National Office Holders
Our National Office Holders
National Chair
Raymond Higgins
Ray has been a member of the NVS since 2005 and helped establish the NVS in Ireland. He was elected to the role of National Chair in 2025. Prior to taking up this post he was National Vice Chair 2022-2025 and National Assistant Secretary from 2021-2022. Ray is often seen at shows, either competing, judging or advising the public on veg growing techniques.
National Secretary
Fiona Shenfield
Fiona is currently the National Secretary and has been since elected in 2016. She is also the current Scottish Branch Secretary, and has been since 2012. Fiona enjoys growing vegetables for the kitchen, and has dabbled, with some success, in one or two NVS competitions.
National Treasurer
Ian Mackenzie
Ian lives in a cottage in the small village of Steeple Bumpstead in Essex where he has lived, with his Wife Gloria, for the past forty plus years. We have a largeish garden which includes a vegetable plot which we created some 25 years back and we are constantly changing and updating. In time you may see some of it as I post photos and comments on the NVS Facebook page. Please join the Facebook Group called “The National Vegetable Society’s Members Site”, it is a great way to get advice and share experiences as well as keeping up to date with the society.
National Vice Chair
Vacant
National Assistant Secretary
Michelle Nixon
Michelle’s interest in growing followed the same route as most peoples. She began as a toddler by shelling peas with her grandparents, and being told off for pulling next door’s radishes through the fence. On leaving home she shared an allotment, before making a veg plot as soon as she got her first real garden. In 2001 she entered her first village show, putting a miniature basket of very clean but extremely tiny vegetables into a trug class. Thankfully a kind neighbour gave her a copy of the RHS rule book, so she could learn how veg were judged. She joined the local horticultural society and found many of her new friends were also members of the National Vegetable Society, so she joined herself. Encouraged by Bardfield and Finchingfield Horticultural Societies and the Essex DA, she entered her first NVS National Championships in 2019 and won the Chairman’s Challenge Shield. In the same year she entered the RHS Taste of Autumn, with a number of good placings. In 2021 she moved to Cumbria and is now NVS Assistant Secretary as well as Treasurer for the Northern Branch and an NVS judge
National Membership Registrar
Norman Dickinson
Norman joined the NVS in 2017 and became involved as Vice Chair of the Sussex District association as well as becoming the Southern Branch Chair in 2019. Norman is one of the two Southern Branch Trustee reps and was also elected to the role of Membership Registrar in 2021.
Merchandise, Stock and Trophy Manager
Sandra Hall
Sandra has been a member of the NVS since the early 80's. Prior to taking up this post she was National Chair 2018-2025. Sandra has a background in hospitality & catering and she grows a lot of vegetables and fruit for the kitchen and is a strong supporter of "grow your own".
National Magazine Editor
Kelvin Mason
Kelvin has been an NVS member since 1991. He is a professional horticulturist and has been our SV Magazine editor since 2014 sharing his knowledge. Kelvin is also an NVS judge.
Webmaster and Social Media Officer
Faisal Ali
Faisal joined the NVS in 2024 and immediately became the Social Media person for NVS, a role which he is eager to get stuck into and help promote NVS.
Faisal is also a member and Secretary for the Monkton Leek, Vegetable and Floral Society, despite juggling, family and work life, still has a passion for growing to eat and to show.
