Meet the Team
Lowe Maintenance isn't just Phill and Demelza. We see ourselves as a family, a team because we couldn't do what we do without the fabulous people below. Want to join the team? Let us know we may have some availability.
Team Lowe
Trainers, Assessors and more. . .
We have a great team here at Lowe Maintenance, and each trainer and assessor is a trusted member of our Lowe Maintenance family. Whilst lots of our regular candidates will be familiar with our trainers, many of you may not know everyone just yet!
Demelza Lowe | Owner
Trainer & Assessor
Demelza is the one who runs a tight ship within Lowe Maintenance. Known also as big ‘D’ in her former teaching career!
Background
After teaching at a local college for over ten years specialising with the 14-16yr olds who weren’t interested in school (and thoroughly enjoying that challenge) decided in 2012 that it was time for the next chapter and a new challenge and joined Phill in Lowe Maintenance.
Originally training at Askham Bryan College HND Horticulture (fancy a farmer going into horticulture – black sheep of the family there!) she was always interested in trees but not been brave enough in her late teens to pursue arboriculture with all those burly fellas and went into garden design and certainly regretted it. Fortunately years later got to continue that passion for tree climbing and machinery, thankfully.
Specialities and favourite course to teach
Demelza is not only a trainer but also a City and Guilds assessor for many of the subjects that she trains, however, can’t pick one course more than another, as she loves the variety and enjoys them all equally!
Her subjects include:
- safe use of pesticides PA1, PA6a, PA6aw, PA6mc, PA6pp, PA6inj, PA2a, PA2f and PA2ar
- safe use of aluminium phosphides (Phostoxin and Talunex),
- safe use of rat and mice poison,
- land based machinery: brushcutters, handheld hedge cutters, leaf blowers, ATV sit astride, ATV side by side,
- sheep dipping and Vet Meds.
- ROLO: Health, Safety and Environmental Awareness
Hobbies
Demelza loves to paint colourful cows and hens. You may have seen some of these on social media posts or in the background of the live Q&A sessions on Wednesday evenings. In addition, she also loves her garden and growing flowers in the small backyard at the workshop.
Questions:
1. What is your favourite species of tree, sheep and flower?
Her favourite tree is a wingnut nut, (Pterocarya fraxinifolia). As her sidekick niece is her wing lass. So it had to be a wing nut tree once spotted in the botanical garden in Edinburgh!
A Suffolk has to be her all-time favourite sheep, lambing time with her Dad surrounded by the little beauties.
Favourite flower, well as a hortic, undoubtedly, that is a difficult one, big, flouncy dahlias, freesia’s, daffodils and irises to mention one or two.
2. Admin or training?
To go from full-time trainer to more admin office-based tasks has not been an easy step but a necessary one. Many of you won’t know that she has worn her jaw out with talking too much (and yes it is possible before you ask, TMJ joint wear) which means that training and talking all week is just far too painful. So, she needed to take a step back to go forward, besides who better to run the office and speak to all you amazing candidates than someone who has taken most of the courses on offer, and as a result, knows them inside out when you ring up with a question.
3. Any top tips
– don’t rush to do all the courses at once, take your time
– read all the information provided, it will help you prepare for your course
– enjoy the experience of the course
Phill Lowe | Owner
Trainer & CEO
Phill is not just a member of the Lowe Maintenance family – he’s the one who started it all! Lowe Maintenance began all the way back in 2004, which doesn’t actually seem long ago at all (but put it this way… if Lowe Maintenance was a child, they would be starting university!).
And if you are wondering why we have a dragon to represent us, it is because Phill is Welsh and fiercely proud of that, so of course, the dragon goes everywhere with us!
Background
Phill spent 23 and a half years in the military before leaving due to an injury. Already being a dab-hand at sewing, due to a parachute riggers ticket. He has found this skill to be a good way to spend spare time producing the awesome rope bags and other products in our shop area. Besides, if he ever fell out of a tree, he says he could always get a wheelchair up to his sewing machines.
In 1986, Phill took his first chainsaw course. Things have sure changed since then! At that point, he began calling companies whilst on leave to ask about unpaid occasional work for further chainsaw practice – and as a result wound up working all over the world, including UK, South America, Canada, and Norway.
Whilst working with chainsaws, Phill then expanded his remit through tree climbing – a match made in arborist heaven! Both these skills are perfectly suited to Phill – who loves to get his head down, switch off and enjoy these thought-heavy processes.
