How We're Run

Birds at Seasalter, photo by Jim Higham

Birds at Seasalter, photo by Jim Higham

About Us

How We're Run

Our 65th Annual General Meeting of Kent Wildlife Trust will be at Tyland Barn, Chatham Road, Sandling, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3BD on Saturday 22rd July 2023 commencing at 1.00pm.

You can read the Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts for the Year 2022 by clicking the link below.

65th AGM

Meet Our Trustees

Like every Wildlife Trust, Kent Wildlife Trust has a Board of Trustees, elected by its members, that is responsible for the governance of the Charity.

All our Trustees are volunteers, representing a wide range of skills, experience and expertise, vital to holding the financial and legal responsibility for everything the Trust does.

From a range of backgrounds, they come together with a shared commitment to Kent Wildlife Trust's work and a passion for the natural environment and the part people must play in sustaining it is what unites us.

Our Chair of the Board of Trustees (Council) is Dr Chris West. If you should wish to contact Dr West or any other member of the Board, please email our Governance Officer, Emma Cuff with details of your enquiry. Emma will ensure that your message is dealt with promptly and appropriately.

Our Trustees

Dr Chris West (Chairman)

Chris West

Chris has a DPhil in Ecology from Oxford, was a founder director of Bioscan UK Limited, a respected environmental consultancy.  He was senior environment adviser at DFID (Department for International Development) before becoming director of Shell Foundation, where he supported social enterprises deliver clean energy and sustainable transport solutions in Africa and Asia.  He is currently a member of DEFRA’s “Darwin Expert Committee” which funds biodiversity projects overseas, and a Partner at Sumerian Partners.

He brings to the Trust wide-ranging management experience, knowledge of the philanthropic sector, and significant links with businesses, investors and governmental agencies seeking to protect and manage the environment.  He owns a woodland Local Wildlife Site and has restored a former hay meadow.

Charles Tassell (Vice-Chairman)

Charles Tassell

Charles comes from a background of running a mixed fruit and arable family farm on the greensand ridge, overlooking Headcorn and the Weald of Kent. He came to know the Trust when we were helping him take his land into environmental stewardship. His time is now spent overseeing the farm business units and promoting the importance of the rural sector. 

Charles is a director of the Kent County Agricultural Society, Vice Chairman of the Kent CLA committee and Chairman of the Kent committee of the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution.

Charles brings to the Council a farming perspective and his very wide set of connections with the farming community in Kent.

Tom Woolgar

Tom Woolgar

Tom has extensive finance and capital markets experience from his time working in the city, where he was previously head of corporate banking for a Canadian bank in London. He also has knowledge of environmental risk management in banking and sustainable finance and holds a MBA from the University of Durham.

Having decided to change careers, he studied environmental conservation and countryside management and now works as a projects officer, delivering countryside, biodiversity, and community access projects in his local community.

Whilst currently a resident of Hertfordshire, where he is also a volunteer warden at Panshanger Park in Hertford, he was born and grew up in Kent and regularly spends time in the county and its countryside.

Liz Lowe

Liz Lowe

Liz is a sustainability and communications professional with 30 years’ experience in roles spanning corporate responsibility and sustainability, brand PR, corporate communications and philanthropy. She most recently spent 22 years at Coca-Cola Great Britain in various roles, latterly as the lead on sustainability responsible for planning, leading and delivering ESG frameworks, ambitions and partnerships to deliver business results.

Many of the complex projects she has led have been mutually valuable, collaborative partnerships with environmental charities focusing on water stewardship and nature-based solutions to help restore and conserve landscapes and address business climate, water and supply chain risk and resilience. She originally met and worked with the team at Kent Wildlife Trust as part of a partnership with The Rivers Trust when The Coca-Cola Foundation awarded a grant to help fund Ham Fen’s restoration. She brings to the Board of Trustees her skills in communications and stakeholder engagement along with a perspective from the corporate world.

Liz has a passion for nature and loves being outdoors – especially walking and cycling. She’s currently conducting her own mini rewilding project in her suburban back garden and loving the increase in wild flowers, butterflies and buzzing!

