Meet our People - Rob Tilling

Rob Tilling is a Project Manager at CSV Environment in Birmingham. He says...

"I manage the Growing Gains project. We are a school food-growing project. This involves a wide number of roles including standing up in front of kids and showing them how to grow veg, telling head teachers why growing veg in schools is a great idea, chatting to teachers about growing veg, asking funding bodies whether they’ve ever considered funding anyone to grow veg and studying the accounts (nothing to do with veg!).

I came to CSV via a number of other community environment projects. Before then I had a career in air pollution. I spent four years of my life studying airborne particles after time spent studying environmental monitoring and zoology. Deep down I still feel like a zoologist rather than an environmental scientist. Being heavily involved in food growing at CSV I try and keep it quiet that I’ve never actually studied horticulture (Oops! I’ve just told everybody).

I was drawn to CSV Environment mainly by the “C” (community) and the “E” (environment). I had been working in similar fields for smaller organisations and I wanted the challenge of a bigger project to get involved with.

I received a pay increase, better working conditions, more flexible hours, a more varied role, more responsibility, a greater positive impact upon the community and greater scope to develop my work – it’s easy to see how I was attracted really!

Apart from growing veg, I particularly enjoy watching children develop their motor skills (weeding), their emotional outlook (contact with the outdoors) and their dietary repertoire (preparing and eating end-of-year meals). I enjoy the variety of work and roles that I am involved in. I enjoy the freedom we have to develop our project without interference.

Thanks to what we do, thousands of Birmingham children and teenagers are now walking around with the knowledge that they are capable of growing things to eat in their city in their own outdoor spaces. Without CSV thousands of people would have missed out on this invaluable experience.

To do well at CSV Environment, you need the ability to think on your feet and respond to unexpected situations. You need a willingness to share ideas and experiences.  Above all you need a love of vegetables – growing them, but more importantly, eating them. .It helps to be handy with a wok too!"