our people

Creative Director

Rachel Arnold

Rachel moved to London after University to work as a Landscape Architect for a great firm based in Shoreditch. With a love of the outdoors, being in vast spaces and seeing the horizon, how she ended up in Tower Hamlets is a good question!

After eight years working as an award-winning Landscape Architect on all aspects of design, installation, and leading a team, Rachel felt unsatisfied and dreamt of a business that helped homeless, long term unemployed, or ex-offenders work as landscapers in an environment that built up individuals; and gave opportunity for the team to work and step into a future with the hope that goes beyond the grave.

This dream led to the birth of RenewEL in 2017, first creating furniture out of pallets and then since 2018 installing and maintaining gardens. It really is an adventure stepping into Kingdom plans and purposes beyond our expectation!

Site Manager

Darren Johns

Darren began working with RenewEL in May 2022 with a real heart for working with people who were struggling with homelessness, and addiction. He had previously worked in demolition on construction sites all over London.

He enjoys building the projects and has a great eye for detail and a desire to see the project completed to the best it can be.

Site Operative

Can Hussain

Can was studying Horticulture at Capel Manor College in Crystal Palace in 2021, there he met John Foster through one of his lecturers, and a shared passion for Landscape Gardening. Can struggled to find a landscape placement and he was offered a position at RenewEL.

In Can's words;

"I am so thankful I found my way to RenewEL and I am really enjoying my time here, I am getting lots of hands on experience, gaining lots of knowledge and working with a great team of people.

Each morning we pray together and read the Bible, I am of Muslim faith and background but I like to take part in this with the guys before we start our day.

Office Manager

Gemma Brown

Gemma began work with RenewEL in October 2022; one day enjoying a coffee after church Rachel mentioned to Gemma that she was currently recruiting a part-time Office Manager, the business was growing and further support behind the scenes was needed.

Gemma is a Personal Trainer and Sports Massage Therapist, however has a background in the Construction Industry, having worked on multi-million pound groundworks and infrastructure projects, and felt she felt she had the skillset and available time to work with Rachel at RenewEL.

Gemma’s worked with homeless people at a shelter providing weekly feeds for many years, so RenewEL’s ethos really aligned with her values as a Christian.

Site Manager

Igors Kenigsvalds

Igors first worked with RenewEL on one of our early garden installations in 2018; he has worked in the construction industry for small builders and trades people for the past 15 years self employed. When the opportunity came up to work with RenewEL full time in August 2023 he considered the opportunity however wanted to honour the boss that he'd been working with for the last two years so declined the offer.

Three weeks later his boss explained that his business would be closing so Igors reached out to Rachel to find out if the work was still available. Providence played its part and Igors joined the team full time in September.

He brings with him a depth of knowledge in the construction industry and arboriculture, having worked felling trees in the middle of Sebirean taiga forest as a young man.

Maintenance Manager

John Foster

John has been involved with RenewEL since the end of 2017, helping with garden maintenance and supporting the landscape team. After a 20-year career in finance and media, which saw John work in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, John transitioned to the renewable energy sector, developing a waste-to-energy and agricultural project in Lesotho, and founding a renewable energy company that was listed in 2020.

John has always been fascinated by plants, having travelled extensively to various ecosystems and after settling in East London, helped develop several communal gardens in his local community. He started helping out at RenewEL, as a favour to a friend, but soon became more involved with the day-to-day work, developing the maintenance business and helping train the company’s employees. He has industry qualifications in horticulture from Capel Manor College and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and finds working with the RenewEL team engaging and rewarding.

the board

A Member’s Board oversees the Community Interest Company advising on key decisions including governance and financial expenditure; the board is made up of people who bring a variety of skillsets to the company they include:

JOHN FOSTER

A green guru, after setting up a couple of community gardens, inspiring and pioneering creative solutions to make energy from waste at a large scale in a nation in Africa, John currently advises on composting, growing and recycling in RenewEL. He has a background in journalism and worked at the FT for many years, with a mind to find creative solutions to tough questions regarding the earths long-term sustainability and can turn his hand to pretty much anything.

DIANE HAYES

Diane works for a CIC based in Tower Hamlets that helps patients dealing with lymphoma, and having seen the organisation grow from seven to 40 staff over the past five years, she is able to provide valuable input into the running and governance of RenewEL and our sustainable growth in the coming years.

RACHEL ARNOLD

Rachel has a background in creating sustainable creative landscape designs in the urban setting, after working as a Landscape Architect for 12 years started RenewEL with a heart for building teams that encourage, inspire and bring belonging; she loves using her creativity to bring to life urban spaces for clients throughout London.

DONNA MARSHALL

Works with people struggling with addiction for over 10 years, both working with the addicts, encouraging the walk away from addiction and towards life; and currently with the families of addicts to ensure safe, connections and nurturing environment for addicts and their families to meet. With this she is able to input into how RenewEL develops our addiction recovery support.

DAN FEATHERSTONE

Has had four careers: a car mechanic, a church elder, then landscaper as the site manager at RenewEL for a year and onto his dream job as a fireman. He is very pastoral and wanted to be involved in RenewEL in a more direct way as he moved away from working daily with the team; his strategic mind, prayer, pastoral and general wisdom is a helpful input to the Member’s Board.