Colin Peters

Colin Peters, Trustee

Colin was investment director of CCLA (Churches Charities and Local Authorities) Investment Management until he retired in 2016. He brings a detailed technical knowledge of investment matters which helps the trustees when considering management of the Trust’s cash reserves and when talking to professional advisers such as the Trust’s investment managers. He has been an active local naturalist in the Sevenoaks area and is particularly active in the Kemsing Wildlife Group adjacent to the Trust’s suite of reserves and land under management in the Kemsing and Otford area.

Jane Ibbotson

Jane Ibbotson

Jane is a risk manager with over 30 years experience in the financial services sector in Compliance risk leadership roles. After an early career as a banking and markets regulator at the Bank of England, Jane has held a number of senior compliance roles in major UK and International banks.

Jane is a keen nature lover and gardener who loves spending time looking after her garden and encouraging the wildlife in. As a Sevenoaks resident, living close to the Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, she is passionate about the benefits the reserve provides to wildlife and the local community.

Jane brings substantial risk management oversight and governance experience to the Trust.

Rachel Hoey

Rachael Hoey

Rachel’s diverse career, which started as a Chartered Accountant, has encompassed a range of sectors including financial services, data services, travel, and beverage manufacturing.  Her experience includes Executive Committee level leadership roles, focused on developing and implementing strategies and business initiatives to deliver business growth across complex stakeholders, institutional customers and cultures globally.

As well as being a Trustee for the Trust, Rachel is a Board member of Multigate, a Pan-African payments business based in Dubai and has previously held non-Executive roles at an NHS hospital in the UK, a trustee of a corporate pension plan and Executive Board Director of a risk-mitigation foreign exchange business.  Rachel has also been a mentor supporting Fintech start-ups.

Rachel is passionate about building collaborative relationships across stakeholders and cultures and helping drive business growth and impactful development to solve the big issues in life today.

Nick Barter

Nick Barter Trustee

Nick is deputy director for net zero at Defra, responsible for leading the UK Government’s net zero strategy for all areas of the environment: agriculture, land use (forestry, peat) and waste. He has spent the majority of his career helping shape the two main components of the Government’s environment policy: climate change and protecting and enhancing the natural environment. He was responsible for the UK Government’s policy on climate adaptation/resilience. He also led the development of the UK Government’s main natural environment policy, its 25 Year Environment Plan, and started the process of putting this on a statutory footing through the recent Environment Act. He also managed the independent Natural Capital Committee from 2012 to 2019, supporting the chair, Sir Dieter Helm, and developing the Committee’s advice to Government.  

Outside of work Nick pursues his passion for wildlife and conservation through wildlife related travel and turning his Kent garden into a haven for local wildlife to live alongside his beehives and chickens.  

Alison Mings

Alison Mings Trustee

I have lived in Rochester with my husband David and family for the last 40 years.  I am mum to 2 daughters Jo and Lizi and Jo lives in Bahrain with her husband Chris. I retired at the end of December 2022 after a career working in finance most recently with Kent County Council. I am now enjoying having time for other interests, in particular the garden and we grow soft fruit and vegetables which I use to make home preserves. Recently I have made my own flavoured gin! I am treasurer for my local parish church and also enjoy swimming, other sports and singing in a local choir.

I love being outdoors and exploring both the local countryside as well as further afield in the UK and overseas. I enjoy walking and am concerned for the natural environment. David and I have been members of Kent Wildlife Trust for a long time and I am now pleased to be able to join the board and to play a part in the Trust’s exciting plans for the future.  

How to become a Trustee of Kent Wildlife Trust

We welcome and invite any member of Kent Wildlife Trust to enquire about becoming a Trustee. Though there are no specific qualification requirements, you must be eligible to stand for election under both company law and charity law and will need a range of skills and experience to contribute to an effective Board of Trustees.

All our Trustees are volunteers, elected at our Annual General Meeting and all have to step down or stand for re-election after a three-year term. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, then please get in touch.

Public Documents

Governance Documents