Our Team & Trustees | LarmerTreeProject

A Word From Our Founders

We believe passionately in the transformative power of the imagination. Children (and teachers) need time and space to access this. We are determined to provide that opportunity, with our programme of creative workshops and performances for schools at the Larmer Tree Gardens. We want to develop lasting partnerships and connect rural communities in Dorset and the South West through the creative arts.

Alice Fox-Pitt and Claire Gill

Our Team

Meet the dedicated team behind The Larmer Tree Project. Each team member plays an integral part in developing and delivering a varied and exciting programme celebrating the power of the creative arts. With years of combined experience in children's theatre, storytelling, education, fundraising, events and outreach, our team have an eclectic collection of skills to make this magical project fly.

Claire Gill - Co-founder & Artistic Director

Claire Gill has spent her career connecting people with stories in all their forms. After graduating in English Literature from Durham University, she taught English to children in Nepal before beginning her publishing career with Everyman.
She later worked in publishing in Paris, where she became aware of innovative theatre companies such as Complicité and the French tradition of theatre-making, with its emphasis on physical storytelling, creativity and collaboration. This exposure broadened her understanding of how stories can be communicated beyond the written page.
Returning to England, Claire joined PFD, working as assistant agent to some of Britain's most celebrated playwrights, including Tom Stoppard, Alan Bennett and Michael Frayn, before moving into literary agenting representing a wide range of authors and their work.
Following the arrival of her children, Claire moved into children's books and literacy, becoming Books Editor at Angels & Urchins magazine and co-founding Storystock. She also works with Philippa Perry at Show Me The Rabbit Literary Agency, helping authors connect their books with wider audiences through creative partnerships, events and innovative approaches to storytelling.
In 2024, Claire co-founded The Larmer Tree Project with Alice Fox-Pitt in response to the impact of Covid-19 on young people and communities, and a shared concern about the growing influence of screens on children's engagement with reading and creativity. Drawing on her experience across publishing, theatre and children's literacy, she is passionate about helping young people discover the transformative power of stories.
@storystockcircus

Oliver Le Sueur - Head of Performing Arts

Oli's relationship with the performing arts began at a young age. At 14 he auditioned for, and won, a place at the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, making his first professional appearance at the Edinburgh Festival just a year later. He went on to train at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School before building a career as a professional actor across stage, film, television, radio and voiceover.
Oli has always been drawn to using performance as a force for good. Throughout his career he has worked extensively in primary and secondary schools, as a mentor, teaching assistant and SENCO support, and has led acting and stage combat workshops for children and young people. He has also worked with the London Shakespeare Workout, bringing theatre into prisons and young offenders institutes as part of their rehabilitation programmes.
Whether on stage or in a classroom, Oliver's work has consistently been about connection, creativity and giving people, whatever their background or circumstances, access to the transformative power of storytelling.

Jemima Mills - Creative Producer

Jemima has been running creative projects for primary school children for twenty years. From Arts Festivals and poetry trails to art lessons and art exhibitions, she brings a wealth of experience and creativity to The Larmer Tree Project. She is passionate about inspiring children’s creativity, imbuing them with confidence and opening their minds and eyes to connect with and be inspired by nature and the Arts.

Zoe Stevenson - Head of Charitable Operations

Zoe's connection to the charitable sector runs throughout her entire career, beginning with her first role at Save the Children UK. From there, she built a career that has consistently woven purpose and community impact into everything she does.
Moving into Event Management, Zoe produced large-scale fundraising events across London and Hong Kong, working with organisations including CLIC Sargent and Operation Smile. In Hong Kong she was part of the founding team of a purpose-driven co-working space, where she led the brand and sustainability strategy. Placing partnerships with local non-profits at the heart of the business, these included Redress, Impact HK and OneSky.
Zoe is passionate about connecting people with nature to protect the environment as well as improve mental health and wellbeing, a vision that sits at the very heart of the Larmer Tree Project.

Our Trustees

We are incredibly lucky to be working with our wonderful Trustees who offer us invaluable support across their varied fields of expertise and experience.

Alice Fox-Pitt

Alice has spent 25 years in sports broadcasting. Married to William Fox Pitt, Olympic equestrian, and they have four children.
Alice is passionate about the outdoors, arts and early years education. She is also very clear of the power of the outdoors for learning and confidence.
Having the opportunity to get involved in the management of the Rushmore Estate gave Alice the chance to pull together an incredible team to use the magic of the Lamer Tree Gardens to support children’s growth, learning and confidence through poetry and the arts.
Having researched the history of the Gardens founded by General Pitt Rivers in 1882 Alice realised that the Lamer Tree Project was taking the gardens back to their founding principles of education, access and fun.
'The power of the gardens is as relevant if not more now as it was in 19th century industrial Britain. The children of the 21st century are facing new challenges in society and education. This programme is delivering for them on so many layers.’

Emily Turner

Emily’s first job on leaving university was in children’s books. She changed tack, qualified as a solicitor and worked in the City as a banking litigator before leaving to focus on her young family. She returned to publishing and was co-editor of angels & urchins, a London family lifestyle magazine, for twenty years. She now writes about family-friendly activities in London both online and for a large group of independent schools. She is a governor at a primary school in West London where she is the safeguarding lead. She passionately believes in the transformative power of stories for children. Although she lives in London, she is regularly in Dorset and has been excited to watch the magic of the Larmer Tree Project grow over the last two years.

Abi Carlyle Clark

Abi has been working in education for just over 30 years, in both the independent and state sectors. She is currently Head Teacher of a local primary school, and the children there come along to the Larmer Tree and gain a huge amount from the experience. She strongly believes that children deserve a rich, broad, balanced education, which is why she was delighted to be asked to get involved in the Larmer Tree Project. She lives just over the road from the Larmer Tree, and her own children have grown up walking there, it is a truly magical place to her.

Lucy Panter

Lucy is a Portfolio Manager and Partner at OHA, where she focuses on European performing investments and sits on the firm’s compliance, sustainability and DEI committees.

Before joining OHA, Lucy was a Partner and Portfolio Manager at GoldenTree Asset Management, leading European Research with a focus on consumer, retail and leisure investments, as well as managing the firm’s European CLOs. She has also held roles at PSAM and Goldman Sachs.

Lucy holds an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a B.A. from University College London.

Outside of finance, Lucy is committed to education and the arts. She is Chair of Governors at Drapers’ Maylands School, a Trustee of the Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust and a Member of FRAC. She also serves as a Trustee of the Larmer Tree Project and as a Trustee of the Johns Hopkins University Foundation.

Get in Touch

info@larmertreeproject.org

larmertreeproject.org

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A Word From Our Founders

Our Team

Our Trustees

Get in Touch

THE GREAT BIG POETRY HUNT
COME AND DISCOVER OUR NEW FAIRY DOORS AND POETRY TRAIL!
30th OCTOBER 2026 BUY TICKETS HERE