Plant Heritage has recruited Sarah Barton to run its flagship campaign, the Threatened Plant Project.

Sarah, a keen plantswoman herself, and Merrist Wood Student of the Year in 2008, is a very experienced manager with a strong background in the not for profit sector and has previously worked for Barnardo's and Action for Children in senior positions.

Sarah says "The Threatened Plant Project is the first major, structured investigation of the state of our garden plant heritage. There's a daunting amount of work to do, but at the end of the Project we will have identified the plants most in danger of extinction and most worthy of saving. For me, that's a very exciting prospect - we have a real chance of achieving something that will be of incalculable benefit for ourselves and future generations."

As a respite from the desk-based research and administration of the Project, Sarah continues her practical gardening work in the extensive grounds of the beautiful 18th Century house of Upton Grey, Hampshire, where she is the assistant to the Head Gardener. Sarah has particular responsibility for the vegetable garden.

If you'd like to be a part of the Project yourself, Sarah welcomes volunteers to help her with the first phase of the Project - identifying the plants that are falling out of cultivation. Contact her at TPP@plantheritage.org.uk or on 01483 447542. For more information about the Project see the Threatened Plant Project pages on the website.