Director, Senior Design Consultant

Lee grew up in the beautiful English Shropshire countryside.  Prior to establishing Desmond Talbot with Tina, Lee spent 4 years with WBS Training oranising events and conferences for the capital markets and treasury divisions of investment companies worldwide. As managing director of WBS Training, Lee arranged events for high profile clients including JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and Barclays Capital.
 

Director, Senior Design Consultant

American by birth, Tina grew up in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, where she became passionate about showcasing the incredible variety and beauty of nature with interior and exterior space.

Tina has worked in the financial services sector in London for the past twelve years, focused upon providing an unparalleled level of service to her clients. She holds both a BSc and MSc degree in Business.

“I often have clients say that they are shocked by the level of care and attention to detail I provide for them which makes me smile. Nothing feels better than seeing jaws drop when I bring a Desmond Talbot design through the door.”

Lead Designer

Vanessa studied floral design in Paris for seven years, working initially for Un Peu Beaucoup in Paris creating both large extravagant and smaller intimate designs.

Vanessa has also worked as a design consultant for the Stade de France, Cartier, Boucheron, the Ritz Hotel and Chez Clement as well as creating event designs for Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Adjani and Jennifer Lopez.

Archie began life as a homeless stray living in the Swan Pit Dogs Home in Shropshire.  Lee adopted Archie when Archie was two months old.

As a puppy, Archie was all arms and legs, gangly and awkward.  He has since grown into a magnificent, regal and trusted companion, admired wherever he goes.

Archie’s favourite pastimes include running at speeds of up to 40 mph, eating (anything he shouldn’t) and sleeping (on what used to be a beautiful white leather sofa).

Lee and Tina met because of Archie.  Without him, the Desmond Talbot dream would never have become a reality.

Thanks Arch.  We love you.

“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong.

Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.”
George Washington Carver

Sponsoring children in need is breaking the cycle of poverty. Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults.

Founded by the Rev. Everett Swanson in 1952, Compassion began providing Korean War orphans with food, shelter, education and health care, as well as Christian training.

Today, Compassion helps more than 1 million children in 26 countries.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), with more than 1.8 million members and supporters, is the largest animal rights organisation in the world. PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in laboratories, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment industry. The organisation also works on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of beavers, birds and other “pests,” and the abuse of backyard dogs. PETA works through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns.

Cancer Research UK’s aim is to save lives from cancer. More people are beating cancer than ever before thanks to this organisation and the support of its donors.

Cancer Research UK works in the areas where they can make the most impact:

• Research – support the work of over 4,800 scientists, doctors and nurses across the UK to investigate all aspects of cancer.
• Information – work to prevent cancer and help people cope with its effects by providing information for cancer patients and their families, health professionals and the general public.
• Influencing public policy – campaign to keep cancer at the top of the health agenda.

WSPA’s vision is of a world where animal welfare matters, and animal cruelty ends. WSPA has been promoting animal welfare for more than 25 years. Their work is concentrated in regions of the world where few, if any, measures exist to protect animals.

WSPA’s work is focused on four priority animal welfare areas:

• Companion animals – responsible pet ownership, humane stray management and cruelty prevention.
• Commercial exploitation of wildlife – intensive farming and the cruel management and killing of wild animals for food by-products.
• Farm animals – intensive farming, long distance transport and slaughter of animals for food.
• Disaster management – providing care to animals suffering as a result of man-made or natural disasters, thereby protecting people’s livelihoods.

Save the Children works to ensure children receive proper healthcare, food, education and protection. The organisation saves lives in emergencies, campaigns for children’s rights and improves their futures through long-term development work.
Many of the problems faced by children will only be eradicated with political support or new legislation. Save the Children campaigns for long-term change in addition to providing shorter-term support to improve children’s lives. As an independent and global organisation, Save the Children has a powerful voice in campaigning for change, and a track record of success. Save the Children encourages its supporters to put pressure on decision makers and opinion formers to change policies and practices, locally and globally, to ensure children’s rights become reality.

SANE was established in 1986 to improve the quality of life for people affected by mental illness following the overwhelming public response to a series of articles featured in The Times newspaper entitled The Forgotten Illness. Written by Marjorie Wallace, now SANE’s chief executive, the articles exposed the neglect of people suffering from mental illness and the poverty of services and information.

SANE has three objectives:

• To raise awareness and combat stigma about mental illness, educating and campaigning to improve mental health services.
• To provide care and support for people with mental health problems, their families and carers as well as information for other organisations and the public.
• To initiate research into the causes and treatments of serious mental illness such as schizophrenia and depression and the psychological and social impact of mental illness.