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Member Profiles
Local Action Group Members
 Email: john@jabss.co.uk Mobile: 07702 475222 Tel: 08432 893454 Geographical Area: County Durham Studied agriculture at Askham Bryan College before working in a range of agricultural related businesses including feed merchants and the Agricultural Training Board,before joining the Training & Enterprise Council in 1993 and then Business Link, until November 2011. During that time, worked on a wide range of rural and agricultural projects and was one of 3 rural business advisers working for the regional Business Link service focussing on working with land based businesses. This work involved identifying support for a wide range of projects many accessing RDPE funding. Since redundancy I am developing a range of business services to support rural and landbased businesses to access rural grants, develop a better understanding of their business priorities through business benchmarking and delivering media awareness training. I also work as a volunteer with Radio Teesdale presenting a business programme and breakfast show.  Organisation: Visit County Durham Email: craig.wilson@visitcountydurham.org Tel: 03000 261 222 Geographical Area: County Durham Visit County Durham is the official destination management organisation for County Durham. It is a limited company with its own Board but it is also part of Durham County Council's Regeneration and Economic Development (RED) team. It is the coordinator of the Durham's strategic tourism plan for the county, the Durham Area Tourism Management Plan.
Peter has been the Assistant North Pennines AONB Officer since 2003, having worked in Northumberland National Park on rural development and with Northumberland County Council on rights of way and recreation. In the 1980s and early 1990s Peter was a cheese maker, latterly running his own small business. Peter has extensive experience of working with community groups on a variety of issues and is also a member of the Solway Border and Eden Local Action group in Cumbria.  Organisation: South Durham Enterprise Agency Email: shaun@theenterpriseagency.co.uk Tel: 01388 776688 Geographical Area: Wear Valley & Teesdale Chief Executive of the South Durham Enterprise Agency. Following 20 years in HM Forces, I became self employed and was involved in 2 small retail businesses, during which time I became interested in business support and the needs of small business. The role of the Agency is to provide hands on support to new and existing businesses, helping them start up, survive and grow. We work predominantly with micro enterprises and most of our advisors either have or have had their own businesses, an approach which I believe helps us understand the needs of our clients. My role within the Agency is Strategy, Policy, Business Development and Funding. Outside of the Agency I am involved with the LSP's Economic Groups in both Teesdale & Wear Valley, LEGI Be Franchising, the Dales Centre, Barnard Castle Vision, the Stanhope Vision and the soon to be formalised Social Enterprise Durham.  Organisation: North East Region Campaign to Protect Rural England Email: d.fruin@glen14.co.uk Tel: 01434 602 645 Geographical Area: David Fruin was a member and chair of the Local Action Group of the North Pennines Leader+ - the predecessor of the Pennine Dales Local Action Group for which he is now the Vice-Chair. He is also Vice-Chair of the North-East Regional Group of the Campaign to Protect Rural England. He has worked and lived in Cumbria and Northumberland since 1984 and now works as a consultant in the health and social care fields. He has a longstanding interest in conservation, in particular forestry, and in local landscapes and his smallholding in the North Pennines has received grants from the Forestry Commission and from the Rural Payments Agency. He lives in Hexham where he is a volunteer at a local first school, with Children North East and with the RSPB.  Organisation: NFU Email: richard@utass.org Tel: 01833 641010 Geographical Area: Teesdale Educated at Pembroke College Oxford, I have farmed in Upper Teesdale as a tenant of raby Estate since 1981. I am a past NFU County Chairman and currently the NFU Council member for North Riding and Durham. I have represented the NFU locally on the AONB Board and past leader programmes. Nationally I have been heavily involved in representing the views of hill farmers for the last 10 years. I currently work for Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services and also am the leader of Teesdale District Council. My wife Dodge, as well as helping on the farm, is a practice nurse at Barnard Castle. Our youngest daughter attends Teesdale School.  Organisation: Farmer & Event Caterer Email: rosemarythompson@uwclub.net Tel: 01833 650414 Geographical Area: Teesdale I am a partner in a hill farming business and have a small catering company. I have worked as a service development officer for a national charity and as a non-executive director on various Durham health authorities at a time of great change in health provision within the county.I have served on the national board of the Social Services Inspectorate and am a founder member and director of Teesdale Village Halls Consortium. I have interests in village life and am a member of the local parish council (chair ten years) and village hall committee (fund raiser twenty years) I will bring the experiences from all the above to The Leader Programme. My long term aims would be to see a sound agricultural base for hill farmers, support for rural industry and rural charitable organisations. I am committed to improving life for dales the residents of the dales whilst protecting our unique environment.  