Penny is chosen to remain as Chair at the 2025 AGM

Last month all Plymouth Tree People members were invited to the Beckly Centre in Plymstock to attend the 2025 Annual General Meeting.

Lots of people came and we heard about what PTP had been up to over the last year. Another good year with lots going on!

It was also time to vote in a Chair, since Penny Tarrant, had come to the end of her term.  She was willing to stand again and was unanimously voted in by the members who attended. A few words from Penny are below.

After the meeting, those who could stay were treated to a guided stroll around the Radford Arboretum by Graham Titchmarsh and Kevin Warley. 

From Penny Tarrant

A little knowledge is not necessarily a dangerous thing

After three years as a trustee and then three years in the Chair, I was pleased to get a vote of confidence from members, who re-elected me for a further three years as Chair at the recent AGM.

Some may ponder on a non-tree expert leading an organisation like PTP and it's true I'm no good at tree identification and management.  However, I have a strong business background, am a certified Prince 2 project manager and have lots of experience in organisational development and risk management, as well as chairing charities and community organisations.

During my tenure, with a super bunch of talented and experienced trustees, many highly qualified in arboriculture, PTP has thrived.  We now have an excellent coordinator too, who is doing great things in planting trees and organising festivals, as well as coordinating our growing cohort of diverse tree wardens.  Some of these have huge tree knowledge, others have different skills.

The fact is background, experience and demographic are not important  - we are all working together as one big, wonderful team to protect and nurture Plymouth's trees.  There's a role for everyone - all it takes is enthusiasm and a willingness to learn or a desire to share knowledge gained.

Thanks to everyone who plays a role in PTP's success.  It's an excellent organisation doing really important work for our community.

In the meantime, I'm working on my tree identification skills!