 73, and during his year with Leap he has developed excellent contacts with other community growing projects in the Rutherglen/Cambuslang area.

Dave’s move to Grow 73 results from our success in obtaining National Lottery funding for the Beeline to Nature project. This is an exciting 3-year project linking four community based growing projects across South Lanarkshire. The project aims to encourage people to lead more sustainable lives and thus make a positive contribution to the climate change threat through growing vegetables and pollinator friendly plants at community sites throughout South Lanarkshire.

Dave will continue to work closely with Leap as the community garden at their Cambuslang HQ will be an important part of the local contribution to this project.

As he expands his work, especially involving schools and nurseries, Dave’s trademark dreadlocks are sure to become well recognised throughout the community.