Organisation: Deepdale Off Road Email: graeme@deepdaleoffroad.co.uk Tel: 01833 630802 Geographical Area: Teesdale A life long resident of Teesdale with an interest in maintaining an economically healthy and viable region to work in. I began my working career as a dairy farmer and diversified in the late 1990's creating an off road driver training centre on the farm. This has now become the mainstay of my farm and is complemented by a landscape maintenance business. I retain a passion for agriculture and see it as the natural custodian of the countryside. I am a member of the NFU and CLA and sit as a director of Teesdale Marketing and the Enterprise Agency. I would like to think I bring a strong rural interest to the LAG, and through both my personal business development and my roles in Teesdale Marketing and the Enterprise Agency, experience in the continued development and growth of rural businesses.  Organisation: Bowes Parish Council Email: bbrowncar@aol.com Tel: 01833 628373 Geographical Area: Teesdale BSc Chemistry (Hons), 1973; Diploma in Russian for Postgraduates,1974; Institute of Linguists Intermediate Diploma in Italian,1994. Working life spent in the dairy industry (MMB), finishing as manager of the Liaison Chemist Service (to 1991) based at Thames Ditton, Surrey. Now self-employed furniture maker and woodworker, living in Bowes Greta Ward representative and Project Assessment Group and Full Partnership member, Objective 2B Priority 4 [EU funding of local projects] VC of Parish Council; Parish Hall Committee Member; local historian involved with Heritage Open Days at Bowes.  Organisation: Tynedale Council Tynedale LSP Email: cameron.scott@tynedale.gov.uk Tel: 01434 652293 Geographical Area: Tynedale Cameron Scott worked as a trainee Bank Manager for Yorkshire Bank before moving on to become Transport and Accounts Manager for a timber haulage and fuel distribution company. In 1998 Cameron joined Tynedale Council working within the business rates department and then moving on in 1999 to the Council's Economic and Community Development Department, (now the Regeneration and Communities Department). As the Council's Head of Economic Regeneration, Cameron has detailed experience of regeneration, economic development and external funding work in a rural context from strategy through to all important delivery. In his role as Head of Economic Regeneration Cameron has acted as lead officer and has undertaken the project management of a number of locally and regionally strategic projects. Cameron was one of the team who successfully achieved Beacon Council status for "Supporting the Rural Economy" in 2003/04, something which could not have been achieved without working in genuine partnership with other organisations and with communities themselves. Cameron sits on many external partnerships and groupings including the Northumberland Strategic Partnership (NSP) Business & Enterprise Sector Board, various local business forums, the Northumberland Renewable Energy Group and the Regional Forestry Steering Group. Charlotte Hursey Organisation: Heart of Teesdale Landscape Partnership Email: info@heartofteesdale.net Tel: 01833 696217 Geographical Area: Teesdale Charlotte is currently the Programme Development Officer for the new Heart of Teesdale Landscape Partnership which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and covers an area from Eggleston to Barnard Castle, then Winston and Gainford, south to Barforth and across to Hutton Magna, Barningham and Bowes, returning north via Cotherstone, Hunderthwaite and Romaldkirk. Previous work and experience includes: Rural community development work in Cambridgeshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire with two Rural Community Councils, including support to parish councils, village halls, playing fields and involvement in development of rural programmes and strategies. Specialist expertise in funding advice and support to community groups. Research on rural decision making, and integrated rural strategies. Research and facilitation on voluntary and community sector, and development of an Area Profiles approach. International development experience: as a VSO in Cambodia working within a local Cambodian NGO, and through research and fieldwork in northern Chile, both focusing on capacity building, especially in rural and remote areas. As a volunteer involved in several local groups in home community including local history and heritage, regeneration, environmental and arts activities. Former voluntary member of the Coast, Wolds, Waterways and Wetlands LEADER Local Action Group (East Riding and North Ridings of Yorkshire) serving on the main LAG, Decision Making Body, and Publicity and Communications Sub Group. Also has been involved with a number of European visits and exchanges, principally through the European Rural University, including organisation and translation for study tours.  Pam Forbes I have lived and worked in Weardale since 1973. My 3 children grew up in the dale. All 3 attended local schools and left the area for further education, employment and housing opportunities not available here. I am self-employed & my day job is coordinating Know Your North Pennines training programme on behalf of the business cluster group Pennine Horizons. I have always been active in the community and I am familiar with the many rural issues affecting day to day living here. I've been involved in voluntary work all my life and over the years have gained experience in setting up & running voluntary groups & charities and in project management. I am currently hon secretary to Weardale Community Partnership and Weardale Community Transport, a committee member of Friends of Killhope and Chair of Weardale's AAP, Weardale Action Partnership. I am committed to the Leader approach and community-led methods of delivering sustainable development.  