Our team

Our roots stem from a plant health and biosecurity meeting hosted at Highgrove in 2016.

Here representatives from charities, landowners and government identified a need to act to protect oak trees from both current and impending threats to their health and survival. Action Oak launched in May 2018 at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, with our initiative and coordinated plan to identify and tackle the issues facing our native oak trees.

Meet the Action Oak team

  • Sarah Jeffery

    Sarah Jeffery

    Project Manager - Action Oak

    Sarah joined the Action Oak team at its inception in March 2018, in time for its launch at the Chelsea Flower Show that same year. An Environmental Scientist with a strong background in woodland and countryside management, fundraising and project management, Sarah is responsible for day to day management of Action Oak. Sarah is a keen gardener with a love of the outdoors.

  • Georgina Colman

    Communications Officer

    Georgina joined Woodland Heritage in the Autumn of 2022 via the RFS Forestry Roots Scheme. Her activities span across Action Oak, Woodland Heritage and Whitney Sawmills. She brings creativity and a passion for the environment to the team.

  • Annabel Narayanan

    Director - Action Oak

    Annabel joined the Action Oak team in June 2023. She is passionate about native species, especially oaks, and answering the question of how we can protect them from the varied threats they face to ensure their legacy for future generations.

  • Geraint Richards

    Chair - Action Oak

    Geraint Richards is the Head Forester for the Duchy of Cornwall and to His Majesty The King. Graduating in 1992 with a degree in forestry from Bangor University he worked for four years for the Forestry Commission before taking up his current role. Geraint is involved with a wide range of tree, woodland and forestry organisations and initiatives in the UK and internationally. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Foresters and its current President and is also the Chair of Action Oak. Geraint was made a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) in 2017 and in 2019 was awarded the Royal Forestry Society’s Gold Medal for distinguished services to forestry.

Support us

Our iconic oak trees face a fight for survival against pests and diseases. Losing oak trees from our landscape would impact our well-being, economy and environment.

With your support, Action Oak will protect our iconic trees for future generations.