Our Trustees

Andrew is a writer, journalist and consultant specialising in walking and the outdoors. He has written and edited a number of books, covering subjects like the Pennine Way, Peak District Boundary Walk and England Coast Path, and he began his career working for the Ramblers’ Association as Information Officer. For 12 years Andrew was an elected Parish Member of the Peak District National Park and served as Chair of both PDNPA and also National Parks England. He has also chaired the Peak District Local Access Forum and served on grants panels like the Sustainable Development Fund. Andrew is currently Walks Programme Manager for YHA (England and Wales) and is helping the charity develop a strategy around walking and outdoor recreation. He is married with two daughters and lives in Derbyshire.

I was raised in Sussex, within the now National Park where walking and riding on the South Downs was a key part of my childhood. My family and I have spent numerous breaks in the Lake District, enjoying the landscapes and wildlife of the English countryside. Our National Parks are jewels, protecting and enhancing their beauty is vital work and one which is very close to my heart. I have over 30 years’ experience working in the environmental sector and am currently the Managing Director of Recorra, an environmental services company with revenues of £35million and 300 staff. We provide organisations with recycling services that make our air, water and earth cleaner and greener.

I have been a Trustee and Treasurer of CNP for the last six years. I was previously non-executive chairman of the not-for-profit recycling business Paper Round 1993–2000 and was a non-executive director of London Community Recycling Network (LCRN) for two years. I am also a former treasurer and trustee of Friends of the Earth for five years. My experience has provided me with ability and resources to help Campaign for National Parks to protect and defend our Parks. I would like to continue to use my expertise in the areas of financial and business management to fulfil the important role of Treasurer for the organisation.

First and foremost, I am a campaigner who has fought for National Parks for the last 50 years. I am keen to help CNP identify its unique role in championing the Parks for their wilderness and beauty, and as places of refreshment, inspiration, and quiet recreation. The organisation has magnificently stood the test of time and must continue to be outspoken in defence of its beliefs. With its limited resources, CNP must complement, not duplicate, the work of others. I am a former Trustee of CNP (1983–2019) and chairman (2003–09). My paid job is as General Secretary of the Open Spaces Society. I am also a Vice-President and former Chair of the Ramblers, Trustee and former President of the Dartmoor Preservation Association, Member of the Institute of Public Rights of Way and Access Management, Patron of the Walkers Are Welcome Towns Network, and a former member of the Countryside Agency Board.

I am an advocate for the role of native breeds in sustainable grass-based systems of food production and environmental management, having farmed with my family for 17 years on my traditional mixed farm in Devon. The farm has variously been recognised as a Soil Association organic demonstration farm and a Natural England Beacon Farm in recognition of its innovative programme of Educational Access. I am currently researching how farmers and non-farming publics can work together to get better, more sustainable outcomes for farming, nature and society, as part of my PhD studies at the Centre for Rural Policy Research at Exeter University.

I have been inspired by the natural world since childhood and spent much of my career in senior roles with Natural England and its predecessors, English Nature and the Nature Conservancy Council. I am an environmental scientist by training and spent my early career years involved in the principal research programmes, which led to the banning of pesticides impacting on seabirds and birds of prey. My career has taken me to many different and contrasting parts of the country, applying my wide expertise of the natural environment from strategy, policy, to operational delivery. During this time, I have worked closely with protected landscapes and National Parks, particularly in Eastern England and for eight years as Director for the Southwest Region. I held senior leadership positions for the last 15 years, including developing a successful People & Nature programme, and until retiring was Director for Conservation Strategy and Innovation. I am a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and I currently sit on the Environment Agency, Wessex Flood and Coastal Committee as an independent member for environment and conservation. I am a keen hiker and backpacker and, together with my husband, we have enjoyed walking in many of the UK’s National Parks. I staunchly believe in the principle and purposes of National Parks and the critical role of Campaign for National Parks in standing up for them, and working to secure ‘National Parks for the Future’. I am proud to be a member of the CNP Board and look forward to further shaping our strategic direction and driving forward our essential campaigning work.

