Joined the charity as a trustee

October 2026

Why did you choose to give your time and get involved with the charity?

Who wouldn’t want to be involved! It has just the kind of vision that I love. Landscape conservation and access for people have been strong passions of mine for many years, and I’m never happier than when I’ve got my walking boots or cycling shoes on.  I live near the Forest and have worked in Warwickshire for many years, and have been so impressed at the passion and ambition of everyone involved in the Forest. Our recent summers have been glorious but also highlight just why environmental sustainability matters so much. The Forest can play a huge role in that sustainability and I hope I can bring communications and fundraising experience to support its growth.

Q&A 

What expertise do you bring to the trustee role?

I’ve always worked in communications, public affairs, and income-generating roles across commercial, public, and volunteering, in lots of different sectors – from the environment to the arts and social justice, and most recently at the Royal Shakespeare Company as Director of Comms, and currently at SafeLives, the domestic abuse charity, where I am Director of External Relations. I hope I can bring experience and expertise from all of that to the Forest and its goals.  

What aspect of the charity’s work interests you the most?

Its interaction with people. Who knows whether the Forest of Arden in Shakespeare’s As You Like It represents the real forest in the Midlands or in the Ardennes, but either way it represents a sense of freedom. The Heart of England Forest offers that same opportunity for liberation for people from the mundane day-to-day. Green spaces and trees are good for us all, and I’m excited about the ambition to connect people and communities to the Forest, now and in the future.

How do you think the Heart of England Forest is making the most difference?

It’s great to see the growing numbers of volunteers involved and the opportunities for learning days for children and young people. Of course, we have to be mindful of nature conservation and protecting special landscapes, but how brilliant to see excited groups of young people delving into the Forest and having fun outdoors. And of course, fantastic that the Forest itself is growing with new land acquisitions and extensive tree planting. 

What are the challenges facing the charity over the next 12 months?

There are enormous challenges facing all charities at the moment – rising costs, additional demands being made on philanthropic funders, a squeeze on public funding, and pressures on people’s time for volunteering. But big exciting ideas will always find funding. You just have to make the most compelling case for support you can. And the Forest’s ambition to create a vast connected forest which helps nature and wildlife recover and create a landscape for future generations is just that. And it will help with the other obvious and pressing challenge – that of climate change, which impacts us all.

What 3 words would you use to describe the work of the Forest?

Magical. Ambitious. Engaging.