How we are run

Wildflower © Gemma de Gouveia

Wildflower © Gemma de Gouveia

How we are run

Get to know us a bit better

With over 70 members of staff, more than 300 active volunteers and 27,000 supporters, we have a big team at Dorset Wildlife Trust. We are committed to ensuring that there is a secure future for Dorset’s nature - its distinctive wildlife and natural spaces. We use a sound evidence base, influence and wide practical experience of land management and marine conservation to inspire, inform and engage people in Dorset.

Through our guidance and support, we aim to help others to pursue policies that are beneficial for nature within both the rural and urban economy. We provide opportunities for everyone to appreciate and understand Dorset's unparalleled natural heritage and strive to ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy a quality of life at least as rich and diverse as we have now.

We do this in Dorset through co-operating in partnerships and also regionally and nationally, through our affiliation with 46 other County Trusts within the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts. Find out more at The Wildlife Trusts website.

Join us and help protect Dorset's wildlife and wild places 

Meet our President, Vice Presidents, Trustees, Patrons and Management Team

Meet our team, including our President, Dr George McGavin. 

President - Dr George McGavin

Dr George McGavin is an entomologist, author, academic, television presenter and explorer and has used his passion and knowledge to educate and inspire others to appreciate the natural world as much as he does.  You may be familiar with him from his appearances on the BBC One Show or as co-presenter of the BBC series; Expedition.

Working in television was an unexpected venture, but George’s passion for wildlife developed from a young age. He said, “The natural world was all I was interested in when growing up. I feel that we should all be completely obsessed with it. If you take it away then we have nothing left.” Whilst working as a teacher and a researcher at Oxford University, George had already done a few things on TV, but he started to realise that he was preaching to the converted in academia. “I felt that being on TV was an important job, and I wanted to prove to myself I could do it. I needed to reach a new audience. I was at Oxford University for 25 years and I was lucky to be paid to share my enthusiasm for the natural world but in December 2007, I typed my resignation letter, and my career in TV started after that.”

For George, TV was not a planned career path. Having suffered with a bad stammer until about 14 years of age, it’s the last thing he imagined himself doing. “TV happened very suddenly, it wasn’t planned. I got better at controlling my stammer but it will never completely go away. I am very fortunate to have experienced expeditions, explorations, pre-historic autopsies and dissections, and have made over 100 films for The One Show.” 

Education is also a key part of George’s environment manifesto: “More education about the natural world and understanding the damage we are doing is needed. If I could rule the world, teachers would be the most highly paid – especially in primary and junior education as this is the place where awareness of our environment for children should start. From the ages of 5-10 children learn more than any other time in their lives. It’s hard to unlearn bad habits, but if they are instilled early on then there is hope. We should be encouraging kids to get outside in the natural world.” 

George has chosen Dorset as one of his favourite places in the UK, and with good reason. “Heathland is my favourite habitat, and there’s plenty of that in Dorset. It’s much like Scotland, with Scots pine, heather and bracken, but it’s warmer! I adore the South West Coast Path; it’s so uplifting walking along it and reminds us that we live on an island. The varied typology, diverse range of habitats and micro habitats makes Dorset a unique spot. I plan to retire to this wonderful county.”

Along with Dorset Wildlife Trust's members, supporters, volunteers and partners, George believes strongly that we should appreciate what we have and do everything we can to take care of it and value it. 

He said: “As President of Dorset Wildlife Trust, I would like to be able to do as much as I can to further the aims of the Trust. I was born whilst Wildlife Trusts were being established in the UK, and believe they are so important to the management and protection of our environment, not just locally, but nationally. At the end of my time as President, I want to feel I’ve made a difference and look forward to meeting like-minded members and supporters, and welcoming and inspiring new ones.”  

George McGavin © Sally Welbourn

George McGavin © Sally Welbourn

Vice Presidents

L. R. Bunce
Dr L. E. Haskins
J. Powne
J. McDavid

Patrons

Ms Sybyl Fine King

Sir John Eliot Gardiner

Meet our Board of Trustees

Chair - Professor Mark Kibblewhite, PhD, MBA, CChem, FRSC, CEnv, FIAgrE

Vice Chair- Professor Mark Kibblewhite

Vice Chair- Professor Mark Kibblewhite

Mark lives within the landscape of his upbringing, in Beaminster. Mark became a trustee of Dorset Wildlife Trust in 2016, Vice Chair in 2018 and Chair in December 2020.  He studied chemistry at York, has a PhD in soil science from Aberdeen, an MBA from Cranfield, and is a former President of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers. He has worked in the water industry, the civil service and in environmental consulting, and was Head of Land Quality at the Environment Agency and then Director of the National Soil Resources Institute at Cranfield University, where he is now an Emeritus Professor. He continues to give expert advice on soil resources to a range of governments and international organisations. Mark is a Quaker and a member of Bridport Meeting. His passions are the natural world, sailing and music.

