Joanna is the founder of Riverwood. She has a BA(Hons) degree in Fashion Design. Her Nan taught her to sew from a very young age and she has experience making a wide variety of things over the years, from wedding dresses to hot air balloons. She grew up in Portishead (North Somerset) but now lives in the beautiful Forest of Dean with her husband, their young daughter Lottie and  two rescue dogs Boo Boo & Paddy. She has a love for India, plants (although she's rubbish at keeping them alive), being outdoors and doing anything creative. Her work is inspired by nature and she loves to experiment with interesting materials, colours and textures. Her favourite food is curry and when she's not working, she's usually walking the dogs.

Carol is Joanna's Mum. She’s a nurse really, but is always offering to help out in any way she can. She can’t sew but loves meeting new people and is usually found helping at wedding fayres or babysitting Lottie. When she’s not working, she loves cuddles with Boo Boo and buying toys for her granddogs. 

Jamie is Joanna's husband. He's a paramedic really but is a helper “behind the scenes”. He is usually being called on for DIY jobs at the studio or attempting to keep Joanna focused. He also built the amazing new height adjustable cutting table. He loves pizza and power tools. When he’s not working, he’s usually doing DIY around the house and planning renovations. 

Kuldip is the founder of the United Artisans of Kutch project and was one of the tour guides in India. He is a vital connection to the independent artisans in India. He sources, collects, packs and sends the parcels and coordinates any orders and requests. He has his own tour business ‘Kutch Adventures India’ which has won awards in “World Responsible Tourism”.  With his tour business currently closed due to Covid restrictions, he is now offering online cookery courses. (Please look him up if you are thinking of a trip to India when life (hopefully) returns to some sense of normality and check out his social media pages if you like the sound of learning to cook delicious, authentic Indian recipes at home in the meantime.)

Boo Boo is the self appointed guard dog. She thinks it’s her job to make sure everyone knows that the postman has arrived, before he even gets out the van. Her favourite food is anything tasty and when she’s not working, she will usually be sleeping. 

Paddy is the newest 4 legged addition to the team. He doesn’t yet have a clue what he’s doing and does his best to test everyone's patience. His favourite food is anything he shouldn’t be eating and when he’s not “working”, he’s usually looking for trouble.