Meet the Team
Build Team
John O’Driscoll, Director
Time with APES: Since launching as a company in 2009!
Speciality: Seeing the bigger picture and understanding the road map to get there with the knowledge that the children and young adults are ultimately our clients.
Favourite play item or material: A 6 or 8-sided set of swings, especially if your feet can almost touch the ground when swinging. I also love working with natural Oak Timber.
Standout project: Glamis Adventure Playground. Myself and Ian Macintyre had a lot of fun building that space with the kids – it was beautifully chaotic.
Fun fact about me: I can’t stand tomato ketchup!
Luke Bell, Project Manager
Time with APES: Since January 2018
Speciality: I’ve got a background in ladders and climbing and I’m very comfortable at heights so you will usually find me hanging off the top of a structure! It’s also my job to translate the plans and instructions we get into reality.
Favourite play item or material: Stag Oak
Standout project: Tumbling Bay at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, I have developed a real affinity to it. Aesthetically it exemplifies a way of working with natural materials that sparks imagination. There are so many ways to engage with it and when I’m there it’s easy to be creative with how to fix and update the play value of the structure.
Fun fact about me: I am half Slovenian and I love spending my time walking in the mountains of my mother’s homeland!
Stan Jones, Playground Engineer
Time with APES: Since September 2020
Speciality: Carpentry
Favourite play item or material: Treehouses!
Standout project: My home playground St Paul’s Adventure Playground in Bristol, where I first started working with APES aged 16.
Fun fact about me: I enjoy Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in my spare time.
Nathan Langridge, Playground Engineer
Time with APES: Since October 2020
Speciality: Monkey, I’m particularly adept at getting on top of, or into hard-to-reach places for various installations and repairs!
Favourite play item or material: Zip lines and tango swings
Standout project: St Paul’s Adventure Playground in Bristol; I got to see John’s unfettered creation in all its’ glory, including a multi-coloured treehouse 18 metres high!
Fun fact about me: I’m a trained sommelier.
Leo Randall Hobbs, Playground Engineer
Time with APES: Since November 2021
Speciality: Metalwork
Favourite play item or material: High Carbon Steel
Standout project: Creating the workshop, because we transformed it from being a spot for storage into a creative space that we all love and use all the time.
Fun fact about me: I’m also a Blacksmith!
Behind the Scenes
Gurpreet Sidhu, Development Director
Time with APES: Since 2010
Speciality: Keeping the business side in order so John can be as creative as possible!
Favourite play item or material: Gotta love a swing! Takes me straight back to swinging on warm, buzzing summer evenings contemplating the meaning of life.
Standout project: Tumbling Bay (Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park) was just the most inspiring build. Pushing the boundaries of size and imagination for playground equipment.
Fun fact about me: I am rubbish at DIY! I can’t even use a drill. I founded A5cend a consultancy for small-medium sized not-for-profits and have helped raise over 27million for good causes. I’m also the founder of a UK-wide rural anti-racism campaign!
Charlie Deakin, Executive Assistant
Time with APES: Since March 2021
Speciality: Admin & PA (I’m the exec assistant!)
Favourite play item or material: The stag oak branches always look beautiful.
Standout project: The behind the scenes work for St Michael's Mission, the DIY SOS project! Seeing the local community and local businesses come together to help create John's design for the children was incredible. Then to have the privilege of watching on tv the surprise and happiness of the kids was amazing!
Fun fact about me: I’m a big fan of indoor plants and currently have 60+ in my house.
Niki Evangelou, Communications
Time with APES: Since July 2020
Speciality: Sharing our incredible work on social media for others to enjoy!
Favourite play item or material: Massive treehouses, for sure. I just imagine all the joy they bring to little ones when they’re sitting up there soaking in those gorgeous views.
Standout project: The Big Build for St Michael’s Youth Project, which featured on BBC’s DIY SOS: Children in Need. Although I wasn’t there in the flesh, it was so special to witness the project come to life and I felt so proud of the team when I watched it on the telly and saw how many lives it touched.
Fun fact about me: I’m also the co-founder of a not-for-profit that supports young women to get into the creative industry!