Vice Chair - Jo Davies, MBE

Chair - Jo Davies, MBE

DWT Board of Trustees Chair - Jo Davies, MBE

Jo Davies has been engaged in the voluntary sector all her life, starting up charities involved in education and disability. She is still involved with Green Island Holiday Trust started in 1991 and for which she received an MBE in 2002.

She was recruited into Dorset Wildlife Trust by our late President Helen Brotherton to run the fundraising for the purchase of Brooklands Farm, our headquarters. She is currently a Vice Chair having served as Chair for three years and sits on various committees. She has a particular interest in the financial governance of the Trust and the development of our visitor centres.

Jo is passionate about the natural world with a special interest in birds. Her hobbies include cooking, gardening, walking and music. She is also kept busy with ten grandchildren.

Vice Chair - Jim White, MBE, BSc

Trustee - Jim White

Trustee - Jim White

Jim graduated in Botany from London University after which he worked in nature conservation for his entire career, including as Conservation Officer for Hampshire Wildlife Trust, and for nearly 30 years with Nature Conservancy Council and English Nature, the latter as Dorset Team Manager. On retiring from EN in 2006 he was elected a Trustee of DWT and has been appointed recently to the post of joint Vice Chairman. He also currently chairs the Dorset AONB Partnership Board and is a regular NT volunteer. Jim is passionate about nature and enjoys sharing this enthusiasm. He was made an MBE in 2008, for services to nature conservation in Dorset.

Trustee - John Gaye

Trustee John Gaye

Trustee John Gaye

John first developed his passion for conservation and wildlife during his twenty years in the Army, serving with the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment. Then, on attending the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester, he learnt so much more about biodiversity and habitat management while training in agricultural and estate management. John went on to become a land agent, then farmer and businessman. He is now retired. He has been a member of Dorset Wildllife Trust since 1983 and a Trustee since 1997.  He was Chairman of the Dogs Trust and is currently a trustee of the Worldwide Veterinary Service. John is a member of the Health & Safety Committee.

Trustee - Giles Pugh, FCA, BSc (ECON)

Trustee - Giles Pugh

Trustee - Giles Pugh

Giles qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price  Waterhouse in 1992 and has over 25 years’ experience of working at Finance Director level in the charitable, education and health sectors. He has, within these roles, been the Chair of a number of specialist finance member bodies and is currently both the Deputy Director of Education/Finance Director of the Salisbury Diocesan Board of Education and a trustee and Chair of the audit committee of the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust. He has a keen interest in nature and conservation and has been a member of DWT since moving to Dorset with his wife and 2 daughters 20 years ago.  He was appointed as a trustee of DWT in 2017, Chairs the Risk & Audit Committee and sits on Finance Committee.

Trustee - Isla Reynolds

Trustee - Isla Reynolds

Trustee - Isla Reynolds

Isla is the Director of Marketing and Communications at BCP Council, leading a large team of marketing, corporate communications, web and creative professionals. With over a decade at the RNLI and more recently as a Head of External Communications and Stakeholder Management at HM Courts and Tribunals Service (part of the Ministry of Justice) Isla has a range of experience in the charity and public sectors. She specialises in strategic marketing and communications, reputation management, stakeholder engagement and leading teams through change. Over the last three years she has supported Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Fundraising and Marketing team, and in doing so learning more about the county’s unique wildlife and the charity’s role in protecting it for everyone.

Trustee - Anne Wheatcroft, BA, MSc

Trustee- Anne Wheatcroft

Trustee- Anne Wheatcroft

Anne became a Trustee in 2003, when she retired to Dorset. She trained as a statistician and spent the first part of her career in the Government Statistical Service, finally as the Chief Statistician in the Department of Employment responsible for the unemployment figures. She then moved into finance and management roles in DE, was Director of Personnel at HSE between1994-1998 and then, until her retirement, Director of Business Services on the Board of the Valuation Office Agency. Anne became interested in wildlife through visiting wild places, particularly the Arctic, climbing and sea kayaking. Her primary interest is birds, but she aspires to be a competent all-round naturalist. She travels widely in search of wildlife in this country and abroad. Anne currently chairs the Finance Committee and is a member of the Personnel & remuneration Committee and Conservation Committee.

