Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust

Getting to know our new Trustees... A big welcome to Andy Abbott, One of 6 new Trustees who have been appointed following our AGM at the weekend. Bio: Andy Abbott is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Leicester where his research focus is on sustainability and recycling particularly in the materials used for renewable energy.   He brings a wealth of experience of managing spin out enterprises, obtaining grant income and leading large international research projects. He is a keen artist, birdwatcher and gardener and is never happier than when he is in the great outdoors.   Andy has a voracious thirst for knowledge and is usually accompanied by a good field guide or a series of podcasts.

Please welcome Charlie Hewitt, one of our new Trustees Bio: We are very excited to have Charlie on board, one of 6 new Trustees who have just been appointed to the board following our AGM at the weekend. Charlie has lived, studied and worked in Leicestershire and Rutland for most of his adult life. With a BSc in Geography, and an MSc and MPhil in Geographic Information Systems, Charlie works at the intersection of data science, cartography, computer science, and ecology as a Digital Ecologist. Charlie’s work experience spans both industrial and academic settings, developing technologies to help ecologists and environmental scientists collect, manage, analyse, share and communicate ecological and geospatial data. Beyond his professional work, Charlie is passionate about freshwater ecology, ornithology, and paddle sports. He volunteers with the Canal & River Trust as a paddle sport instructor where he supports programmes that encourage engagement of the diverse Leicestershire community in the wellbeing benefits of blue-green spaces. Charlie also volunteers in water quality and bird monitoring programmes at Rutland Water Nature Reserve, and volunteers at his local food bank.

Getting to know our new Trustees... Please welcome Taras Bains, one of 6 new Trustees, welcomed to Council following our Annual General Meeting at the weekend. Bio: Taras was born and grew up in Leicester and has spent a number of years volunteering with the trust's education team, leading the Rutland Water Wildlife Watch Group from 2019 to 2023. He holds an integrated master's degree in Biology (specialising in ecology and conservation) from the University of Oxford. While at University, he was active in raising awareness and increasing engagement with biodiversity and nature across both staff and students at the University and young people more widely. Currently, he works as a Junior Professional- World Heritage for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Cambridge. This primarily involves the evaluation of new natural nominations from countries to the UNESCO World Heritage List. He also volunteers for Conservation Optimism- a movement that works to raise awareness of conservation success stories and amazing work being done all across the world by organisations like Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust to enable nature recovery. This will be his first experience of being a trustee and as a young British Indian in one of the most diverse regions of the UK, he is particularly interested in considering how the trust can engage those groups and demographics that are currently most under-represented.

Great to hear Greener Golf Network talked about at the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust AGM today as an example of partnerships - we're excited for our joint project to get off the ground in 2025 🌱⛳️

Growing the Future. An absolutely wonderful talk presented by John Everitt OBE, Chief Executive of The National Forest Company at our Annual General Meeting and Members’ Weekend. Both staff and members would like to extend a huge thank you to John. It was very engaging and thought provoking, thank you John 🙏

We are delighted to announce that Dr Gemma Harper OBE FAcSS Chief Executive of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) is one of 6 new Trustees who have been appointed to our Council, following the AGM at the weekend. Please offer a very warm welcome to Gemma Harper, Bio: When I was a child, I fell in love with nature and that love turned into a lifelong passion. One of the many benefits of being Chief Executive of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) with offices in Peterborough and Aberdeen, was the opportunity to move to Rutland. Having studied at Leicester University, I was familiar with some of the surrounding area, but to me Rutland is like an undiscovered gem in the UK landscape, with expansive skies, soaring red kites and the oasis that is Rutland Water. It’s an inspiring place to live and I wish both to be an active part of the community and to give back to the land, water, plantlife and wildlife that sustains us all.   I have the privilege of leading JNCC, the UK’s statutory advisor on nature, which has been at the heart of nature conservation and recovery in the UK, our Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, and around the world for over 30 years. I am also honoured to be appointed by Defra's Secretary of State to the Chilterns Conservation Board.   From 2016 to 2021, I led marine policy in Defra and I received an OBE for services to the marine environment, representing the collective effort of many talented colleagues. During my time at Defra, I founded the Civil Service Network for Nature, whose mission is to connect civil and public servants to celebrate nature. I also supported the UK COVID-19 response as Defra Director for Food Vulnerability, and co-led the team to win the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion award for 'Impact on the Citizen' in 2020. As Chief Social Scientist for the Defra group (2010-2017), and with over 30 years leading interdisciplinary evidence teams, evidence is in my DNA. In 2020, I was honoured to be elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. I am a Cambridge University Centre for Science and Policy Fellow and member of the International Women's Forum.    I am committed to being a good ancestor through public service, organisational excellence, advocating evidence, mainstreaming biodiversity, championing inclusion, and diversifying the environmental sector.

What a weekend! We welcomed over 100 members to our 68th Annual General Meeting and our first ever Members’ Weekend. It was so nice to meet with and talk to so many like minded people, and we thank everyone who attended whether in person or online. Thank you to all the staff who put in so much, and a very special thank you to #StMartinsHouseConferenceCentre who helped out so much and were brilliant hosts for the Saturday. Please keep watch as we share with you details of our newly appointed Trustees.

Thank you to everyone who has supported and donated to us after the awful incident at Rutland Water Nature Reserve. Some of your messages of support have been so kind, your support means so much to us all! A big thank you to Crouch Recovery for all their fabulous help removing the burnt out lorry from our Wildflower Meadow. Thank you, we really appreciate your kind help 🙏 If you would like to help, please get in touch, or our Restore, Reclaim, Renew appeal is still open if anyone still wanted to donate https://lnkd.in/gsJM5fnt Thank you

We are devastated! Failed Robbery Backfires, Leaving Rutland Water Nature Reserve Damaged. Thieves broke into the Volunteer Training Centre at Rutland, leaving us with over £40,000 in damages and extensive physical and environmental damage to the wildflower meadow. https://lnkd.in/eUHZEB2T

🌍 Together we can create a wilder, greener future for Leicestershire and Rutland! 🌿 Today we are launching our new appeal, aiming to raise £60,000 to build a strong foundation for conservation across our counties. Imagine Leicestershire and Rutland with more wildlife, more wild spaces, and with communities deeply connected to nature. With your support, we’ll: ✅ Restore and protect habitats ✅ Create networks for nature's recovery ✅ Enable more communities to connect with nature and wildlife The Restore, Reclaim and Renew Appeal will allow us to respond quickly to urgent conservation needs, fuel innovative programs, and make a lasting difference for wildlife and people alike. Join us on this journey by donating, sharing our vision, or by partnering with us 🦅 #Conservation #Wildlife #Nature #Sustainability #CSR #MakeADifference #NatureConservation #RestoreReclaimRenew https://lnkd.in/gsJM5fnt