The ARI staff team consists of three part time staff:

Deborah Burn, ARI UK Network Co-ordinator

Deborah heads up the small ARI staff team. She joined ARI in 2003, as North East Development Worker, becoming UK Network Co-ordinator in 2005. She is co-author (with Dr Richard Wiltshire) of the 2nd Edition of "Growing in the Community - A Good Practice Guide for the Management of Allotments" published March 2008. Deborah has been a plotholder since 1995 and was Chair of a devolved managed allotment association for five years.

Carmel Ferguson, ARI Support Worker

Carmel has 20 years experience of working in advertising and project administration. Carmel has been with the ARI project since September 2005 and has developed an in-depth knowledge of allotments regeneration issues. A keen gardener, she has been a plotholder for six years, with her young son joining in on his own dedicated veg patch.

Sanja Ratkusic, ARI Forums Co-ordinator

Sanja joined ARI at the beginning of 2010 in this new post which will involve co-ordinating Allotments Officers’ Forums in each of the nine English Government Regions. Sanja has been involved with allotments before joining ARI: she was Chair of Greenwater Pool Allotments Association and a Horticultural Worker at the Comfrey Project – an allotment project working with refugees and asylum seekers. Sanja, who will be based in ARI’s North East Office.