Since then, Phill has become a specialist in many wide-ranging courses and has become truly “a font of all knowledge” as many candidates can attest to.
Specialities and favourite course to teach
Cutting and climbing are Phill’s go-to trades. So, naturally, anything involving tree climbing is perfect to teach. He takes the lead on the following courses:
– chainsaw maintenance
– fell and process small trees up to and over 380mm
– windblow
– assisted felling
– tree climbing and aerial rescue
– using a chainsaw from rope and harness
– pruning, rigging and dismantling
In addition to carrying out LOLER inspections of climbing and lowering kits. For more details on getting ready for your inspection read our blog.
Hobbies
Phill is a fan of long-range shooting and enjoys making handcrafted products for the Lowe Maintenance Shop. As there is never anything decent to watch on TV!
Questions:
1. What is your favourite species of tree, sheep and chainsaw?
Oak has to be my favourite tree, and my favourite sheep is the lame one… it’s the easiest to catch! When it comes to chainsaws, anything that works, whereas, Shtil have been a favourite in the past.
2. Climbing or groundwork?
Now I’m crusty – it has to be the ground… not out of choice! However, of course, I do love to get back to the silence of the climb where possible.
3. Any top tips, in true Phill style
– don’t eat yellow snow,
– keep the boss happy (I think we all know who that is!).
Ross Cannon | Trainer
John Bownass | Trainer
Louise Kirkbride | Trainer and Assessor
How many years have you been linked with Lowe Maintenance?
Phill taught me medium felling in the noughties and I’ve known Demelza since a Vertebrate Pest Control assessment in 2014, I’ve had my climbing kit LOLER inspections with Lowe Maintenance for years and years- highly recommend!
Tell us more about your background
I was a groundsman, then an arborist from 1999 to 2008, gained my AA Tech Cert in 2006 and took on temporary roles as Local Authority and National Park Tree & Woodlands/Arb Officer roles until 2012, after which I have been doing an ongoing mixture of tree contracting/freelance climbing, tree surveying, consultancy and for the last couple of years some training as well. Course I teach are Tree Inspection Survey and Ash Dieback Risk Assessment, Work Planning and Methodology
Specialities and favourite course to teach
I believe in the wide game – I keep a foot in all aspects of the arb industry, seeing future change, adaptation and development that will knock on from one area to the other. Small tree felling, is my bread and butter but must be very daunting for the candidates, it’s also many peoples introduction to the industry, they often have wider visions that need pointing in the right direction.
Hobbies
The usual: such as mountain biking and touring, Lakeland and Welsh multi-pitch.
Questions:
1. What is your favourite species of tree, sheep and type of chainsaw?
Scots Pine, Stihl petrol/aspen on the ground and Husqvarna battery in the air
2. Climbing or groundwork?
People pay me to climb, so I must not be worth employing on the ground!
3. Any top tips?
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing. Read it, you’ll never feel the cold or moan about anything ever again
How many years have you been linked with Lowe Maintenance?
Demelza taught my grandfather rights safe use of pesticides in 2015, then for farm assurance (Red Tractor) purposes safe use of rat and mice poison.
More recently as a co-host on the Farming Focus live Q&A’s every third week on social media, where we get to speak with lots of farming-related professionals and learn what’s going on in the farming sector.
Tell us more about your background
Farming for more years than I care to remember, a briefcase and wellies have been a standard dress code throughout my working life.
My history is as follows, I went to Bradford University where I completed a degree in business and accounting. From there to Bradford and Bingley Building Society in the marketing department. Progressed to British Gas under my professional qualifications in accounting. Since then a freelance accountant for many, many years! Farming has always been alongside the accountancy world.
Specialities and favourite course to teach
Farming and accountancy are my specialities, which is why I enjoy training the safe use of pesticide courses, PA6a, PA6aw, PA2a, PA2f so much, plus I am quite good with numbers!
Although, saying that my greatest achievement is certainly the O level in Swedish (I believe I was inspired as an 18 year old by the hope I’d one day, meet the blondie lady from ABBA!)
Hobbies
I’ve played football for many years and now have a keen interest in watching Rugby Union.
Questions:
1. What is your favourite species of sheep and tree?
It has to be said my favourite sheep is undoubtedly the one that lambs last!
Favourite tree. . . definitely, the artificial Christmas tree that spends eleven months in the loft. Other than that, it has to be an Oak.