I worked in cultural relations across the globe and was fortunate to engage with many people who for decades actively and passionately campaigned for the conservation of habitats and wildlife under severe threat. Now that I live in north Wales I can play a more active part myself through various organisations in Eryri (Snowdonia), and look forward to bringing a local, global perspective as a Trustee to the great work of Campaign for National Parks.

I live in the Lake District. I was an elected parish representative on the Lake District National Park Authority between 2007 and 2015. During that time, I particularly worked on planning and with volunteers. This included chairing the planning committee for four years. I am now involved as a volunteer/trustee with heritage and housing projects as well as being the Chair of Friends of the Lake District. I have been a civil servant, primarily delivering change (mainly in criminal justice and health systems). This involved both the delivery of complex plans and negotiating agreement to those plans. In addition, I have worked in marketing (both in Government and in the private sector) and in the third sector.

I have a successful track record and over 30 years’ expertise as a board director and entrepreneur working globally in corporate management, marketing, CSR, business development strategy and innovating new revenue and funding streams. I currently work as an independent consultant for various development and conservation NGOs and corporate organisations, in particular to progress new income streams, develop innovative opportunities and partnerships, and to evolve strategy. I also act as a researcher in social and environmental sustainable development, including transforming the process of CSR, and engaging communities and the environment as stakeholders. I have a PhD in Geography and an MBA from the University of Exeter. My love of the outdoors is also mirrored in my personal life, with a passion for sailing, trekking and mountain biking and I have summited mountains around the globe. I am a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I joined the Board of CNP in 2016.

Anna is a BAFTA award-winning television producer who lives in London with her three children. She began her career as a runner at LWT, then worked at the BBC in Manchester for many years before becoming a Commissioning Editor at Channel 4, where she was responsible for the debut series of both Grand Designs and Location, Location, Location. In 2004 she co-founded the production company Love Productions. As Creative Director she devised and executive produced many of the company’s hit series, including The Great British Bake Off and the stable of programmes associated with it, the Great British Sewing Bee and Pottery Throwdown. She grew up in Bedfordshire, spent her formative summers under canvas in the Northumberland National Park and has loved wet and windy corners of the UK ever since.

She hasn’t worked with a charity before but is really looking forward to joining the brilliant Campaign for National Parks team and bringing her experience and ideas to a cause that matters so much. She is passionately convinced that our National Landscapes are of critical importance to the nation, and that the Campaign for National Parks has a unique platform, to be both the campaigning voice of our National Parks and the standard bearer for the conversation around wildlife and climate change – surely the most important issues we face.

John is Chief Executive of Students’ Union UCL, one of the UK’s largest student charities. This provides representation and a wide range of services and extracurricular activities for the 50,000+ students at University College London. Previously, he was Head of Policy & External Relations for the British Council, a large charity and public body that creates international connections for the UK through culture and education. He led the organisation’s relationships with the UK Government and Parliament, as well as setting up new programmes, including the British Council’s policy research programme and its flagship global programme for young leaders. Earlier in his career, he worked in leadership roles in regional and local government.

John is passionate about sustainability and the environment. He is a keen runner and loves spending time outdoors exploring the countryside. John also chairs the Board of the Somers Town Community Sports Centre in London and is an external Trustee of the University of Warwick Students’ Union.

My goal is for our generation to leave the environment in a better state than it was before and be part of a movement that resets the trajectory of nature decline in the UK to one of nature recovery.

I hope to achieve this through advocacy, awareness-raising, and policy alignment – in my current role as Nature Recovery Policy advisor for Natural England, and by supporting the brilliant work of Campaign for National Parks.

I’m a zoologist by training and spent several years leading research projects in remote parts of Africa and the Amazon before shifting career towards education and people engagement. I ran residential Bushcraft courses in woodlands across England and led the Dynamic Dunescapes programme for Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust helping connect communities with their amazing coastline.

While I’ve been involved charity work since the age of 16, this Trustee Apprenticeship is new venture for me, and for the Campaign for National Parks board. I’m excited to learn the mechanics of this role and be a guinea-pig for future opportunities, so that people from young and underrepresented groups can bring diverse perspectives into discussion and decision-making.