Volunteer awards 2023

Michael Nidd

Nominated by CPRE Hertfordshire for the CPRE Special Contribution Award. 

After 25 years’ continuous service in a multitude of roles, Michael has recently retired from active volunteering for CPRE Hertfordshire, having served two full terms as a trustee on their board.

Michael provided considerable specialist input and expertise on aviation issues, particularly the ongoing threat of airport expansion at Luton. He made extensive contributions on local planning matters (including input on local plan consultations and conducting a weekly review of planning applications for one of our districts). He also helped with our marketing and fundraising efforts, including for several years helping out on our stall at local village fetes.

Martin Gillie

Nominated by CPRE Hampshire. 

Martin is a brilliant support, who took on the role of treasurer when the charity was facing serious financial problems. He helped steer the charity through these very difficult times and reset a path on a confident course.

Out of necessity, Martin has been a hands-on treasurer, devoting his time to ensuring that we have now a sound financial base to help the charity grow and be able to take on ambitious projects to support the Hampshire countryside.

Martin has been a great advocate of growing the aims of the charity.

He is being presented with this volunteer award in recognition of all Martin has done to ensure CPRE Hampshire is financially viable and in a strong position to make a difference in the Hampshire countryside.

Penny Desmond

Nominated by CPRE Berkshire. As a volunteer and part time administrative assistant, Penny has given consistent support to CPRE Berkshire for some 20 years. Penny has spearheaded the fund raising 500 Club, which has raised in excess of £20,000 in funds.

As a volunteer, Penny has supported CPRE Berkshire every week, whatever the weather, and has maintained a consistent level of support to the Branch Secretary over a wide range of duties, willingly extending her hours when task deadlines created that need.

Penny is invariably present to greet the Trustees when they have their meetings and provides a welcome smile and real sense of continuity in her role.

Sheila Atack

Nominated by CPRE Berkshire for her Special contribution, in over 10 years of voluntary service.

Sheila’s work as a volunteer treasurer is invaluable to the charity’s performance, demonstrating due precision and accuracy through periods of significant change.

Henny Shotter

Nominated by CPRE Kent for Special Contribution and demonstrating and embodying CPRE values.

Described by colleagues at CPRE Kent as ‘a superb colleague and an inspiration’, Henny has embodied CPRE’s values over many years with Kent and, in former years, with Lincolnshire.

Being an active volunteer during a period of local plan making in Maidstone Borough, involved an enormous amount of work, especially in relation to controversial proposals for garden settlements in the borough.

As a committed and knowledgeable environmentalist, Henny has been active in our Environment Group, anticipating many of the issues which now loom largest in our work, including water scarcity.

A conscientious and always constructive member of the board of trustees, Henny displays sound judgement of issues and people. She is a superb colleague, valued and appreciated by fellow volunteers and staff of the Kent Branch.

Richard Lloyd

Nominated by CPRE Gloucestershire for exceptional, sustained and expert service to CPRE at county, regional and national levels, and demonstrating and embodying CPRE values.

As an active member of CPRE Gloucestershire since the mid-1990s, Richard’s commitment and expertise is reflected in continuous appointments as vice chair since 2004.  In that capacity his work for CPRE has been inspirational and unceasing: it is a rare day when Richard is not working on our behalf in some capacity.

Richard is closely involved in many aspects of CPRE business, based on a deep professional knowledge.  His strength has always been on strategic and practical policy matters, drawing on his personal commitment and career-long expertise to support the countryside.  He has been chair of the CPRE Gloucestershire Policy Committee for many years and in that capacity he leads our organisation on developing policy, reacting to the polices of others and applying CPRE policy where it matters.  A natural extension of all this has been Richard’s involvement in the founding, development and success of the CPRE awards scheme in Gloucestershire.

Richard represents CPRE Gloucestershire on several related county organisations such as the Local Nature Partnership and has been central to a CPRE Gloucestershire regional presence in the south-west. He has also been a member of the national CPRE Policy Committee.

Ros Bradbury

Nominated by CPRE Herefordshire. 

As an invaluable member of her local CPRE for over 20 years, Ros has served with a passion for and the landscape of Herefordshire and with dedication in various roles.

Ros’ particular specialism has become Intensive Poultry Units – she has worked tirelessly to stress the damage that such applications cause to our environment, in particular the waterways of the River Wye.

Ros meticulous objections to damaging planning application are always carefully researched, she was instrumental in the first refusal of an application for an Intensive Poultry Unit in Herefordshire.

Nominated for years of dedicated and invaluable hard work on planning applications, on behalf of Herefordshire CPRE, Herefordshire communities and the Herefordshire countryside.

Virginia Morgan

Nominated by CPRE Herefordshire.

Virginia’s experience and knowledge are immense and highly valued. Nominated for her role as a planning volunteer, Virginia works very hard and carefully on planning objections, despite having several ‘hats’ outside of CPRE.

Joining CPRE Herefordshire nearly 20 years ago, with a concern about soil and the use of polytunnels, Virginia then increased her knowledge over the years, and has proved an invaluable member of the team, in various roles, especially to the local planning team.

Appreciated now for years of dedicated and invaluable hard work on planning applications, on behalf of CPRE Herefordshire, the county’s communities and the Herefordshire countryside.

Isabella Stone

Nominated by CPRE Derbyshire, for Promoting CPRE Strategic Aims by championing the role of the countryside in tackling our climate emergency and for promoting the better development of the rural environment through effective planning.

Isabella has been an active member of CPRE for many years. She is former chair of CPRE Peak District & South Yorkshire and a member of the Nominations Committee of national CPRE for several years. She is currently Vice-Chair of CPRE Derbyshire.

More recently, Isabella chairs our planning sub-committee and determines which planning applications we should raise an objection to. She also trains new volunteers and leads on our climate change activities and actions by working with both the Derby and Derbyshire Climate Change Committees.

She is also our representative in Derbyshire Dales and actively supported the Matlock Wolds group to successfully prevent a housing development in an area that floods a lot.