2. Any top tips?
– keep on top of your accounts
– you are never too old to learn something new
– get the right nozzles for your application equipment
How many years have you been linked with Lowe Maintenance?
Since the start, when Demelza came on board! However long that is?!
Tell us more about your background
After my degree went to work in a pub, then started walling. Whilst doing this, I added other land-based jobs like tree work and fencing. Then I got an ‘easy‘ job teaching chainsaw and pesticides (whilst still walling!). With a little persuasion from Demelza, I added assessing pesticides . Finally, after 10 years of teaching, I’m now back outside building walls and felling trees and assessing in-between.
Specialities and favourite course to teach
Dry stone walling, for both!
Hobbies
Looking at stone circles and other very old things especially whilst visiting Scotland. Many other hobbies that I don’t have time to do!
Questions:
1. What is your favourite species of tree, sheep and type of chainsaw?
I will be greedy and say oak and ash AND Swaledale and Herdwick. I’m definitely a Stihl person.
2. Climbing or groundwork?
Always the ground for me!
3. Any top tips?
– take time to sit, listen and watch.
Richard Schofield | Trainer and Assessor
Simon Herbert | Assessor
Richard Catlow | Trainer and Assessor
How many years have you been linked with Lowe Maintenance?
If I’m not mistaken, I think I’ve known Phill for over 20 years and came on board as part of team Lowe in 2013 as a trainer first and assessor with City and Guilds from 2015.
Tell us more about your background
As a farmer, I’ve reared sheep all my life and there was a time when I also sold Christmas trees. I’ve been a parish lengthsman, carrying out fencing, hedging and countryside tasks, as well as having my own roofing business. Furthermore, in days gone I did also carry out mobile sheep dipping. Whereas, I currently work for the Wool Marketing Board, which involves organising sheep shearing courses across the country, along with other tasks.
Field Nurse is something I set up with Roger Dugdale of Dugdale Nutrition after the recognition that farmers needed more support. “It is a rural community-based at Clitheroe, Brock and Gisburn Auction Marts. The main aim of the project is to provide basic health screening checks and support for mental health issues signposting to various organisations as required”
Specialities and favourite course to teach
Sheep are my speciality and everything that is involved with them.
I focus mainly on the sheep dipping and safe use of aluminium phosphide when working with Lowe Maintenance. In both training and assessing, Demelza and I work it between us, in that if I train she assesses, and if she trains I assess, as both these courses are independently assessed, meaning trainer and assessor have to be different people.
Hobbies
Looking after my sheep and small farm.
Questions:
1. What is your favourite species of tree and type of chainsaw?
Ash, which is a shame due to the Ash dieback but it does make for good firewood. Chainsaws, one that works and does the job.
2. Climbing or groundwork?
Definitely one for keeping my feet on the ground when it comes to treework! I leave tree climbing to Phill, but am happy to do the graft on the ground.
3. Any top tips?
– put the work into the courses, you’ll get far more out of them
– work safely
– talk to people and do right by folk
– take care of your equipment, look after it
How many years have you been linked with Lowe Maintenance?
I’m relatively new at one year.
Tell us more about your background
I’ve got plenty of past experience, with 16 years in arb, and 10 years as an assessor.
Specialities and favourite course to teach
Aerial training is my speciality and aerial rescue is my favourite course.
Hobbies
Cycling
Questions:
1. What is your favourite species of tree and type of chainsaw?
Personally, I think that Beech trees are my favourite and do I have to choose? Both!
2. Climbing or groundwork?
Climbing, of course!
3. Any top tips?
– work smart, not hard.
…Oh and gravity always wins!!
How many years have you been linked with Lowe Maintenance?
I think it must be about 3 yrs, I started assessing for you in 2019, so I’m relatively new.
Tell us more about your background
A friend had his own tree surgery business and needed a bit more help and manpower. This then quickly progressed into me wanting to be more in the trees than on the ground and realised that I had a flair for it, so it was time to get qualified. At that point, I put myself through the HND Arboriculture. Since then I have been a trainer in colleges and in addition I do have my own business doing treework to keep my hand in and skills up to date.
Specialities and favourite course to teach
Climbing and groundwork in relation to arboriculture. Personally, I don’t really have a favourite, I enjoy the mixture of subjects from chainsaw to climbing, and likewise from chipping to grinding.
Hobbies
Cycling and plenty of walks. I am a sucker for a bit of DIY, nothing too exciting just like to keep busy. The allotment has progressed well, apart from needing a good weeding, but of course, with a busy home life it’s fitting everything in.
