Meet the Committee

Club Chair

David Atwood

I joined Midland Bonsai Society many years ago and joined the committee October 2024 to help with different tasks. One was to become show secretary and in December 2025 was voted in as chairman which I accepted and was honoured and proud to take the role. 20 odd years ago I purchased a small larch which I still have and consider this to be my favourite tree

Club Secretary

Richard Gilkes

I joined the committee in 2012 and as secretary I deal with or am involved in many of the issues which concern the society in one way or another, such as dealing with correspondence, setting the programme for the year and liaising with outside bodies such as the Botanical Gardens where the Annual Show is held. We have 25 trees of one size or another at the moment, our favourite being a Scots pine collected many years ago from the fields of a farmer friend in Suffolk who is sadly no longer with us.

Club Treasurer

Wesley Pinfield

As the treasurer I act as the primary custodian of the club funds, I am responsible for financial oversight, record-keeping, budgeting, and reporting. I have been growing bonsai trees for over 50 years now. I joined the committee around 2005 and was also chairman for three years during that period. My favourite trees are Larch and Scots Pine

Membership Secretary

Teanah Rowland

I became a member by default. Mom has grown ‘trees in pots’ for years. I took her to a demonstration at Birmingham Botanical Gardens in 2019, found out about the Society and came along to a meeting. The people were so friendly we both joined and the rest is history. My Aunt has also since joined us. I am growing my own trees now – usually collected self-seeded in my garden or as seeds (acorns, nuts, keys, etc.) collected on walks. As Membership secretary you will meet me at the door – or as soon as possible upon your arrival. I respond to new member enquiries and give all the information required. I collect subs and help the Society as much as possible.

Show Secretary

David Atwood

I joined Midland Bonsai Society many years ago and joined the committee October 2024 to help with different tasks. One was to become show secretary and in December 2025 was voted in as chairman which I accepted and was honoured and proud to take the role. 20 odd years ago I purchased a small larch which I still have and consider this to be my favourite tree

Competitions, Raffles & Prizes Secretary

Robert Walton

My bonsai hobby first started when I dug up a small oak tree in my garden in 2001 and put it into a pot. I first came across the Midland Bonsai Society at a show in Kings Heath Park. I joined the club as a member shortly after in 2013, and my hobby took off. I now sit on the committee and run the monthly club raffle.

Club Librarian

Judith Davison

I have been growing bonsai trees since the early nineteen eighties after someone bought me a 'Do it yourself kit'. I have been a member of the Midland society for many years and a committee member since early in the millennium, holding the position first of membership secretary and eventually I became the chairman. Now, as well as being a general member of the committee, I look after the society's library of bonsai books and will bring a small selection to each meeting for members to either read or borrow. A list of the books available is published on the website and if any particular book is requested then I will endeavour to supply it at the next meeting.

Social Media Secretary

Julio de Barros

I have been doing bonsai since 2019-2020 but have had an interest since I was a young teenager. It started off as an interest in Japan and Japanese culture but evolved into its own interest. I now own way too many bonsai, as most people at a certain point in their journey do, which keeps me busy and slightly overwhelmed. I love the hobby and the people in it are some of the kindest I've met.

Website Admin and Content Manager

Sven Van Roy

When my first child was born in 2017, I initially struggled with the change this brought to our lives. To help cope with this, I started looking for a hobby that reduced stress and helped me with my mental health. I always had an interest in styling plants - especially aquascaping in fish tanks - due to a book I had by Takashi Amano. I was however looking for something that was more social, would get me out of the house and more hands-on than 'just trimming some aquatic plants' and found the society online. I went to my first society meeting in 2018. On my first meeting I managed to knock a tiny tree off the sales table by David Cheshire present that evening. After the initial panic and embarrassment, I was reassured the tree would be ok and had a lovely and uneventful rest of the evening. I have been a member ever since and now have a collection of 35 or so trees with my favourites being larch and cedars. Since 2026 I am also responsible for the website