New Chair and Vice President for Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Board has appointed Vice Chair Nick Perks as the new Chair of Trustees, and the charity’s members have voted Professor Alastair Fitter in as the new Vice President.

Previous Chair Jo Webb is stepping down after four years as Chair, and eight years on the board as Trustee.

The changes come at an exciting time for the charity, one of the largest of the 46 local Wildlife Trusts which make up the UK-wide movement. The Trust published Yorkshire’s first-ever State of Yorkshire’s Nature report in June, with a rallying call for action to protect and restore nature, including evidence and insight that will enable organisations across the region to focus their environmental efforts and activities.

The Trust also owns and manages 112 nature reserves across the region; is restoring 1,300 hectares of limestone grassland and mountain slopes of Ingleborough; spearheads Yorkshire Peat Partnership, which to date has restored an area of upland blanket bog the size of Bradford; leads a groundbreaking seascape-scale restoration project in the Humber; and works with communities across Yorkshire, as well as running a bespoke events programme year-round, to inspire more people to take action caring for nature on their doorstep.

Nick Perks was unanimously elected by the Board and chaired his first meeting when the Board met on Thursday 24th October.

Nick joined as a trustee in 2020, previously serving as Honorary Secretary and Vice Chair. He has lived in Yorkshire for more than 20 years, and brings a wealth of experience in charity management and philanthropy, including as a former Trust Secretary (CEO) of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and former co-ordinator of the Environmental Funders Network.  Since 2019, Nick has worked as a freelance charity consultant. He is an accredited Carbon Literacy Trainer and he initiated, developed and launched the Funder Commitment on Climate Change, which has been signed by many of the UK’s leading charitable trusts and replicated internationally.

Nick says:

“A groundswell of people are taking action for nature across Yorkshire and countless more want to see it flourish. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has a critical role to play in looking after some of our most special wild places, restoring our finest landscapes, involving local communities and speaking up for nature.

“As Yorkshire Wildlife Trust goes from strength to strength, I am honoured to lead such a committed board of trustees, overseeing the incredible work of our dedicated and skilled staff team.”

Professor Alastair Fitter is an ecologist and naturalist and Professor Emeritus of Ecology at The University of York. He was awarded a CBE in 2007 for services to environmental science and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2005.

Alastair has been a member of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust for over 50 years and has had a long involvement with its founding reserve, Askham Bog, acting as Chair of its Management Committee from 1973-1985. He was a member of Yorkshire Naturalists Trust Council in the 1980s and then a member of the Board of Trustees of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust from 2008-2012 and again from 2016-2024. He was the first chair of the Nature Recovery Committee, set up three years ago to advise the Board on ecological and conservation issues.

Alastair was closely involved in the Trust’s successful campaign to save Askham Bog nature reserve, the Trust’s first-ever reserve, from development. He was also a lead researcher and author in the publication of the county’s first State of Yorkshire’s Nature report, which provides the evidence base for our strategy for nature’s recovery.

Alastair said;

“It is a privilege and an honour to take up this position, but also a huge pleasure to continue to be involved in this amazing, important and increasingly influential organisation. The Trust has already done so much for Yorkshire’s wildlife, and has so much more to offer - alongside and with thanks to members, funders and everyone who helps to support their work.”

The Trust’s governing body is an elected Board of Trustees, a group of members who are nominated and elected. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is, therefore, governed by its membership. Anyone can join the Trust, which has around 43,000 members including families, individuals and businesses.

Rachael Bice, Chief Executive added;

“Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is proud to be at the forefront of nature conservation in Yorkshire, and is uniquely placed to help spearhead a drive towards nature’s recovery. We have been working to ensure Yorkshire’s precious wildlife has been protected for 78 years, and our work is even vitally important now when pressures on wildlife and wild places are so high.

“To continue to build a wilder future for our wildlife and our county, we need a skilled, experienced and dedicated governing body. I want to thank outgoing Chair Jo Webb for her dedication and time as a trustee and Chair, and to welcome Nick Perks into his new role.

“We are a movement built on the actions of people from all walks of life, all taken with the goal of making a difference to create a wilder Yorkshire.”