Meet the team

Career experience:

I’m Sidath Gedara, Agriculture Service Manager at United Utilities. I’m responsible for our Biosolids recycling operations, looking after the Agricultural Advisory and Field management teams. We are all aiming to provide a Gold star recycling service to our farming customers.

My upbringing close to farming encouraged me to complete my first degree in Agriculture followed by masters in Environmental & Development. I also completed both FACTS & BASIS (Soil and Water Management) from Harper Adams University Collage. I have been a part of the UU Agricultural service’s team for over 10 years.

I really enjoy my job working close with agriculture allowing me to help farmers, promote recycling and sustainability.

Career experience:

My name is Richard Gardner. I am one of the team’s Agricultural Advisors supporting our biosolids to land operation in Cheshire, North Wales and the North Midlands. I have worked with farming communities for the past fifteen years originally focused on land management, then specialising in supporting Countryside Stewardship and more recently giving practical advice and support in a Water Safeguard Zone.

I have a BSc Environmental Studies degree and I am a FACTS qualified advisor. I enjoy supporting farmers in nutrient management, cropping decisions and signposting them to business opportunities.  

Career experience:

I’m Caroline Cornwell, one of the Agricultural Advisors supporting the Biosolids operation in North Lancashire and North Yorkshire based at Samlesbury, Preston. I have been a member of the Agriculture Services team for just over 8 years having previously worked in United Utilities Laboratory.

My love of the environment led to me completing a BSc in Environmental Science and Management Studies. I have also completed both FACTS & BASIS (Soil and Water Management)

In my spare time I enjoy volunteering for a local community group. We manage a small woodland, and wildflower meadow area conserving and protecting it for use by local community.

Career experience:

My name is Peter Herterick I am a BASIS ( Soil and Water Management ) qualified Agricultural Advisor covering the East Lancashire area down to Derbyshire mainly working with grassland/livestock customers.

I have been involved in agriculture all of my life as my Mother’s family were/are farmer’s in North Yorkshire and the South Lakes. I myself have worked with livestock all of my life and currently run a small flock of pedigree Texels on my own small farm. I spent 10 years working in Agricultural construction before moving on to Recycling to Agriculture, during my time working in construction I was fabricating and erecting steel framed buildings so I was still well involved and working closely with farmers.

Career experience:

Hi, I’m Matt Woodcock, agricultural advisor covering Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.  My entire career has orientated around agriculture. From playing an active role on the family farm which gives an intrinsic understanding of the entire farming year and a practical grounding in all aspects and needs of modern farming systems.

I have also carried out roles related to the industry such as recycling by-products of agricultural value to enhance soil and farm profitability. My role as an advisor allows me to help other farmers improve their soil health and profitability and gives me the opportunity to further my understanding of the industry I have a passion for.

Career experience:

My name is Neil Burrows, I’m a FACTS qualified  Agricultural Advisor covering West Lancashire, Merseyside, and providing support in the Cheshire and Shropshire area. I’ve been involved in agriculture from being a teenager. My previous experience has surrounded all aspects of the agricultural world, including general arable farming, machinery manufacturing, and agricultural contracting where I first became involved with United Utilities spreading Biosolids to land as a contractor back in 1996.

Having moved on from the general farming world to United Utilities, I now enjoy meeting farmers and offering advice relating to nutrient management, modern farming practices, regulatory and compliance issues, machinery usage, and how Biosolids can improve their profitability in addition to improving soil health which is one of my passions.

Career experience:

I’m David Boustead Agricultural Advisor for United Utilities covering Cumbria, the North East of England and Southern Scotland. I have 25 years of experience supplying Bio solids to the farming communities over this large area.

Having done a variety of roles within United Utilities over the past 35 years I have found this position has been the most fulfilling.

I am also a farmer’s son and married a farmer’s daughter. I have worked on various farms previously to working for UU so farming blood must be running through my veins.

Career experience:

I’m Olly Bromley. I am an Agricultural Advisor for United Utilities supplying Biosolids into Shropshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire farms.

 I studied Agriculture at Reaseheath College along with knowledge and experience from over 15 years of working in the dairy, groundworks and arable industries on a practical level.

I have worked over in New Zealand and Australia which helped me to see farming operations in different parts of the world and from different perspectives.

Career experience:

My name is Matt Cornthwaite.

I am the Field management advisor within the agricultural services team at United Utilities. My job is to lead and organise the field management team, the field management team is a key part to the biosolids to land operation. My team provide temporary access solutions in the form of plastic trackway and 13ton excavators. We enable the delivery of bio solids in bulk body Lorries at farm field sites to be carried out in a safe and cost effective way which is a massive benefit to our customers. We provide field management for around 220,000 tonnes of bio solids per year!

I was lucky enough to be born into a farming family and surrounded by farming my whole life which has lead me to my role today at United Utilities.