SWT Trustees

Our Trustees

Shropshire Wildlife Trust is grateful for the support of all our trustees.

Trustees play a vital role in all aspects of our work. Giving their time for free, like all our volunteers, our trustees bring the necessary skills and experience to oversee the strategic development and direction of Shropshire Wildlife Trust. They take all decisions on matters of Trust policy. 

Trustees serve for four years (for up to 2 rotations) and are elected at our Annual General Meeting in October.

Veronica Cossons
Roger Owen portrait

Chair - Roger Owen

Roger has worked with both the agricultural and environmental sectors. Starting work with ADAS in Shropshire, he then undertook various posts in Buckinghamshire, Jersey and Lincolnshire before returning to the West Midlands some 20 years ago as Area Manager for the Rural Development Service and subsequently Natural England in the West Midlands. He has a good knowledge of agri-environmental schemes, protected sites, National Nature Reserves, water catchment and rural economy issues. He has always had an interest in wider natural history.

Rod Aspinwall

Vice President - Rod Aspinwall

Rod is a lifelong hobby farmer and has managed his 55 acre farm on the Shropshire/Powys border for biodiversity. For 25 years, he led the growth of his own company, during which time Aspinwall and Company became the core of the Enviros Group. Previously, he served as a trustee/council member of the RSPB and Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust. In 1995 was awarded the OBE for his services to environmental management.

Alex Grant - Trustee

Trustee - Alex Grant

Alex has enjoyed two careers, as a mining and tunneling engineer and then as an environmental consultant.  He moved to Shropshire in 2002 and since then he has been increasingly involved with the Trust's activities, principally as an Ambassador, Chair of the Ellesmere Branch, looking after Birch Road Pond and as a member of the Love Your Rivers Group.

Headshot of Amanda Craig

Trustee - Amanda Craig

Amanda has a lifelong interest in natural history having the privilege of being encouraged to explore the outdoors and be curious about nature throughout her childhood. Born and brought up in Kent, she has lived in Shrewsbury for almost 20 years. She loves watching wildlife and travelling to visit different places, and has a particular passion for butterflies. Her career has spanned a variety of roles in the natural environment, ranging from habitat and site management through to policy development for Government. She has worked for Natural England over the past 20 years, including as Area Manager for West Midlands, Operations Director; and presently as Director for People & Nature, working on access to the outdoors, health and the environment, social inclusion and connecting people with nature.

Andrew Hearle

Trustee - Andrew Hearle

Andrew has worked mostly in Shropshire since joining the Field Studies Council in 1980 working  at Preston Montford Field Centre as tutor in ecology and geography and then with the Nature Conservancy Council, English Nature and Natural England.  After a short spell working with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust as manager of the Central Rivers project, he now works for the National Trust as project manager for the Stepping Stones project in south Shropshire.

Ian Diack

Trustee - Iain Diack

Iain is an ecologist who grew up in the Peak District, lived and worked in the south east for 15 years, and moved to Shropshire over 20 years ago. He has worked for Natural England and predecessor bodies since 1991 in a variety of roles including environmental monitoring specialist, grassland researcher, national biodiversity lead. Since 2008 he has been Natural England’s national wetland specialist. He has an interest in plants, peatlands and restoration of freshwater habitats through the re-establishment of natural hydrological processes.

James Drever - Trustee

Trustee - James Drever

James led the IT and Digital teams at the Field Studies Council for fifteen years.  He is interested in how technology can help increase our connection with and understanding of the natural world.  He loves walking and swimming in natural environments, and is always looking to learn more about them.  He now runs a small digital business.

Headshot of Lara Richardson

Trustee - Lara Richardson

Having worked at the BBC and in other corporate environments; agency-side and in-house at a global animal welfare NGO and a marine conservation NGO, Lara is now the Associate Director of Marketing and Communications UK & EMEA at GlobalGiving and a Trustee at the Sumatran Orangutan Society. Lara works with organisations that aim to change hearts and minds, leading to shifts in behaviour, and policy reform. She specialises in understanding different audience needs and then devising and implementing awareness-raising campaigns to spark action and create change.  Passionate about social justice, animal welfare, and protecting the planet, Lara lives by the words of Robert Swan: “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”

Laurence Kinnersley

Trustee - Laurence Kinnersley

Laurence graduated from Bristol University with a degree in Biology and Geology in 2019 and is currently completing an MSc in Museum Studies with Leicester University. He regularly volunteers with Shropshire Wildlife Trust and Shrewsbury Town Council as well as attending natural history courses with the Field Studies Council (FSC). He is a youth representative for the Our Bright Future Steering Group, which comes together to discuss conservation, environmental and youth voice issues and how to resolve them. In 2021-22 Laurence was part of the FSC first Youth Council in which he helped to steer engagement and content.

Malcolm Monie

Trustee - Malcolm Monie

Malcolm's career included many years as Head of Science and Biology at The Maelor School near Wrexham.  He has been Chair of Whitchurch Branch since its formation in 1986 for all but 18 months and coordinator of the Whitchurch Water Vole Project. He is also involved as a work party volunteer. which have enabled him to contribute to discussions from the branch perspective during his previous spell as a Trustee. Malcolm is a founder member and Treasurer of Shropshire Mammal Group, also Chair on two occasions.  Other activities include Whitchurch Walkers and the St Alkmund’s Church Bell Ringers.

Headshot of Mandie Haywood

Trustee - Mandie Haywood

Mandie has worked as a teacher in Shropshire for over 32 years, 27 of those as a Headteacher. Since 2004 she has lead Old Park Primary School and Nursery in Malinslee, Telford. She believes that outdoor learning can enhance all areas of the curriculum and engage children of any background. 

In 2020, Old Park was the first school in the country to sign up for the Nature Friendly Schools programme and the school has worked closely with Shropshire Wildlife Trust ever since.

Mandie has recently retired from teaching and is looking forward to getting involved in a range of projects with SWT now she has some spare time.

Headshot of Rob Paul

Trustee - Rob Paul

Rob is a land agent specialising in estate management, diversification and renewable energy schemes. He graduated from Reading University in 1994 and then joined Strutt and Parker in Cheshire, moving to Shropshire in 2008. From 2020-22 he worked for Bradford Estates, a major landowner in Shropshire and Staffordshire, before joining the Telford office of Savills, where he leads their Estate Management team. He currently manages property portfolios for major institutional landowners as well as an array of private, corporate and charitable clients.  He has extensive knowledge the rural economy and in particular of emerging ‘green finance’ markets. Rob enjoys country pursuits - particularly walking in the South Shropshire Hills where he lives – and is a keen ‘birder’. 

Steve Marsh

Trustee - Stephen Marsh

Steve was brought up on a mixed farm in Shropshire. He studied agriculture at university and initially worked for ADAS, advising farmers. He later qualified as a Chartered Accountant with a large accountancy practice. He has continued to use his accounting skills while working in a variety of roles since then.

Steve has a smallholding and enjoys the outdoors. Since December 2019 he has been a regular volunteer on Pontesbury Hill with the SWT. He has also recently been appointed a trustee of the Marches Energy Agency, a local charity which helps alleviate fuel poverty and increase energy efficiency in the Midlands area.

Quentin Shaw portrait

Trustee - Quentin Shaw 

After working abroad as an expedition doctor and rural medical officer, Quentin spent 27 years working as a GP in Telford, where he was involved in projects promoting the health benefits of time spent in nature. He is keen to encourage a more diverse population to enjoy the countryside and  is a Friend of Telford Town Park and Pontesford Hill Nature Reserve.