You can contact Trustees via our main office:
Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Brooke House, Ashbocking, Ipswich IP6 9JY

Trustees

Dawn Girling (Chair)
Shotley Peninsula Local Group member, working party volunteer and Trustee of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts; company director; chairman of Suffolk Environment Trust; executive chairman of a small touring theatre company and performance artist.

James Robinson (Hon. Secretary)
A retired managing director who worked within three different industrial organisations gaining broad experience in finance, strategy, structure, sales and marketing; volunteer at Lackford Lakes.

Terry Lock (Hon. Treasurer)
Formerly a teacher and was head of history at Orwell High School; currently works for Inland Revenue with qualifications equivalent to chartered accountant; ensures SWT  decisions are made with financial prudence.

Dr Michel Field
Director of The Learning from Experience Trust at Goldsmiths College and Senior Associate, KPF, on boards and governance. Has had a family association with SWT since 1986 - contributions include serving as local group chair (Lowestoft), conservation volunteer, tutor on CGLI course, magazine deliver and regional and national representative. UK Chair of Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts for 4 years – retired in November 2005. Experience of working as CEO, Chair and Board Director in a variety of businesses and charities. Board chair of local FE College.

 Anthony Chapman
“I believe my 25 years employment by the RSPB with my expertise in reserves acquisition and management, a broad knowledge of the nature conservation movement and my experience as a trustee for a property based charity provide a good grounding for this trusteeship.'

Nick Collinson
"I am currently employed as Head of Conservation Policy at the Woodland Trust. In this capacity I am responsible for development and advocacy of a wide range of Trust policy on such issues as biodiversity, climate change and agriculture across the UK. I am a former employee and Trustee of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust and am a current member. I know the organisation well! I believe I have particular skills and experience to make a valuable contribution to the Board."

Helen Hinchley
“As a former head teacher, current Trust volunteer and teacher trainer I would bring a wealth of management, environmental education and financial knowledge and experience to the SWT Board. I am currently involved as an education volunteer at Lackford Lakes and in the Forest Schools programme that works with young pupils.  I am passionate about the education work of the Trust and know the value that teachers place on it. As a Board member I would support that work as well as other aspects of the Trust’s role.”

Nigel Farthing
Solicitor and senior partner at Birketts specialising in property law and countryside issues.  Former non-executive Director of the Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust.  Nigel has experience of property law issues with particular interest in public rights of way and access to land.

Paul Cooke
Paul’s skills and expertise lay in farming and all matters to do with property.  Paul and his wife have run the family farm in Suffolk since 1987.  He spent the last 30 years running a property company in London and was involved in all forms of development.  He has served on the committees of English Heritage and the Environment Agency.

Sir Kenneth Carlisle
With English Nature Sir Carlisle looked after the SSSI ancient woods at Wyken, and the Wyken Estate entering the Higher Level Scheme.  In his professional life Sir Carlisle worked in a multinational company and then as an MP in the 1990’s.  He was asked to improve conservation policies at the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Transport. 

He has served on the council's of the RSPB and for more than 10 years, at the Royal Horticultural Society.

Honorary Officers

The Earl of Cranbrook MA PhD FLS (President)

Vice-Presidents 

Peter Wilson
Former chairman of SWT and former trustee of RSNC. Several of the Trust’s most important nature reserves are as a result of Peter’s outstanding generosity.

William Jacob
Since leaving the Navy has had 40 years of business experience including managing director of East Anglian Securities Trust, chairman of English Hops and a director of a range of companies in the UK and America; director of The Aldeburgh Foundation; assists a number of charities nationally and in East Anglia.

David Barker MBE
SWT Council Member for many years having served two terms and SWT Chairman 1997-2001. Has held a number of roles within Suffolk and beyond including Chairman Suffolk NFU, Chairman Suffolk FWAG, Director of the Suffolk Show, and a Countryside Commissioner. He is a trustee of The East Anglian Air Ambulance and Vice Chair of The Suffolk Local Access Forum.

David was awarded the MBE `for services to conservation in East Anglia` in the 1996 New Years Honours. The family farm is at Westhorpe and Great Ashfield where many wildlife habitats are retained.

Lord Blakenham
Michael Blakenham has pursued both a business and environmental career.  He’s a former Chairman of Pearson Plc and the Financial Times and is currently a Director of Lafarge SA and Sotheby’s Inc.  On the environmental front he has chaired both the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.  He has served as a member of the House of Lords Select Committee on sustainable development and on the Nature Conservancy Council and was President of the Sussex Wildlife Trust for twenty years.  More recently he was president of the British Trust for Ornithology and chaired the report on the governance of the National Trust. 

Michael Bendix OBE
The only surviving founder of Suffolk Wildlife Trust. In 1961 he visited Redgrave and Lopham Fen with the then Lord Cranbrook and together they founded a society to safeguard this important fen. Michael now lives in Hampshire but came to celebrate the Trust’s 40th anniversary and keeps close links with the Trust.