About us

Thriving Greenspaces is the development team within the City of Edinburgh Council's Parks and Greenspace staff group under Neighbourhood Environmental Services.

From allotments to the Pentland Hills Regional Park to our Zero Carbon park at Saughton, our Parks and Greenspace staff deliver all the services required to keep Edinburgh green and thriving.

Thriving Greenspaces Project Timeline:

A huge thanks to our partners for the first phase of the project: Greenspace Scotland, Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust (ELGT), The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Green Spaces Forum (EGSF) and The Wildlife Trust. 

We are a dedicated and hard working team who are all passionate about our wonderful green spaces in the city.

Linda brings to the project a wealth of development and project experience built up over 25 years in both the private and public sector.  As a Landscape Manager, she is interested in all aspects of green space management design, conservation, science and community involvement.  Linda joined the Council in 2014 to work on the £8 million Saughton Park Restoration Project.  She is delighted to be have been appointed as Project Manager for the Thriving Green Spaces project. Outside work, Linda loves pottering about in her garden and striding out for long walks in the beautiful countryside and beaches that are on our doorstep. 

Alexandra joined the Thriving Green Spaces team as an Ecologist in late 2022. She has a background in ecology, conservation, community engagement and science communication. Previous roles have seen her as a site manager of a local nature reserve, engaging people with green space through events to enhance wellbeing, working on urban river restoration projects and undertaking surveys, such as wetland bird surveys in the uplands of Fife. She has worked in conservation across the UK, from Cornwall to Scotland, and holds an MSc in Conservation and Biodiversity from the University of Exeter. In her free time you'll find her out walking in the Pentlands or along the coast.

Alex has a background in working with and engaging community groups across Glasgow and North Lanarkshire to improve local greenspaces to address climate change impacts and biodiversity loss. He has also worked for a private company as an Ecological Consultant, completing a range of surveys and projects across Scotland involving protected species constraints and advising on necessary mitigation. He holds an MSc in Wildlife Biology and Conservation from Edinburgh Napier and outside of work he is passionate about botany and enjoys wild camping and hill walking.

Marco is a dynamic professional with a solid foundation in project management and experience in co-designing and co-delivering community engagement projects to engage diverse audiences. This includes working with vulnerable individuals and people living with disabilities, those from ethnic minority and low socio-economic backgrounds, and young people. At the heart of Marco's work is a commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, aimed at increasing diversity in green spaces.

Beyond his professional achievements, Marco is passionate about food and the outdoors, while he endeavours to become a better gardener each year, embracing the joys and challenges that each season brings.

Gemma joined the team in early 2024. She has a background in arts, culture, and the environment. She has worked in the heritage sector through many years in museums and art galleries, alongside her roles within the National Trust. She completed her MA in ‘Heritage Studies’ at Leeds University on an EU scholarship researching new forms of interpretation and engagement strategies. Her research focuses on climate and landscape. She is particularly interested in curating events that raise questions about equity and sustainability. Gemma is passionate about using participatory and collaborative processes in community engagement, and excited to weave these skills into greenspace development in Edinburgh. In her free time, she enjoys reading and camping.

Emma joined the team as a Greenspace Development Officer in early 2024. She has a background in sustainability education, placemaking, and community engagement. She is passionate about projects which bring people, planet, and creativity together. Most recently, Emma has worked at the University of Edinburgh on a UK-wide research project exploring how greenspaces can be used to improve health and wellbeing. She has an MSc in Outdoor Environmental and Sustainability Education, and in her free time enjoys hillwalking and paddle boarding.

We also want to thank our former colleagues who have moved on for their work on the first phase of the project between 2019 and 2023:

Pete McDougall - green spaces community engagement specialist as well as an all-rounder, previously the Development Officer on the Saughton Park project. Pete moved back to a job in West Edinburgh in September 2021, with charity Health All Round. He retains links with Thriving Greenspaces work on health and wellbeing in this role.

Hannah Fleming, the project support officer for the Thriving Green spaces team.

Diane Cassidy, who worked for us on community, accessibility, public health, place-making and volunteering, now with Fife Council.

Christina McCallum, our landscape architect, now with the City of Edinburgh Council team on 20 Minute Neighbourhoods as an urban designer.

Donya Davidson, our first project ecologist who moved on in spring 2022 to Nature Scot, after completing work for Thriving Greenspaces on the Edinburgh Nature Network, Scotland's first.

Ian Robertson, who worked for us across the Thiving Greenspaces Strategy, alongside working on the masterplans for parks across Edinburgh, including Inch Park. Ian now works with greenspace scotland.

Des Hackett who led on many aspects of the Thriving Greenspaces workstreams from park masterplans, to our Strategy, from income generation to project development and funding bids. Des now works with Future Woodlands Scotland.