Meet the team

Francis is the founder of Studio Cultivate. Francis set up Studio Cultivate in 2014 with the ambition of helping young people, educators and families engage with nature. He began working with local nursery schools to develop his ideas of transforming seemingly limited spaces into inspiring outdoor learning environments for young people to experience nature first hand.

As a trained architect with an RHS level 2 qualification, Francis has a natural eye for detail and a passion for creating unique spaces and a wealth of horticultural knowledge.

As well as designing and delivering all Studio Cultivate’s workshops, Francis skillfully illustrates and creates our beautiful learning resources, whilst writing for a number of educational publications.

Alice is head of outreach and engagement at Studio Cultivate, as well as a senior workshop facilitator. Alice joined the team in 2019 and her work explores everything from delivering Kindergarden and Meristems to expanding the work we do into new nurseries, schools, festivals and events. It's also Alice’s job to plan our latest SC films and map out how we share what we do on social media, in blogs and in videos. 

Alice first recognised her role championing a wilder world as an infant, corralling fellow two-year-olds to rescue snails feared destined for the lawnmower. She went on to train as a Multimedia Journalist before redirecting her communication expertise towards empowering people, big and small, to connect with the natural world.

Raised in the South of England, Alice has worked in conservation in the UK and abroad. After broadcast journalism she joined the Zoological Society of London as a Presenter, and later also the digital team, specialising as a conservation and science communicator. She presented talks and delivered activities for adults and children as well as creating digital content, including videos and blog posts for families to learn how they can support wildlife work. Alice spent two years in Canada leading nature camps and family friendly wildlife walks, before joining SC. Her boundless enthusiasm for storytelling, coupled with an immense passion for the outside world is the perfect tonic for inspiring the next generation of budding naturalists within her workshops and across platforms.

Gemma joined the Studio Cultivate team as a Kindergarden facilitator in 2024 after spending the last 10 years working with children. 

 After studying Primary Education at university, Gemma was a Key Stage 1 teacher in South East London. Within this time she took a particular interest in cross-curricular learning and teaching through themes and hooks to engage young people, with a particular interest in children’s literature and art. 

After six busy years as a teacher and taking on subject lead and mentoring positions in this role, she was motivated to explore the skills and knowledge of teaching outside of the classroom and explore other career opportunities. Gemma was then appointed as the Education Coordinator for a working farm in South East London which has been an important part of the community for over 25 years. In this role she planned, resourced and ran sessions for school and nursery visits, as well as running and promoting half term activities and other fundraising events. Being part of the large charity's growing spaces, animals and the farm's ancient woodlands, cottage gardens and dipping ponds tied Gemma's personal love of wildlife and green spaces with her strong professional interest of inspiring young people.

In her downtime Gemma can usually be found working in her own garden after moving home last winter and making the outdoor space the top priority (including adding a wildlife pond and lots of native plants for pollinators).

Meet Krystal! When she isn’t working for Studio Cultivate, Krystal is a passionate SEN teaching assistant whose work with foster children exemplifies her unwavering commitment to nurturing and guiding young minds. With a background in creating prosthetics for film and theatre, Krystal brings a unique blend of artistry and care to everything she does. Her experience living in the Highlands of Scotland and Malta sparked her passion for herbalism, leading her to explore the profound healing potential of plant medicine. 

 Krystal loves skating through life with creativity and joy, painting pottery, and delving into the fascinating world of herbal remedies. She is particularly interested in developing her expertise in herbalism to focus on Afro-Caribbean women’s health, aspiring to contribute to making plant-based healing a universally recognized practice. 

 Krystal's optimistic and spontaneous nature is infectious, inspiring those around her to approach life with curiosity and kindness. Her ultimate goal is to become a master herbalist, making a meaningful impact by bridging the gap between ancient plant wisdom and modern healthcare practices. As she continues to grow and learn, Krystal remains true to herself, driven by a deep-seated desire to make a meaningful impact on the lives of others.

Hugo joined the Studio Cultivate team in 2021 as a Curriculum Consultant for our Merristems project and now collaborates with Francis in the creation and delivery of our latest programme, Natural Curriculum.

After completing his PGCE and working as a classroom teacher in primary schools in Cornwall, Hugo regularly used the beautiful local environment to inspire his pupils - even going as far as planting a temperate rainforest!

As a professional and experienced teacher, Hugo brings knowledge of pedagogy, metacognition, and curriculum design to the team, as well as an experienced eye for what a school wants and needs.

A keen surfer, Hugo spends much of his time in and around the ocean. Having seen firsthand the benefits of engaging with nature as both an adult and for school children, he is inspired to help us create the Merristems packages that help schools deliver the National Curriculum through the natural world.

George has been part of Studio Cultivate since it’s fruition in 2014, sharing Francis’ vision of inspiring young people to engage with outdoor spaces and the living things that occupy them.

As a professional actor, George is a natural storyteller, and has the ability to bring our Studio Cultivate characters to life in almost any surrounding! He also has a background in Early Years education and enjoys combining his skills in the development of the Studio Cultivate’s methodology, training and practice.

George collaborates with Francis in the creation and delivery of Studio Cultivate’s PlayGreen programme as well as our Continued Professional Development provision.

Rachael has always had a taste nature adventures, spending one year of university exploring Australia and promptly moving to Italy after graduating from her Bachelor's. She enjoyed the varied and stunning natural beauty of these settings, from the rainforests of South Victoria to the Alps on the Swiss border. Having made the most of the hiking trails, surfing opportunities and hidden beaches  she is looking forward to bringing this passion for the outdoors into the city, where just as much nature-excitement can be found all around us… if you take a closer look!

With three years of teaching experience in schools across Liguria and Piemonte, Rachael has developed a deep appreciation for the power of storytelling in education. She discovered that crafting imaginative narratives is one of the best ways to engage children, helping them grasp complex concepts in a way that feels both natural and constructive.

At Studio Cultivate, she is excited to step away from traditional classrooms and into interactive, outdoor learning spaces. She’s passionate about inspiring children to explore the natural world, encouraging them to get their hands dirty and embrace hands-on experiences that connect them to the environment.
In her free time, she enjoys wandering through her local green space, Brockwell Park in South London, soaking up as much sunshine as possible and finding moments of peace in nature.

Meet Argash. We are thrilled to have Argash join our Kindergarden team for 2025.

Argash loves everything about nature; from boulders waiting to be climbed, to tasty mushrooms patiently waiting to be part of his next meal!

Argash studied Plant Science and spends most of his free time expanding his plant knowledge, cooking, growing (and eating!) seasonal produce and exploring how we can better live alongside nature in a way that benefits our planet.

Look out for Argash in our West London Kindergarden schools.

Tom has always had a deep love and passion for the natural world. From a young age biology, history and music were his favourite subjects which he took to A-level. He has since pursued a career in the Arts, selling historical musical instruments, but revived his interest in ecology and horticulture through a greening project at his daughter's school and involvement in a community orchard.

Tom loves to work with little minds and finds so much joy in the fun learning process offered by Studio Cultivate. There is so much of the world to re-explore with children, looking at things through their eyes and hopefully developing lifelong passions.