Trustees and Staff working together to protect wildlife

Trust Chair since summer 2024. I have worked in Nature conservation since 1991 taking three years out to study for a degree in Environmental Science at Aberystwyth University.

For the past 24 years I have worked for the Countryside Council for Wales and now Natural Resources Wales as part of the National Nature Reserve (NNR) management team. Initially as an estate worker in Pembrokeshire assisting Bob Haycock then moving to become a Senior Reserve Manager in Ceredigion undertaking this role for fourteen years. Since 2011 I have been back in Pembrokeshire working for CCW/NRW primarily managing the National Nature Reserves but also the Welsh Government Woodland Estate. So, I have been lucky enough to manage a wide range of NNR’s from coastal sites, wetlands, uplands to woodlands. No true islands but these sites all islands of biodiversity in farmed and afforested landscapes.

I am based at the Stackpole Estate on the Castlemartin Peninsula. I advise the National Trust and the Ministry of Defence on the management of their estate for nature conservation. I coordinate the monitoring of the special features and this includes the seabird colonies and breeding chough in the SSSI/SPA.

I am a full member of the Charted Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management. I joined the Board of Trustees of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales in 2019 and became Vice Chair in 2021. I have been a school governor at my local high school for eight years and am a Coastguard Rescue Officer with the St Govan’s Coastguard Rescue Team.

I was first appointed to the Board in 2018 and was Treasurer from 2020 to 2024. I am standing for my third term. My background is in banking, specialising in risk, compliance and governance. Based in South Wales, I have a passion for the outdoors, walking and conservation. I also act as a trustee for the Open Spaces Society, Britain’s oldest conservation charity, AWEN Cultural Trust and South East Wales Biodiversity Records Centre as treasurer. 

I’m a physiotherapist, Chinese medicine practitioner and founder of an art gallery which promotes awareness of the environment and conservation. I have an interest in education, research and ethics, having been a lecturer at University of Westminster for 17 years.  I was Chair of Brecknock Wildlife Trust and led it through the merger with WTSWW and am now Vice Chair of WTSWW and also the Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity lead.  Since October 2023 I have been the Welsh trustee on the RSWT Board. I have recently set up a youth led environment charity, Wild Garsdale Pike, in Cumbria, where we work with groups of young people from across northwest England. I enjoy hill walking, qi gong, Chinese philosophy and growing wildflowers, trees, medicinal herbs and vegetables.

Co-opted May 2018, appointed to the Board Dec 2018 and now standing for my third term.

I first visited Skomer as a boy and have returned regularly since. On retirement 6 years ago and moving to Pembrokeshire, I started to volunteer there, and that, along with my developing knowledge and passion for the work of the Trust, and seabird conservation in particular, was what first made me want to contribute my skills and experience as a Trustee. My training is in science – I hold a PhD in Chemistry – and I am an effective and enthusiastic communicator to diverse audiences, developed through my teaching and public engagement experience. I have a strong knowledge of climate change science, impacts and mitigation and I read, write and speak Welsh, although I would still consider myself as a learner. I was appointed as a Trustee in 2021 and currently Chair the Conservation Committee.  I am standing for my second term.

Growing up in the country I have cared about wildlife all my life.  My skills and experience from my career in communications, local politics and arts leadership would enable me to make a significant contribution as a trustee.  I have been a trustee for arts organisations and have chaired a large housing association.  I was a local councillor for eight years (in Ealing, London) culminating in being Leader.  I hugely admire the work of this organisation – it is crucially important for the future of society – and it is an honour to serve as a trustee. Experience in a variety of Trustee roles noting the difference in governance and management. Understanding of charitable finances and strategic risk management. Experience of marketing, communications, fundraising and organisational management.  Interest in EDI issues and the need for organisations to change to engage people from right across society. 

Raised in Marloes, I have a long relationship with the Trust - supporting the trust with marketing input on major fundraisers and projects, and raising funds personally. I now live in Ystradgynlais, and so have an understanding of the wide range of reserves the trust manages. As a former marketer and university lecturer with my own technology business I can bring marketing, fundraising, and tech skills along with broader business knowledge in areas such as data protection, privacy, and security. I am also an experienced Trustee - recently serving as a Trustee for the Royal Society of Arts.

Wildlife has never been more important and more at risk. I would like to put a lifelong passion for nature and conservation to use by applying to be a trustee of WTSWW in order to support those who have the knowledge and ability to protect and enhance nature in Wales for future generations. 
A connection with nature is vital for our mental and physical health and I have witnessed this first hand as a doctor, especially during the pandemic. Concern about climate change and the environment is an urgent priority and I want to do all I can to help. 
 

I have always felt a strong emotional connection to the environment. When I was younger, I spent summer evenings climbing trees and sketching flowers. My concern for the environment came to a head with the 2018 IPCC report which led me to change my diet and the way I interact with the world. 

I have volunteered for as long as I can remember, and worked in the third sector for over 10 years, with a goal to “try to leave the world better than I found it”. I recently relocated to Pembrokeshire and would love to continue volunteering within my community, with the hope that my background in events and fundraising, and skills in marketing and project management, could be of use. I see no greater a calling than to protect wildlife from the problems humanity has caused.
 

As a former Trustee of WTSWW, I have great respect for, and understanding of, the breadth, complexity, and importance of the conservation work that the Trust carries out, and the immense value and importance of the reserves that it owns and manages. I have a particular passion for seabirds and also, as an angler, the rivers and coast of South Wales, and hope, as a Trustee, to work for their continued protection and restoration. I would also like to contribute to the Trust’s financial management, and enable it to continue to grow, and meet the 30 by 30 ambitions.

I am an early career conservationist with a passion for improving science communication. I am keen to champion youth voices in decision-making spaces, as intergenerational perspectives are vital for achieving action for nature, people and climate, in line with the WTSWW strategy. Having been both a volunteer and staff member at WTSWW, the charity has played an important role in forming my career to date and is an organisation I care deeply about, therefore would like to contribute to further, utilising my educational background in Environmental Science and practical experience gained during my Marine Conservation internship at WTSWW

I would love to bring my wide range of skills, plus learned and lived experiences to this team. I have worked for organisations like Wales Environment Link, RSPB and Friends of the Earth on a range of environmental campaigns. I ran my own business in Carmarthenshire for 4 years. I am highly experienced in building people’s capacity meaningfully, creatively and with the right resources.

I am enthusiastic and passionate about nature and am keen to be part of a team working so hard to protect, restore and enhance nature, not just for our own sakes but for the future.