Meet our judges
Helen Monger
Trustee – CPRE London
Judge for Best green space project
Helen is a passionate champion for protecting community green space with a proven track record of leading high-profile campaigns, including successful High Court challenges and lobbying in the Houses of Parliament.
She is Case Officer at the Open Spaces Society defending public rights over land. She has significant experience in the natural and built heritage sectors, assessing major grants for the National Lottery Heritage Fund. As Director for the London Historic Parks and Gardens Trust, she ran London Open Gardens, a flagship event involving hundreds of volunteers and thousands of visitors celebrating the best of horticulture in the capital.
Helen has undertaken public speaking (lectures, ceremonies and the media); and chaired ‘town hall’ meetings. She is a proud Londoner and enthusiastic cyclist.
Nicola Chester
Writer and Activist
Judge for Best green space project
Nicola Chester is a writer of, and activist for, nature, community, people and rural things: Award-winning author of On Gallows Down and Ghosts of the Farm, she is also a Guardian Country Diarist, and columnist for BBC Countryfile Magazine and the RSPB. She lives on the edge of a scattered village in the heart of the North Wessex Downs. https://nicolachester.com/
Alan Carter
Chief Executive – The Land Trust
Judge for Best green space project
Alan Carter is Chief Executive at the Land Trust, the UK’s premier green space management organisation.
Alan previously held the position of Director of Operations at The Land Trust. Prior to joining The Land Trust, Alan, who is a qualified Chartered Surveyor, spent 13 years at British Waterways (now the Canal and River Trust). Alan is passionate about using green, blue and grey infrastructure to deliver significant charitable outcomes and social value for the local communities who live and work around the sites The Land Trust manages, whilst also delivering quality outcomes for an increasing array of clients. He speaks regularly at various property and sustainability conferences.
As someone who has developed partial deafness during the last ten years, Alan puts great emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion both within the organisation and through the work that it delivers. Understanding the needs of the local communities which the Land Trust serves is key to ensuring an inclusive approach, and in turn working to remove mental and physical barriers to accessing and enjoying the benefits of green spaces.
Martin Collett
CEO – English Rural
Judge for Best housing solution
Martin Collett is Chief Executive of English Rural and has worked in the rural housing sector for around 20 years. A Corporate Member of the Chartered Institute of Housing and a University of London graduate, Martin has dedicated his career to strengthening rural communities through the delivery of high‑quality, affordable homes.
Before becoming Chief Executive, Martin held a range of senior roles. He is current Co-Chair of the Rural Housing Network, helping to shape national policy and champion the needs of rural communities and has served as Chair of the Rural Housing Alliance. He now serves as a Trustee of CPRE, the countryside charity, contributing his expertise to national discussions on the future of rural England. Martin is also a Director of the Rural Services Network.
Passionate about a range of issues impacting rural England, Martin works closely with partners, local authorities, and community organisations to secure the long‑term sustainability of rural places. His leadership focuses on ensuring that rural homes are well‑designed, environmentally.
Tom Chance
CEO – Community Land Trust Network
Judge for Best housing solution
Tom heads up the CLT Network and leads on its strategy and its work to mainstream the community ownership of land and affordable housing. This includes public policy and advocacy work, and building relationships with industry bodies for housing associations, developers, landowners, local authorities and community networks.
Prior to joining the Network, he worked for the Greater London Authority in housing and planning policy, and as head of office for the Green Party Group on the London Assembly. He has also worked for a sustainable construction company, and as a consultant for clients such as the All Party Parliamentary Group for Housing and Planning, World Habitat and various local authorities.
Nick Hallissey
Head of Content – Country Walking
Judge for Best access to the countryside project
Nick Hallissey is the Head of Content for Country Walking, Britain’s bestselling outdoors magazine. At the age of five, Nick was dragged along the South Downs Way by his parents. Somehow this didn’t put him off, and he developed a lifelong love of putting one foot in front of the other and seeing where he might end up. He spent his teens wandering in the Peak District, Eryri/Snowdonia, the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District. After working as a journalist on regional newspapers, he joined Country Walking in 2007. Today he leads a small team helping to nurture a love of the outdoors in an audience of tens of thousands of devoted readers. He also writes for CW’s digital arm Livefortheoutdoors.com and oversees the award-winning Walk1000Miles challenge, which in ten years has helped more than 100,000 people change their lives for the better just by going for a walk.
Katie Roberts
CEO – Sheila McKechnie Foundation
Judge for Countryside changemaker
With an academic background in environmental science and international community development, her early career was spent working with grassroots organisations across the UK and overseas.
After initially leading on consultation, education and community co-design, Katie spent a further five years as Projects Director at Trees for Cities utilising community-led urban tree planting schemes to cultivate lasting change with diverse neighbourhoods. She then joined Christian Aid in 2014 to lead on church engagement in campaigning and fundraising in the South of England and overseeing key national partnerships and UK volunteering. Five years later Katie oversaw the creation and design of a new global Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns department, before moving into the CEO’s office as Head of Strategy and Development for Christian Aid.
Since 2022 Katie has been working as a consultant specialising in leadership, strategy and organisational development and working alongside organisations through periods of change and challenge. She is passionate about developing people and organisations to reach their potential and deliver with impact. Katie is also a life-long fan and serving trustee of the Greenbelt Arts Festival.
Tony Burton
Chair of Policy and Campaigns Committee – CPRE
Judge for Countryside changemaker
Tony works free range on community, design and environmental projects. He was CPRE’s first Planning Officer and left as Deputy Director in 2001 to become a Director at the National Trust. He is a neighbourhood planning examiner and convenes Neighbourhood Planners London as a volunteer.
Tony is Chair of Power to Change (supporting community business) and a trustee of SMK (supporting campaigners) and Nationwide Foundation. He is a former Vice Chair of Friends of the Earth and trustee of TCV. Tony chaired the National Lottery Community Fund during the pandemic. He advised the National Infrastructure Commission on design and is Vice Chair of HS2’s Independent Design Panel. Tony founded Civic Voice in 2010 and is Secretary of his local civic society, convenes Independent Merton Green Spaces Forum and chairs Wandle Valley Forum.
Ellen Bradley
Co-Director – UK Youth 4 Nature
Judge for Young countryside changemaker
Ellen is Co-Director of UK Youth for Nature, a network of 16-35-year-olds from across the UK calling on the government to act on the nature crisis. She is Vice Chair of Trustees of Young Sea Changers Scotland, Ambassador for Zeiss Nature and was previously General Manager of Curlew Action. Ellen is currently writing and illustrating her first book with Birlinn Publishing which explores some of the extraordinary adaptations of British wildlife. Outside of these roles she is a freelance speaker and wildlife artist.
Lily Whitmarsh
Team & Project Coordinator at Campaign – National Parks
Judge for Young countryside changemaker
Lily is Team & Project Coordinator at Campaign for National Parks, an independent charity dedicated to securing the future of National Parks in England and Wales. She is passionate about building capacity for equitable, intergenerational leadership for thriving landscapes. Lily’s work focuses on supporting young people to grow skills and delivering projects that bring new perspectives into conversations about the countryside.
Molly Easton
Co-Director – Young Wilders
Judge for Young countryside changemaker
Molly is Co-Founder and Co-Director of Youngwilders, a CIC accelerating UK nature recovery and centering young people in the process and movement. She is dedicated to energising and upskilling the next generation of environmental stewards. Previously, she shaped nature recovery strategies at Natural England and led creative climate communications at Art Partner.
