About
Women are often underrepresented in the parks and open spaces industry.
Women in Parks Horticulture Landscape is a group of women who want to support women in our industry to grow, flourish and be voices in the sector.
Meet the Leadership Committee
Who we are
We are a small volunteer committee of women working across parks, horticulture, and landscape roles. Together, we run a mentoring scheme, coordinate events, and connect mentees with supportive peers and role models.
Our committee brings experience from local authorities, charities, community gardens, and landscape practices. We share a commitment to creating more inclusive, equitable, and joyful green spaces by championing women’s leadership at every career stage.
What the committee does
The mentoring committee:
• Oversees the mentoring scheme
• Matches mentees and mentors based on goals and experience
• Provides guidance, tools, and check-ins during the mentoring cycle
• Organises interactive sessions and networking opportunities
• Collects feedback to keep improving the scheme each year
Every committee member plays a part — from coordinating applications and communications to supporting mentors, planning events, and nurturing partnerships that widen opportunities for women in the sector.
If you’d like to get involved or learn more about the committee, please contact us — we welcome new voices, collaborators, and ideas.
Getting involved
We hope that you will be able to join in one of our network or interactive events that are online or in person. If you can support the network by helping with the mentoring scheme by matching mentors to mentees, event organising, partnership development, communications (social media and website), and evaluation. Together we make sure the scheme runs smoothly, remains inclusive, and stays rooted in the realities of working in parks, horticulture, and landscape.
Our Leadership Team
Emma McNamara – Fellow of the Landscape Institute and holds an MSc in the Conservation of historic gardens and cultural landscapes, and BSc in Horticulture.
Emma has extensive experience as a postgraduate researcher in heritage site management techniques, ecological management and care. She specialises in horticultural site management and the strategic delivery of heritage management projects.
Emma is also an expert in tourism management, using GIS/GPS technology to analyse the usage and capacity of heritage sites. Her work mainly focuses on developing and implementing conservation strategies and visitor engagement plans for heritage sites.
With over 20 years of experience in heritage work, Emma most recently worked as a senior gardens and parks consultant for the National Trust.
Currently working as a regional manager for WFGA, Emma is also an experienced trustee, currently serving on the boards of the Parks for London charity.
Emma McNamara
Ruth Lin Wong Holmes – Head of Landscape & Public Realm at London Legacy Development Corporation at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Vice President of the Landscape Institute, Vice Chair of the Royal Parks Guild, Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Royal Society of Arts Fellow, Chartered Institute of Horticulture Member, RHS Bursary Committee Member, Metropolitan Public Gardens Association Committee Member and World Urban Parks Member.
Ruth Lin Wong Holmes
Philippa Reece – General Manager, Sheffield Park and Garden, National Trust
Philippa is a senior leader in public space management with over two decades of experience driving strategic initiatives across municipal authorities, social housing, and NGOs.
As General Manager at The National Trust, she leads climate adaptation strategies for historic woodland gardens, aligning operational practice with cutting-edge environmental science.
Her career includes pioneering national standards for green spaces in the social housing sector, securing the first Green Flag Award in Northern England.
Philippa has shaped regional sustainability agendas, contributing to Greater Manchester’s inaugural Green Summit and lecturing at Manchester University. Her leadership in environmental stewardship earned formal recognition at Buckingham Palace.
An experienced international assessor for the Green Flag Award, Philippa has evaluated sites across the UK and globally, including the Netherlands, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Portugal.
Pippa Reece
Liz Stuffins – Board Trustee for the Midlands Parks Forum
Liz Stuffins has over 40 years experience in Green Space management. The focus of her work in urban areas began in urban fringe and countryside management and later developed onto urban parks in areas of deprivation.
Liz is a Trustee and former chair of the Midlands Parks Forum, she was instrumental in developing this regional Forum as a charity. Liz is passionate about creating learning networks so that skilled members of the sector can learn from each other and share their skills with new aspiring managers.
Liz spent 10 years at Dudley Council developing award winning multi-million pound Heritage Lottery funded projects at several Town parks within the borough, and as team leader on a Healthy Towns project, a joint programme with Public Health. Liz really values input from the voluntary sector into the management of Green spaces and has worked on a number of asset transfer projects. Liz has also worked hard on developing wider partnership projects with organisations such as the Wildlife Trust, Natural England, Black Country UNESCO Global Geopark.
Liz started her early career with Walsall Council and returned 15 years later to develop Public Health funded programmes of activity in Parks. This programme was a natural progression from the Public Health England funded Healthy Towns project in Dudley. Public Health Services in Walsall financially support the greenspaces division.
Liz has recently retired from being Group Manager Healthy Spaces and Environment at Walsall Council.
Liz Stuffins
Stefania Horne – Strategic Director Neighbourhood Operations at Dacorum Borough Council
Women in Parks Horticulture Landscape 