HILL FARMING MATTERS - SPEAKERS

 

Geoff Brown

Geoff Brown has managed the Cumbria Fells and Dales LEADER + Programme since 2002. The area covers the whole of the Lake District and the LFA ground south of the A66. The programme assists people adding value to local products and encouraging sustainable economic, social and environmental change. The programme closes in the next few months, with the hope that it will be replaced by support from the Rural Development Programme for England which will be available to farmers, small businesses and rural communities throughout the county.

Veronica Waller

Veronica Waller is hill farming project officer for the Cumbria Fells and Dales LEADER + Programme.  She has worked for the Programme since 2003, originally on a project aimed at helping groups of farmers with marketing and, since January 2006, for the hill farming project.  Before working for LEADER +, she was NFU Policy Adviser for the North West region.

Terry McCormick

Terry McCormick is currently project officer for Hill Farming Systems Research within the Cumbria Fells and Dales Leader + Programme. Prior to this he worked at Forest Hall Farm (5000 acres + organic hill farm) near Kendal. Terry ran Learning Cultures, a research and development company in the cultural heritage sector, and was, for a number of years, Curator for the Wordsworth Trust at Dove Cottage in Grasmere. His PhD was on Wordsworth’s Poetry and Place.

Liz Wilton

Liz Wilton is a website designer and Director of Lineman Ltd, providing web design and graphic design services. Since April 2007, Liz has worked with Terry McCormick to design and build the Cumbria Hill Farms Charter Website and continues to have close involvement with the project as the website grows. Prior to founding Lineman Ltd, Liz was a Senior Interactive Designer at the BBC for 7 years and has BA (hons) Degree in Communication Design.

Susan Denyer

Susan Denyer is Secretary of ICOMOS-UK, the The International Council on Monuments and Sites, UK, and World Heritage Adviser for ICOMOS, which advises the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on cultural World Heritage sites.

Previously she worked for the National Trust, in museums and as a lecturer, including six years working in east and west Africa. She has been Chair of BASIN, the international Building Advisory Service and Information Network and is currently Secretary of INTACH-UK, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. She has published widely on cultural heritage in Britain and Africa.

Dr Pat Thompson

Born and brought in in the Highlands of Scotland where he developed a lifelong interest in moor and mountain birds.  Left home to study, first in Paisley and then Liverpool, where studied populatione cology of redshank for PhD.  After 3 years with British Trust for Ornithology, returned north to Durham to study lapwing in Upper Teesdale.  In 1995, returned to Scotland to take up post with RSPB as Conservation Officer for Caithness & Sutherland.  In Jan 2006, took up a new role as RSPB Uplands Conservation Officer based in Newcastle.  A passionate advocate for the uplands, who recognises the need to work with all sectors for the benefit of the uplands as a whole.

Gwyn Jones

Gwyn Jones is a director of the European Forum on Nature Conservation and Pastoralism. He is an independent consultant and until recently was Area Manager for Skye and Lochalsh. He has worked for the Farming Wildlife Advisory Group and  Scottish Agricultural Colleges (SAC)  based in Argyll.

Mervyn Edwards

Mervyn Edwards in Agri Advisor - Uplands for Natural England.  He was previously with the Rural Development Service of Defra working on the Lake District ESA and subsequently as part of a Defra national team on upland farming.

Will Cockbain

Will Cockbain is a hill farmer from the Keswick area.  He is the NFU’s national spokesperson on hill farming and is the Chair of the Sustainable Food & Farming Strategy for the north west region.