Trustee - Roger Cole, BA, GDL

Trustee - Roger Cole

Trustee - Roger Cole

Roger studied History at the University of Reading and went on to do a post-graduate Diploma in Law before qualifying as a solicitor. Based in Weymouth, he now works as a corporate commercial solicitor for a local Dorset and Somerset law firm. Roger has always taken a keen interest in wildlife and spends his spare time going on long walks in Dorset’s beautiful countryside and trying to improve his birding skills along the way!

Trustee - Gail Ninnim, FCA, BA

Gail Ninnim

Trustee - Gail Ninnim

Gail is the Managing Director of an automotive retail group operating over five sites in Dorset and Somerset – representing the Audi and Volvo franchises and has been with the business since its foundation in 2000. She joined as Financial Controller, subsequently being promoted to Finance Director, Commercial Director and then Managing Director in 2019. Over her time with the group she has been part of its substantial growth, exciting multi-million redevelopments, commercial acquisitions and helped steer the business through rougher waters – always putting people at the heart of the business.

Originally from Cornwall, Gail studied at Manchester Metropolitan University gaining an Accounting and Finance honours degree in 1991, followed by professional studies to qualify as a Chartered Accountant with Moore Stephens. After a couple of years with Baker Tilly in Yeovil gaining experience of audit, risk management and special projects she moved into industry in 1998 to a motor business in Yeovil before her appointment in Poole in 2000.

A lifelong lover of wildlife and the natural world she has travelled extensively for her hobby of photography including Madagascar and Borneo- as well as Skomer in Wales, the Farne Islands and Skye. However some of her favourite pictures have been captured in Dorset where she enjoys countryside walks with her husband and cockapoo Chester.

Trustee - John Stobart

John Stobart

Trustee - John Stobart 

John has worked in Dorset as a professional conservationist for over 20 years, initially with the Dorset Wildlife Trust and since 1999 with the Government’s statutory conservation body Natural England and its predecessor English Nature. John sits on the Dorset Sites of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI) Selection Panel and is a member of Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Conservation Committee. He brings experience of the planning system and wildlife legislation and is a skilled naturalist with an extensive knowledge of Dorset’s habitats.

Trustee - Simon Goldsack

Simon Goldsack

Trustee - Simon Goldsack

Born and raised in Purbeck on a dairy farm, Simon has spent his entire life in Dorset. He and his wife Liz have developed a substantial rural retail business on a former fruit farm which now includes a garden centre, farm shop and café. Simon has always been fascinated by plants, fungi and the rural environment and more recently the fauna it supports. He is now turning the fruit farm into 24 acre public botanic garden and wildlife park.

Trustee - Lisbet Sherlock

Lisbet Sherlock

Lisbet Sherlock

Following a successful business career in corporate communications in the high-tech sector, I now dedicate my time to environmental, cultural and history projects. Until October 2023 I was a trustee at the Chiltern Society which campaigns, conserves and promotes the Chilterns area, a role which I gave up due to relocation. I chaired the fundraising and awareness committee and contributed to heritage and strategy initiatives. Additionally, I am writing the history of two Lancashire-based suffragettes as well as working on a project for the Soil Association which involves researching and writing the history of a farm as it makes its journey back to sustainable practices. I am a lifelong lover of the countryside and of Dorset in particular.

Trustee - Leo Henley-Lock

Leo Henley-Lock

Leo Henley-Lock

Leo graduated in Countryside Management BSc from Aberystwyth University and has worked as a professional conservationist for over 20 years. With a diverse background of farming, forestry, conservation and teaching experience, he brings with him a depth of operational experience and strategic planning, accompanied by a passion for Dorset’s nature and wildlife.

Leo currently works as Countryside Manager for the National Trust, leading the Trust’s Countryside teams and strategic planning for nature recovery on National Trust land in north and west Dorset. He has previously worked for Dorset Wildlife Trust, initially as Project Officer on the hugely successful Portland Living Landscapes project and more latterly as Reserves Manager for South and East Dorset until 2020.

Living in north Dorset, Leo spends much of his free time with his family exploring Dorset’s nature rich coast and countryside.

