Would you like to become a Trustee?
Each year we seek new trustees to join our board of 13, bringing with them the skills and dedication needed so that we can continue to protect local wildlife and help people care for and connect with nature. As well as an enthusiasm and passion for wildlife, we need people with the right skills to help govern the Trust and, in particular, with professional expertise in areas such as HR, fundraising and business development. Some experience of working in a decision-making group is vital and a good local knowledge of Sheffield and Rotherham is of great benefit. You would need to be able to commit to attending our Annual General Meeting (usually held in September) and at least four board meetings per year, which require some preparatory work.
To find out more, please download the role description here. To register your interest or for an informal chat about the role please phone our Chief Executive, Liz Ballard, on 0114 279 2658 or email l.ballard@wildsheffield.com
Our Patron
Mike Dilger
Mike is an ecologist, natural history presenter and writer and is probably best known for being the wildlife reporter on the BBC programme The One Show.
He has a life-long passion for British and tropical flora and fauna, of which he has profound experience and encyclopaedic knowledge.
Mike is committed to bringing the beauty of the natural world to a broader audience with enthusiasm and insight, rather than sensation or gimmicks.
He has Sheffield roots on his dad’s side and spent an extensive period working in Vietnam, Tanzania and Ecuador as a field biologist, before returning to the UK.
Our Board of Trustees
Christopher Pennell MBE (Chair)
Christopher has wide experience of public sector and charitable non-executive governance, natural environment policy, land management and conservation objectives, financial planning and engaging the public gained through a decade as The National Trust’s East Midlands Regional Director, and thereafter as a Trustee and long-term Guardian Member of your local CPRE Branch. As a National Board Member of English and then of Natural England where Christopher was also its Chair of its Audit and Risk Committee, as Chair of The Heritage Lottery Fund in the East Midlands, as a Member and Committee Chair of the Peak District National Park Authority; and as Deputy Chair of Moors for the Future, a dynamic moorland conservation organisation.
Christopher has been a member of the Trust for around a decade, a Trustee since 2014 and latterly for over two years as its Chair. He is Chairing a Steering Group producing a Neighbourhood Plan for Dore. He was awarded the MBE for service to heritage in the East Midlands in June 2014.
Mark Ridler (Vice Chair)
A solicitor specialising in advising pension scheme trustees and their sponsoring companies, Mark has also acted as an independent trustee of pension schemes.
Earlier in his career he specialised in company and commercial law and he has been a partner in law firms in Sheffield and Leeds. He is currently a legal director working from home in Sheffield and an office in Manchester. Mark has lived in Sheffield since 1988, having previously studied at the University of Sheffield.
Mark has always had an interest in wildlife and recently became involved in environmental campaigns, particularly the Smithy Wood campaign, and wishes to use his experience in trust and business law, as well as his enthusiasm for conservation, to further the objectives of the Wildlife Trust.
Tom Dodd (Treasurer)
Tom currently works for Pricewaterhouse Coopers as an audit and assurance manager in the Sheffield office. He qualified as a charted accountant in 2012 and prior to that achieved a first-class honours degree in Economics from the University of Bath. He has been involved in a number of charity audit engagements, with both the national charities team at my pervious firm PKF and more locally in the region. Current and former clients include Museums Sheffield, the operator of a number of cultural venues in the city, Northern Rock Foundation and the Samaritans.
He was recently a member of the PwC Sheffield team that took part in a fundraising one-day walk form Leeds to Sheffield which raised £3,500 in support of Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, as well as being part of the team that volunteered to help maintain the RSPB Eastern Moor Reserve in the Peak District for a day in May 2016.
He is originally from Sheffield and now lives in Rotherham with his wife Vicky, and daughter, Libby. He has a long-standing passion for wildlife and the natural world and is pleased to be involved with promoting and preserving wildlife in the region.
Barry Higgins
Having held a number of senior roles within the food and drink industry over the past 28 years, Barry is currently Production Director for a large privately owned food manufacturer with over 14 manufacturing sites supplying all major retailers within the UK. He has full site P&L experience and manages all environmental and sustainability issues within the business whilst working closely with major retail customers to ensure compliance at all levels. Being a lover of the outdoors and nature in general, he wants to utilise his skills and knowledge to make a positive contribution to the trusts work and believes that becoming a Trustee will enable him to provide both guidance and support in a wide range of areas.
Krys Craik
Before retiring in 2011 Krys was involved with environmental projects throughout her career as a planner and as a landscape architect. From September 19991 to March 2011, she was employed by Sheffield City Council as Projects Manager for the South Yorkshire Forest Partnership. She managed European and Heritage Lottery funded projects to develop and manage woodlands and develop timber industries in South Yorkshire. Whilst employed she visited several countries across Europe to exchange ideas with other fellow professionals. Since retiring she has pursued her personal interests and voluntary activities.
