Former Sheffield wildlife charity leader Liz Ballard awarded MBE for Services to the Environment

Liz Ballard, former Chief Executive of Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust, has been awarded an MBE in the King’s New Year Honours List in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the environment.

Liz joined Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust (SRWT) as CEO in 2012 and led a period of exceptional growth, innovation and partnership working. Her influence has been profound and lasting across Sheffield, Rotherham and the wider region, shaping local nature recovery strategies, protecting precious habitats, and inspiring many more people to take action for nature.

Liz is thrilled, and surprised, to be recognised in the upcoming King’s Honours, and says: “I’m humbled to be awarded this Honour and would like to thank everyone who supported me throughout my career in the environment sector, especially at Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust.” 

Former colleagues at the Trust and peers from across the sector are delighted that her leadership, commitment and impact over 13 years have been acknowledged at a national level through this prestigious recognition.

The Trust’s previous Chair of Trustees, Ben Stone, said: “Over my time as Chair of the Trust, I have seen first-hand the dedication and impact of Liz’s work. This recognition is a fitting tribute to her outstanding contribution to nature and conservation, and I am delighted to have supported her successful nomination. My sincere congratulations as she is recognised in the King’s upcoming Honours.”

A legacy of leadership, collaboration and action

During her time as CEO, Liz established and led many of the initiatives that now underpin nature’s recovery across South Yorkshire, including:

• Strategic leadership for nature: Liz co-chaired the Sheffield Green Commission, helping shape the Green City Strategy and laying firm foundations for regional nature recovery. Later, Liz promoted and chaired the South Yorkshire Local Nature Partnership for over 10 years, and led a campaign to mobilise people to declare a Nature Emergency in Sheffield and Rotherham, with the local authorities declaring these in 2021/2022. She also established and led the Sheffield Street Tree Partnership, in response to the need to resolve the city’s highly controversial street tree management programme. 
  
• Partnership programmes that endure: She led the Sheffield Lakeland Landscape Partnership beyond its original goals, with a commitment from the multi-agency partnership (including Sheffield City Council, Yorkshire Water and Natural England) to work together until 2033 towards common goals of nature recovery and landscape resilience.
  
• Advocacy and campaigning: Liz led the charge to save Smithy Wood, an area of ancient woodland in danger of destruction from a proposed motorway service station, and was a strong advocate for moorland protection, bringing partners together to improve management and reduce wildfire risk.
  
• Tree planting and more land for nature: The South Yorkshire Woodland Partnership was convened under Liz’s leadership, supporting over a quarter of a million trees to be planted. She led the fundraising campaign to transform Ughill Farm, near Bradfield, into a ‘test and learn’ site for nature-friendly farming, raising £1.2m in a single year to secure the purchase of the site.
  
• Data, evidence and impact for wildlife: Liz developed a partnership programme, Nature Counts, which delivered the first evidence-based State of Nature report for Sheffield (this is still used as the baseline for nature recovery work across the city) and dramatically increased ecological data collection and evidencing, with significant results for species and habitat protection across the city.
  
• Health and wellbeing: Under Liz’s leadership, the Trust was a key delivery partner for major research programmes in the field of ‘nature connection for health’, including the University of Sheffield’s ‘Improving Wellbeing through Urban Nature’ (IWUN) programme, as well as the national pilot partnership programme for Green Social Prescribing 2021-2025. Both of these initiatives highlighted the Trust as a lead organisation for nature-based health and wellbeing delivery and research in the region.

Letters of support came from Dr Nicola Rivers, now Ecology Manager at Sheffield City Council, and Christopher Pennell MBE, who was Chair of SRWT from 2015 to 2020. Nicola said of Liz: “I was continuously impressed by her leadership and strength of character. Her drive, professionalism and passion for communities and the natural environment has seen her taking the Trust from strength to strength. Her positive influence with the Sheffield Street Tree Partnership still resonates as we continue to implement the strategy across the city.” 

Christopher explained his reasons for believing an Honour from the King is well deserved for Liz: “She has proven, time and again, her mastery in convening, chairing and developing a vast range of high-level partnerships – each time, commanding respect and delivering results above and beyond what could ever have been achieved by organisations working alone.” 

Ed Tripp, the current CEO of Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust, said: “Liz’s commitment and determination to raise awareness and engage people through local empowerment and education is clear. She nurtured a brilliant learning and communities team at the Trust, who have influenced thousands of people of all ages across Sheffield and Rotherham to take significant action for nature.”

Craig Bennett, CEO of The Wildlife Trusts, said: “Liz is a force of nature and was destined to be a great leader in whichever field she set her sights on. We’re incredibly lucky that it’s the natural world which inspires her – the people of Sheffield and beyond, who have benefited from her leadership, should all be immensely grateful to her. This award is richly deserved – very well done, Liz.”

This has been a fantastic year of achievements across The Wildlife Trusts movement, as Craig Bennett was also awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours list in recognition of his outstanding services to the environment – following decades of campaigning and leadership across climate, nature, corporate social responsibility and justice issues.