Trustee - Ian Alexander

Ian Alexander

Ian Alexander 

I grew up around Poole Harbour where volunteering on Dorset Wildlife Trust’s area of Brownsea Island was a formative experience in convincing me to pursue a career in conservation. Since graduating as an ecologist I have been a professional conservationist with the bulk of my career spent in Dorset working for a variety of voluntary and public sector organisations. I’m presently employed by Natural England where the bulk of my time is spent plotting and working with partners to deliver nature’s recovery.

Meet our CE and Senior Management Team

Chief Executive - Brian Bleese

Acting Chief Executive Brian Bleese

Brian has been with Dorset Wildlife Trust since 1998 and since then has held a variety of roles before becoming acting Chief Executive in 2019. His previous role was that of Director of Operations and Development, overseeing and ensuring that key core operational functions including Health and Safety, Human Resources, ICT, resources and infrastructure, were fit for purpose. Brian has also led the development of a number of major projects including the development of the Wild Chesil Centre, The Great Heath initiative and the installation of renewable biomass heating systems at a number of facilities. Brian also represents Dorset Wildlife Trust on a number of external bodies including the Dorset AONB Board, Wessex Angling Trust, Dorset Food and Drink and as Chairman of the Purbeck Heritage Network. A Swanage resident with local roots in the Purbeck stone quarrying industry, Brian enjoys sea angling, photography and exploring local food and drink.

Director of Fundraising and Marketing - Sara Thompson

Director of Fundraising and Marketing Sara Thompson

Director of Fundraising and Marketing Sara Thompson

As the Director of Fundraising and Marketing, Sara oversees all our fundraising, membership and communications programmes. Sara joined Dorset Wildlife Trust after working in senior roles in marketing, fundraising and engagement at the University of Southampton and the RNLI. She is also a Director of South West Wildlife Fundraising Limited, a company that provides fundraising services to the seven south west Wildlife Trusts. A Poole resident, Sara has two children who enjoy being outdoors and spending time in nature as much as she does.

Director of Nature-based Solutions - Imogen Davenport

Director of Conservation Policy - Imogen Davenport

Director of Conservation Policy - Imogen Davenport

Imogen has worked for Dorset Wildlife Trust since 1996, becoming Head of Conservation in 2001 and Director of Conservation in 2009. She has a degree in Environmental Science and prior to moving to Dorset, volunteered for several wildlife charities in Berkshire and worked as countryside ranger in Buckinghamshire and for Surrey Wildlife Trust as a botanical surveyor. Imogen has been closely involved over the years in the development of Dorset’s biodiversity strategy, its Sites of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI) project, the Dorset Local Nature Partnership and Dorset Wildlife Trust's Living Landscapes approach. 

Director of Finance and Resources - Sue Patterson

Director of Finance and Resources - Sue Patterson

Director of Finance and Resources - Sue Patterson

Sue is a Chartered Accountant and worked in practice in London for a number of years, initially in the corporate sector and latterly specialising in the not-for-profit sector. Clients included overseas aid and grant making charities, various professional institutes and further education establishments. Sue moved to Dorset in 2011 to join Dorset Wildlife Trust having been a keen volunteer with the Kent Wildlife Trust. She is the Company Secretary of Dorset Wildlife Trust and a director of DTNC (Sales) Limited and Dorset Ecology Limited.

Director of Nature Recovery Networks - Andrew Pollard

Director of Landscape Conservation - Andrew Pollard

Director of Landscape Conservation - Andrew Pollard

Andrew’s role is to lead the development of our Living Landscapes and Seas programmes to deliver large-scale wildlife conservation works and run Dorset Wildlife Trust’s visitor centres. Andrew has worked for Dorset Wildlife Trust since 2003, when he returned to the county he grew up in. Before starting with the Trust, Andrew held posts relating to biodiversity conservation with a number of organisations including Plymouth University, Kent County Council and Somerset Environmental Records Centre. Andrew and his young family enjoy all that the greatest county in the world has to offer; whether that’s hunting heathland insects or kayaking along Dorset’s rich coastline.

Public Documents

Below you will also find information about our financial review, articles of association and supporter care charter. Simply click the arrows to learn more.

Review of Our Work

Annual Review Highlights 2021-22

Annual Review Highlights 2022-23

Our Articles of Association

Our Charter for our Supporters

Hedgehog in autumn leaves (captive, rescue animal)

WildNet - Tom Marshall

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Woodland (veteran trees) in Dorset © Ross Hoddinott/2020VISION

Woodland (veteran trees) in Dorset © Ross Hoddinott/2020VISION

 

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