our team
Turning our
mission into action
Our staff and trustees work with members, volunteers and partners to protect Cumbria’s landscapes for nature, for people, for ever.
Meet our team
From influencing national and local policy, to campaigning and practical conservation and community engagement, our team covers a broad mix of skills — and we work closely together to make the strongest case for thriving Cumbrian landscapes.
Many of our staff team come from or live in Cumbria and we’re all based at our office in Kendal. For general enquiries, please use the form on the contact page, or use the links below to contact a specific team directly.
Michael Hill
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Michael is a passionate conservationist with a lifelong love of the Lake District and Cumbrian landscapes. With his strong track record of dynamic leadership in the non-profit sector, he has shown the vision and determination necessary to build an exciting future for the charity.
Lorayne Woodend Wall
Head of Planning and Policy
Lorayne oversees the planning and policy team, ensuring their complex work remains focused on the organisation’s core vision for the landscape. A proud Cumbrian, she enjoys discovering local history and exploring the county’s hidden gems outside of work.
Jeremy Smith
Head of Campaigns and Engagement
Jeremy leads the design and delivery of campaigns aimed at protecting and enhancing the Lake District through policy and practice change. He brings over twenty-five years of experience in the international development and environmental sectors to his work for the charity.
Jeremy Baines
Finance and operations manager
Jeremy manages the charity’s finance and operations, drawing on over 30 years of experience as an accountant and administrator in the Army and as a school bursar. A regular hill walker, Jeremy is currently working toward the goal of completing all 214 Wainwrights.
Stuart Clayton
Head of Finance and Operations
Stuart manages the essential central resources of the charity, including finance, fundraising, and administration. With over 25 years of experience in the voluntary sector, he is keen to support the team’s mission while working his way through the Wainwrights.
Linda McGinley
Company Secretary
Linda supports the Board of Trustees to ensure the charity maintains the highest standards of governance and legal compliance. Having lived in Cumbria for nearly 30 years, she values the local landscape and spends much of her free time hill walking.
Kelley Sproston-Heath
Engagement Lead
Kelley leads on the development and delivery of our engagement activities to increase the impact of our work by connecting people with the Cumbrian landscape, raising awareness of how the landscape is shaped (past, present & future) and inspiring people to take part in and support environmental action. She loves spending time in the outdoors with her family, either walking, swimming or mountain biking.
Stephanie Gardiner
Engagement Trainee
Steph was a volunteer and ambassador for Friends for almost two years prior to taking up this new role. Working in engagement means that she gets to connect communities throughout the county with the incredible landscapes around us. She has spent the majority of her life living in Cumbria and is proud to call it home. In her spare time she loves to explore the fells and try out new wild swimming spots.
Aila Taylor
Campaigns Officer
Aila runs the charity’s campaigns to create lasting change for nature and communities in the Lake District, drawing on her varied experience in the campaigning, conservation, and outdoor education sectors. She loves canyoning, caving, and climbing, and spends all of her time outside of the office in the mountains.
Communications
Christian Lisseman
Communications Lead
Christian manages the charity’s press relations, social media, and publications, drawing on two decades of experience in social justice and editorial communications. He feels a deep connection to the Cumbrian landscape and enjoys walking his rescue dog, Harley, in the hills.
Dawn Groundsell
Communications Officer
Dawn manages a variety of communication channels, including the website, e-newsletters, and social media, to promote the charity’s work. She is a lover of the outdoors who enjoys cycling, dancing, and making the most of the sunshine.
Fundraising and membership
Claire Coburn
Fundraising and Supporter Relations Manager
Claire leads the fundraising efforts that power the charity’s vital conservation work, bringing nearly 30 years of experience from both the public and charity sectors. Now happily settled in Cumbria, she is an avid hiker and cyclist who is also passionate about yoga and animal welfare.
Anne-Marie Rooney
Fundraising and Membership Officer
Anne-Marie leads on legacy giving and works closely with the administration team to support donations and memberships. With a background in sport development and heritage management, she is a keen photographer who enjoys visiting museums across the county.
Megan Mattinson
Corporate Partnerships Executive
Megan is focussed on expanding our corporate partnerships with organisations across Cumbria. She spends her time away from work exploring the Lake District with her dog, Hendrick.