She was very pleased to be elected to serve on the Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust Board in 2014. She has played an active part on the Board, in particular by being co-opted to represent the Trust on the Boards on the River Stewardship Company and Green Estate. She has also looking forward to contributing to the development of the Sheffield Lakeland Landscape Partnership. In addition to my work with the Trust Krys is a trustee and treasurer of the Steel Valley Project, which is a registered charity. She has now been re-elected as a Board Member of the Trust and believes that she can continue to use my knowledge and experience to contribute to the work of the Trust to make Sheffield and Rotherham a better place for people and wildlife.
Suzanne Leckie
Suzanne would like to offer her skills and experience to the Trust and contribute to the continuation and development of our work.
Her professional career has been centred around heritage and nature conservation and sustainability – to begin with working for the Peak District National Park at their environmental education centre, then followed by over 20 years lecturing at Sheffield Hallam University, where she is now Head of Geography and Environment subject group.
She was a Trustee for Whirlow Hall Farm Trust for around 10 years, where she chaired the Education Committee, and she is currently a Member of the Peak District National Park Authority, where she has served on both major committees; Planning and Audit, Resources and Performance. There two very different organisations have provided a range of insights into approached to governance, finance and budgeting, and operational development.
Both her employment and external/voluntary activities have given her substantial exposure to decision making within a group, which have helped develop skills in balancing different views and priorities when coming to judgements. In terms of subject expertise, Suzanne can bring knowledge of engaging people and communities with their local place and the wider environment, whether through education, recreation or mechanisms. She would also hope to support opportunities to strengthen connections with the academic community of Sheffield.
Andrew Parker
After 30 years in management roles in manufacturing businesses mainly in the steel sector Andrew left full time employment at the end of 2015. With a lifelong interest in wildlife and the outdoors, he began volunteering with the Trust, supporting the Community Wildlife Officers and working with the Land Management Teams and has enjoyed getting to know the diverse reserves and the work which the Trust carries out. Becoming a Trustee has been a natural extension to that involvement.
He is also active in sports, particularly tennis and has spent most of the past 16 years on the committee of Chesterfield Tennis Club including leading a project of around £1 million to upgrade the club facilities. He is in his second spell as Club Chairman leading a committee of 12 diverse volunteers, a coaching team and administrative employees to promote and develop the tennis club for members and the community.
In addition to bringing the benefit of his business experience the Trust, Andrew’s growing understanding of the work of the Trust as a volunteer has enabled him to provide a valuable link between the Board of Trustees and volunteers.
Andrew Perrins
Andrew moved to Sheffield in 2011 after retiring as a senior civil servant. He worked in MAFF and its successor Departments, Defra and the Department for Energy and Climate Change on a wide range of areas including land use, agri-environment schemes, organic farming and renewable energy. Until recently he has been on the board of the National Non-Food Crops Centre (NNFCC), a not for profit company specialising in commercialisation of renewable materials, which he helped to establish when in Defra. In these roles he had much experience of environmental policy work, land use issues and EU programmes as well as management, budgeting and governance aspects which could be relevant to the Trust. Mostly, though, Andrew was interested in the Trustee position because he has a strong interest in wildlife and protecting the environment, and would like to contribute to the superb work which the Trust is doing to protect and enhance our wild areas.
Alison Holt
Alison is passionate about wildlife and the importance of the protection of the natural environment.
She is a Director and co-founder of Natural Capital Solutions Ltd, a consultancy that specialises in biodiversity and ecosystem services research and consulting. After an academic career spanning 17 years, where her research focussed on understanding patterns in biodiversity and ecosystem service provision (the benefits that nature provides humans e.g. recreation, carbon sequestration), she wants to make sure that public, private and NGO organisations have a chance to make land management decisions based on up to date science and knowledge.
As an academic Alison developed expertise in biodiversity, conservation and national capital issues and policy, statistical analyses and spatial modelling of ecological and social data, project management, writing funding proposals and identifying funding opportunities, delivering lectures and presentations, and has developed long lasting relationships and networks within and outside of academia.
Through setting up the consultancy Alison has gained experience of developing a business, marketing, accountancy, human resources and web site development. She would like the opportunity to use these skills as a Trustee of the Trust and be a part of an organisation that delivers a better future for people and wildlife.
Niel Stewart
Niel brings experience of the private and public sectors as well as having run his own photography business and has previously been a trustee of a housing charity.
His professional career has been at a senior level in communications, marketing and behaviour change, having a degree in Behavioural Science and being recognised by the Chartered Institute of Marketing at MCIM.
Niel has a keen interest in ecological and sustainability issues having covered this in his degree dissertation and has appeared on the second series of ‘It’s not easy being green’ on BBC2 with Dick and James Strawbridge.
Niel spends a lot of time outdoors, mountain biking and walking or can often be found competing in archery and axe throwing tournaments.
Daragh O’Reilly
Daragh has extensive experience in line, consultancy, educational and governance roles.
He has served as non-executive director, and is currently Chair, of Wildscapes.
His area of specialism is marketing and branding, both b2c and b2b. He works as a senior lecturer at Sheffield University Management School. He has worked for several years on policy and casework issues for UCU, the academic trade union, and is strongly interested in membership and activist organisations.
He has lived in Sheffield for nearly thirty years.