Questions:
1. What is your favourite species of tree and type of chainsaw?
Funnily enough, I get asked both these questions quite a lot and do struggle to give an answer. I do like a good solid oak tree with a large canopy for swinging around in. In terms of models of chainsaws, if you saw my saw shelf you’d see I have a bit of both, nothing specific – I’m still trying to work that one out, especially as they all cost a lot of money.
2. Climbing or groundwork?
I would honestly say a bit of both. My background is more climbing work from contract climbing, but a lot of my own work trying to find good people you trust to do a good job is hard. However, these days I am happy on the floor watching, but can get a bit twitchy at times if I don’t get a chance to get off the ground at times.
3. Any top tips?
– don’t try and get qualified too quickly and miss out on the experiences in between
– don’t believe everything you are told, there is good and bad information out there
– learn from people, don’t think you know it all
– work safely and efficiently and you’ll get a lot of satisfaction from your work
Jenny Hannigan | Website Support
Mark Heslop | IT Support
Michelle Millar | SEO & Workflows
Jenny works independently at her own business – 8woodview. However, she is a very valued team member here at Lowe Maintenance, and completes important work behind the scenes on our website, when Demelza has got stuck – we hope you are enjoying browsing!
Meet Jenny:
It all began in 1998, when I joined a Leeds-based digital marketing agency, as their first website designer. That lead to a studio manager and finally account director. After 12 years at the agency and many creative projects later, I wanted a new project of my own. I started 8woodview at my kitchen table in my little cottage – you guessed it – at number 8 Wood View; not considering that I may one-day move house and greatly confuse the postie!
During my time at 8woodview, my work-life balance has grown and now includes 2 children, a husband, a cat, a chicken and a sausage dog, all based in Skipton North Yorkshire.
I do this because I love it; It’s all I’ve ever done and with 20+ years in the industry, working with over 200 companies there isn’t much that I haven’t drawn or designed. This includes 4 horse logos, 3 sheep, 2 bees, 1 cat and a swan!
How many years have you been linked with Lowe Maintenance?
In 2018 Demelza contacted me looking for support for her growing website and over the last 2 years, we have completely overhauled the Lowe Maintenance website together.
How many years have you been linked with Lowe Maintenance?
I have been tweaking and fixing Demelza’s laptops for the last 8 years, although she is very good at sorting many things herself.
Tell us more about your background
A Skipton born and bred Yorkshire man. From leaving school until 2003 I worked as a builders merchant in Bentham from hands-on up to being a manager. I have sold millions of bricks and know types and years made, but don’t ask me to build a wall!
I always hated computers with a passion, however, with distance learning courses and self-taught I got interested through a keenness to learn.
I love to battle nasty viruses, the challenge of solving the problem without wiping everything off and reinstalling, where is the challenge and interest in that? I much prefer to fix things and get things working again.
Hobbies
Walking Ingleborough on a very regular basis, I can complete in under 3.5 hours now!
What is your favourite species of tree and sheep?
An oak tree is my favourite, there is just something about them. A sense of time and seen it all. Texel would be my favourite sheep.
Any top tips?
– persevere, stick with it!
– remember to switch it off and on again
– go for a brew
– finally, don’t drop it from a great height!
How many years have you been linked with Lowe Maintenance?
I’ve been supporting Lowe Maintenance with their SEO and workflows since last year, 2020.
So far, I’ve helped with the candidate portal set up, the emails that they receive relating to their course, plus all the background processes that nobody sees!
I also work on Lowe’s keyword research, technical SEO and marketing reporting.
Tell us more about your background
After graduating with a degree in French and Spanish, I studied for my CIM Professional Diploma and worked in marketing, both client and agency-side for over ten years.
I now write and implement marketing strategies for SMEs as Faire Marketing.
Hobbies
In my spare time, I love singing and playing uke and piano and am partial to all things interior design.
What is your favourite species of sheep and tree?
I enjoy a good oak tree and Corriedale are my favourite sheep as they’re the friendliest apparently. Totally googled that.
Alf | Head of Security
Lily | Time Keeper
Alf is 11yrs old, a typical Jack Russell and stands guard by the letter box (when he’s awake)
He loves a good game of catch and snoozing by the stove, he is an old man after all!
Lily is 7yrs old, a long haired Jack Russell and has a keen eye for knowing when its time for tea.
She is also as mad as a box of frogs and loves nothing more than a dip in the local river.
