Women in arb: Founder of Roaming Goat Stump Grinding Lucy Turner shares her story

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND?
My husband Paul and I had our own business doing farm fencing, with a John Deere 6620 and a Bryce Sumo post knocker, and tree work. We sold firewood and woodchip, and did tree planting in winter. When he died and I wanted to continue working outdoors and with trees, stump grinding was an obvious choice as it’s a one-person job. In May 2019 I started operating as a sole trader using Paul’s nickname ‘Goat’.

WHERE ARE YOU BASED?
East Yorkshire, but if there is a full day’s work I’m happy to travel and cover all of Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and the Peak District.

WHAT MADE YOU PURSUE A CAREER IN ARBORICULTURE?
I love trees, always enjoyed the work and, with the right gear, everything we tackled was manageable. Even our holidays were geared around seeing epic trees of the world. New Zealand and the redwoods in California are stand-out examples.

WHAT DOES YOUR DAY-TO-DAY WORK INVOLVE?
Maintaining my Bandit SG40; greasing the bearings, tensioning the three belts and keeping sharp teeth on it being the most important jobs. Once I arrive on a site I scan for utilities and complete risk assessments. I’ll set up guards and check for surface rocks, metal, stone (unfortunately no way to avoid the ones embedded in the stumps) and then proceed to grind out the stumps. The soil getting mixed in with the woodchips creates lovely arisings for the client to use in the garden unless the reason for grinding is fungus issues, in which case the client can dispose of it in their garden waste bin.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE IN ARBORICULTURE? 
Helping Paul remove a tree from a friend’s garden.

WHAT WAS THE LAST JOB YOU WORKED ON?
A civil engineering company called me into Lincolnshire urgently as they were scheduled to rip out three stumps with a 360 excavator on a school playground and had a deadline to lay their new tarmac, but as a gas pipe was close to the three stumps it was decided, for safety purposes, to get me in to grind the stumps and they were able to stick to their schedule.

WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENT IN THE INDUSTRY?
Lucy with her late husband Paul (Image: EA)

This is a difficult question! I suppose when clients have taken the time to write me a review it’s a lovely feeling because I do my best on each site, whether it’s for a tree surgeon or a one-off job for someone I’ve never met before.

HAVE YOU GOT SOME EXAMPLES?
“Lucy is an excellent operator and I have no hesitation in giving her the top rating and recommending her to friends and professional horticulturists and arborists.” – Wynne Griffiths CBE.
 “Being a tree contractor myself it is important that the sub-contractors I use work in a professional manner and their professionalism reflects positively on my business. This being said, I have used Roaming Goat on several occasions now and would not use anyone else.” – Les Walby, Holderness Tree Care.“We found Lucy to be very helpful and friendly, answering all messages promptly. She was reliable and arrived as arranged. We particularly noticed that great care was taken with all the safety procedures and the job completed perfectly. We would certainly recommend to others such a fab tradesperson.” 
– Frankie Cooper.

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU HAVE LEARNED DURING YOUR TIME IN THE INDUSTRY?
Always learn from those around you and be ready to share the wisdom that only comes from wide experience. Each tree is different and soil conditions vary enormously, all of which makes a difference in tackling each job. This year is the driest I’ve known and I’ve found I’ve often been working in a dust cloud.

WHAT HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE OF BEING A WOMAN IN A MALE-DOMINATED INDUSTRY BEEN?

Only good, thankfully. While Paul and I worked together we never advertised and all our work came from recommendations, so that was a real blessing. Thanks to social media I’ve found clients often look and see in the photos what to expect, which puts their minds at rest.

WHAT KIND OF OBSTACLES HAVE YOU FACED/OVERCOME TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE? 
Apart from tree surgeons who often book me in, there is little repeat business in this sector, so finding the right advertising strategy and targeting the right market has been a challenge. Continually rising costs while endeavouring to keep my prices affordable is an ongoing balancing act, and keeping my tools/equipment as secure as possible has required a lot of time and expense.

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO ENCOURAGE MORE WOMEN INTO THE SECTOR?
I think make the training and work experience more accessible. I work with great female arborists and climbers who, like me, got into it through their husbands and they’d have never had an opportunity to try it and progress as they have without that supportive situation.

HOW IMPORTANT IS A GOOD WORK-LIFE BALANCE WHEN WORKING IN THE INDUSTRY?

Very important. As it’s such physical work it’s so important to get adequate rest. And if running your own business, finding ways to manage the stress, quotes and paperwork that can crowd out important things is essential.

WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING THE SECTOR AT THE MOMENT?
The huge rise in costs on everything from fuel to parts. The long lead times for getting the parts we need from suppliers which are based in other countries. And not many people joining the industry.