Rachel Dorrington
Fundraising Officer
Rachel focuses on securing funding for the charity’s projects and oversees fundraising events, merchandise, and landscape gifts. She is the primary contact for supporters with new fundraising ideas and enjoys connecting with the charity’s membership.
Jan Darrall
Land Manager and Policy Officer
Jan manages all of the charity’s land across Cumbria, working to maximise its benefits for nature, people, and the landscape. She also coordinates the charity’s dedicated team of volunteers and enjoys fell walking and outdoor activities with her family.
Leanne Parr
Planning Officer
Leanne uses her 20 years of experience in the planning sector to provide expert advice to the public and respond to local and national consultations. Outside of work, she is a dedicated supporter of Barrow AFC and enjoys tending to her allotment and sea swimming.
Kate Willshaw
Policy Officer
Kate specialises in major infrastructure projects, climate change impacts, and biodiversity, while also managing the charity’s digital mapping system. She enjoys playing the ukulele and exploring the Cumbrian countryside in her campervan with her border collie, Luba.
Amanda McCleery
Policy Officer
Amanda leads the organisation’s policy work regarding agriculture, water, and common land, while also coordinating the undergrounding of power lines. When she isn’t working on policy, she is often found wild swimming, fell walking, or cycling.
Naomi Walker
Nature Recovery Officer (Hedgerows)
Naomi collaborates with farmers, landowners, and volunteers to improve the health and number of hedgerows across the landscape. Growing up in Cumbria, she is an outdoor enthusiast who finds fulfillment in engaging the community with conservation and environmental surveying.
Meet our trustees
Our board of trustees brings a mix of professional skills and a shared love of Cumbrian landscapes. They volunteer their time to help govern the way we work as a charity, holding overall legal responsibility for managing our strategy, assets, and compliance with the law.
Malcolm Boswell
Chair
Malcolm is a recently retired Director from Acas with extensive experience in employment law, HR consultancy, and dispute resolution. After decades of visiting the Lake District, he now lives permanently behind Skiddaw and is passionate about supporting the local community and fells.
Lucy Hetherington
Vice Chair
Lucy is a television producer and executive who has commissioned numerous documentary and current affairs programmes for the BBC and international partners. She has lifelong family roots in the Crook and Staveley area and enjoys exploring the artistic and cultural heritage of the Lake District.
Robin Forrest
Treasurer
Robin is a fund manager specialising in emerging markets and brings a background in banking to his role as Treasurer. He and his family spend much of their time near Ullswater, where he enjoys kayaking, dinghy sailing, and fell-walking with his energetic dog.
Neil Greenhalgh
Trustee
Neil is a Chartered Accountant and former CFO with nearly two decades of experience at JD Sports Fashion Plc. He balances his professional advisory roles with a love for hiking the fells and discovering local pubs that source ingredients from Cumbrian farmers.
Fiona Sanders
Trustee
Fiona is a retired executive coach and leadership development consultant who now focuses her time on supporting non-profit organisations at board level. A resident of Cumbria for 15 years, she is a dedicated mountaineer and climber who has served as President of the Climbers’ Club.
John Whittle
Trustee
John brings 30 years of legal expertise to the board, having previously served as the CEO of a top 50 national law firm. Now retired in Ambleside, he enjoys walking his cocker spaniel on the fells and supporting the conservation of the landscapes he has visited for over 40 years.
Jan Nicholls
Trustee
Jan is a retired solicitor with over 30 years of experience in corporate and international law, as well as 17 years of experience as a trustee. Now living in Ambleside, she enjoys exploring the UK in her campervan and is currently completing her second round of the Wainwrights.
Dave Felton
Trustee
Dave is a creative entrepreneur and the founder of ‘Inspired by Lakeland,’ a publishing house dedicated to the wild places of Britain. He co-presents the Countrystride podcast and is currently working his way through the Wainwrights for the third time. He has lived near Keswick since 2010.
Helen Howe
Trustee
Helen has held senior leadership roles in the charity sector and recently led the membership and volunteering efforts for Friends of the Lake District. Now retired in Kendal, she spends her time gardening, sketching, and walking the fells with her family and her dog.
Join our team
Friends of the Lake District is the only membership organisation dedicated to protecting and enhancing Cumbria’s landscapes. If you’d like to join us in our mission to create thriving Cumbrian landscapes, explore our current vacancies below and make sure you subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay up to date with the latest opportunities.
