Directors
Director
Bryher Bloor
Bryher worked as project manager of the Practical Sustainability Course from 2017-2021; fresh from co-ordinating volunteers for the Permaculture Association International Convergence and several years working with forest schools. She has since worked as a Campaign Manager for Green Party during its 2021 election campaign and is now an Outreach Coordinator for the Landworkers Alliance's 'Future Farming Resilience' project. Through collaboration and connections fused during Shift Bristol roundhouse builds, Bryher co-founded ShelterCraft with a team of experienced builders, teachers, organisers and facilitators in 2022.
Director
Alex Reuer
Alex worked as project manager of the Practical Sustainability Course from 2019-2021, after completing the course as a student in 2017. This sparked a keen interest in permaculture, herbal medicine and forest gardening, which she has been pursuing ever since. She is particularly curious about urban spaces, what applied permaculture looks like in a city like Bristol, and how we can create resilient and healthy spaces for our communities in a context of climate breakdown. In 2023, she was lucky enough to move into the community build Merry Hill housing project in Lockleaze, where she is a founding director of the co-operatively run Residents' Assocation. Alex works as a consultant for the Orchard Project and has just completed her training as an arboriculturist. She runs a freelance tree care business and enjoys getting stuck in with local forest gardens and community orchards.
Director
Deborah Benham
For the last 25 years, Deborah has explored, through a variety of pathways, how humanity can become ecological citizens: positively contributing to the places and ecosystems they inhabit, living within planetary boundaries, and helping to create a thriving future for both people and the wider living world.
She began her career as a marine mammal biologist and wildlife guide before moving into sustainability education, deep nature connection practice, and community resilience work through the Transition Towns movement. Throughout her work, Deborah has been passionate about helping people reconnect with the natural world and understand their role within larger ecological and social systems.
More recently, Deborah has immersed herself in the field of biomimicry, becoming a systems-level biomimicry educator. She supports individuals, organisations and communities to reconnect with, learn from and emulate nature's patterns, principles and strategies, applying nature's wisdom to the complex challenges facing society today.
Hear Deborah speaking on the Accidental Gods podcast.
As part of Shift Bristol's recent transition into a shared stewardship model, Deborah has joined the organisation's Board of Directors. Drawing on her extensive experience in regenerative education, systems thinking and ecological citizenship, she now helps guide the strategic development of Shift Bristol, supporting the organisation to remain rooted in its values while evolving to meet the opportunities and challenges of a changing world.