Ian Forbes I live in Weardale and was manager of Killhope, the North of England Lead Mining Museum between 1984 and spring 2010, when I retired. During this time I gained satisfaction from making links from the museum to the wider community, and working with a wide range of individuals and community groups. For several years I was one of the two representatives from the North Pennines AONB on the European Geopark Network, and I also enjoyed chairing the Historic Environment Working Group of the North Pennines AONB until my retirement. I chaired the Weardale Visitors Network, and worked closely with Visit County Durham to promote the Durham dales in the North Pennines. I am currently a committee member of the Friends of Killhope, the Weardale Field Study Society, the Know Your North Pennines steering group, the North Pennines Historic Environment working group, the Geopark advisory group and the North East Vernacular Architecture group. I am strongly committed to the Leader approach to rural development.  Organisation: Garden Historian Email: fionagreen@hotmail.co.uk Tel: 01207 529640 Geographical Area: Northumberland Fiona Green is an authority on historic designed landscapes in North East England, she has extensive knowledge of archives in the region and is experienced in using all aspects of the collections. Her work involves researching, analysing and defining the historic significance of designed landscapes. Work undertaken recently has included; assessments of significance prior to applications for planning proposals, Conservation Plans, research for English Heritage, Natural England and research to support applications to the Heritage Lottery Fund - Parks for People and advising on the restoration of public parks such as Saltwell Park in Gateshead, Leazes Park, Newcastle upon Tyne and is currently involved with the Ouseburn Parks, Newcastle upon Tyne and Stewart Parks, Middlesbrough. She has also completed a number of targeted research projects for the Countryside Commission (Orchards in the North 1999), English Heritage Register Review - Northumberland, Tyne & Wear and County Durham, Tyne and Wear Conservation Team - Historic Parks and Gardens in Tyne & Wear. In April 2004 she was Guest Curator of an exhibition at Bowes Museum 'Grand Designs from Black Diamonds' which explored the history and conservation of gardens in North East England. In 2005 she was a panel member for the North East Regional Research Framework - Post Medieval Section in collaboration with Durham University. She has also provided expert advice on panels devising Local Lists for Gateshead Council, Newcastle City Council and North Tyneside Council. Fiona is a trustee for the Tyne & Wear Museum Development Trust and having been Secretary for Northumbria Gardens Trust for the past 10 years she is now chair.  Organisation: Hartleyburn Parish Council Email: Tel: Geographical Area: Northumberland I am a qualified electronics engineer and ran my own business in London for almost 30 years before moving to Cumbria in 2004. Now semi-retired, I have a keen interest in renewable energy systems and have designed and constructed my own solar water heating system. I like to be involved with the local community and am currently a member of Hartleyburn Parish Council.  Organisation: Durham Rural Community Council (DRCC) Email: lesley.millgate@durhamrcc.org.uk Tel: 01207 529 621 Gepgraphical Area: County Durham I have been employed by Durham Rural Community Council (DRCC) since 2006 initially as a Rural Development Officer and latterly as Development Manager. My role brings me into contact with a wide range of community groups operating within the rural areas of the county. From 1996 -2006 I was employed by the Countryside Agency during which time I managed and administered grant schemes aimed primarily at rural communities. The Vital Villages Programme offered a range of funding for community activities and the Local heritage Initiative focused on support for heritage based schemes driven by community activists Prior to my work with the Countryside Agency I worked for the Rural Development Commission managing the Rural Development Programme in County Durham and the Rural Challenge Programme for Derwentside.  Andrew Walker I was appointed as Area Action Partnership Coordinator for Weardale in July 2009 having previously worked in Regeneration and Economic Development at City of Sunderland and Durham County Council.  Hazel Coppack I have worked with Teesdale Marketing, with whom I am now a director, since 2003 and am currently project managing their local food project, Love Food, which is a partnership project to support and promote the production, use and appreciation of locally grown, reared or produced food in our rural, North Pennine Dales area from Barnard Castle in the south to Hexham in the north. Educated at Newcastle University with degrees in Botany and Microbiology, I taught secondary school sciences and then was the trading standards officer for an international pharmaceutical and household products company before moving from the city to Barnard Castle nearly 30 years ago. Whilst raising our three children, who are all Teesdale-born, I was involved in a voluntary capacity with local schools and, prior to my husband and I setting up our own company ten years ago, I spent several years as the chairman of governors of a local primary school.  Natalie Connor  Organisation: George F White Email: robynpeat@georgefwhite.co.uk Tel: 01388 529560 Geographical Area: County Durham Trained at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. Experience in the south east of England and Oxford. Joined George F White in 1989 and became a Partner in the Wolsingham Office in 1992. Elected Fellow of the Royal Institution in 1998. Senior Partner at Wolsingham Office of George F White working with a team of four qualified chartered surveyors and a graduate. |
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