Our Members

Northumberland Uplands Local Action Group

The Northumberland Uplands Local Action Group has drawn its membership from targeted sectors, not only to ensure that there is a strong representation from the local people that can influence the success of the New LEADER Approach, but also to take steps to engage with those that had limited involvement with previous LEADER activities in the area. It has been recruited to provide:

• A good range of knowledge and experience across the New LEADER themes
• Effective geographical representation across the Northumberland Uplands area
• A balance in favour of the local community, voluntary and private sectors
• A commitment to equal opportunities

The Local Action Group has an agreed constitution, which includes a statement of culture and values.  it is used to ensure consistent good practice and to ask members to work in a manner of mutual respect.  Download the group's constitution.

Please ensure that are project enquiries are directed to the LEADER Local Action Group Co-ordinator in the first instance.

Roger WilsonRoger Wilson - Chair

Roger Wilson has lived in Northumberland National Park for over 17 years. Roger is Director of Tyne Team Limited, Company Secretary of Tarset 2050 Community Interest Company, Vice Chair of the Tynedale Enterprise Project, and a freelance advisor to Business Link Northumberland. Roger helps farms to diversify by branching out their existing business into the tourism, retail, recreation, forestry and renewable energy sectors. Roger believes that the challenge for the upland areas is quite simply survial. Survival of farming or a means of looking after land; survival of communities at a time when there is an increasingly aged population and a younger generation unable to afford to live in these areas even if they choose to do so; survivial of basic services which are all the time diminished; and survival of the environment that provides pleasure to residents and visitors alike.

Heather HunterHeather Hunter - Vice Chair

Heather has over five years of experience as a senior manager in further education, regeneration, and economic development. Heather has a professional knowledge and understanding of micro-enterprises, and runs her own businesses, in the local tourism sector and economic regeneration throughout the region and Cumbria in the NorthWest. Heather is particularly strong in the field of employment and skills development. She welcomes the opportunity to become a strong community representative, and to help raise the aspirations of people that are typically suffering from isolation and underemployment. Heather brings a host of European and national funding experience to the Local Action Group.

Anna CharltonAnna Charlton

Anna is a resident and estate manager within Northumberland National Park, and is a Senior Management Consultant, with over 10 years of experience in banking, government, and retail industries. Anna has a PhD in Physics, and has spent several years studying and lecturing at Imperial College, London. Anna has a keen interest in renewable energy and is also a Trustee of the Calvert Trust, which is located at Kielder. Anna is also a member of the Northumberland National Park Sustainable Development Fund Grants Panel, and will help to foster linkages between the two groups. Anna's family haved lived and farmed around the North Tyne for over 675 years, and is deeply concerned about the fragile socio-economic performance of the Northumberland Uplands area. Anna understands that success depends on building confidence in the key sectors, while educating and raising awareness of the New LEADER Approach.

Anne LowrieAnne Lowrie

Anne has lived and worked in Northumberland for the past 30 years. She is a Parish Councillor for Longframlington and edits a village newsletter for the local community, which helps to inform and involve people in the latest rural developments. Anne previously ran the Rural Action Grant scheme, was a trustee of the Metro Radio Trust, and worked for both the Community Council of Northumberland and the Countryside Agency. In 2001 she gained a Masters degree at the University of Newcastle in Rural Resource and Countryside Management. Anne feels the challenges facing the Northumberland Uplands are: a low economy; service provision in remote rural areas; a lack of employment for younger people; an aging population; and a limited infrastructure network.

Anthony MurrayAnthony Murray

Anthony is an elected Member of the new Northumberland Council. He has served a number of community posts over the last 40 years. He has been a member of the National Farmers Union, and is a former Northumberland County Chairman. He has also fulfilled a number of roles at Chatton, Bellingham and Wooler, as a District Councillor, Parish Councillor, school governor, and as a church warden. Anthony also runs a garden centre. Anthony believes that sustainable development has got be generated by innovative businesses, affordable housing, and increased opportunities for those catering for tourists. Success can be measured by an improvement in the economy and desirability of the area. Anthony is a Councillor for Northumberland Council and a Member of Northumberland National Park Authority, being the Lead Member for Development Control, and a Cheviot Area Champion.

Elisabeth RowarkElisabeth Rowark

As Director of Kielder Partnership, Elisabeth is leading the partners through the delivery of the ten year development plan for Kielder Water & Forest Park in rural West Northumberland. The Kielder Partnership is a public, voluntary and private sector collaboration working to develop Kielder Water & Forest Park as an inspirational place for leisure, exploration and fun whilst working with its various communities to maximise the economic, environmental and social sustainability opportunities.

Partners are the Calvert Trust, Environment Agency, Forestry Commission, Northumberland County Council, Northumbrian Water, plus representation from community groups. Elisabeth is also Chairman of the Northumberland Strategic Partnership's Culture & Tourism Board and a member of the Northumberland Sport Board.

Elizabeth StewartElizabeth Stewart

Elizabeth comes from an agricultural background, and works as a farm business advisor, running rural training businesses, as a registered LANTRA Awards provider. Elizabeth also works with the Northumberland Young Farmers, and has been involved with the delivery of NVQs in agriculture, both as an assessor and as a tutor. Elizabeth will help to access and improve the opportunities for young people. Elizabeth feels that the challenges include developing communities so that there is a social centre for all age groups, better employment opportunities for young people, more tourism visitors, more affordable housing, and continued conservation of the environment.

James CooksonJames Cookson

James Cookson is running the Meldon Park Estate in parallel with the Land Agent and team. His experience of marketing helps with the development of these new enterprises on the Estate, having a positive effect on the estate and its surrounding community. Local food and drink is a passion and one which is driving the next new enterprise aiming to link the end consumer with tenant farmers on the estate. James also manages Flying Fox Sales & Marketing Solutions a consultancy business focused in working within the food and drink industry, dealing with small local producers to larger national manufacturers helping to develop the business through our expertise in a tailored packages meeting the demands of the individual client.

James SaunbyJames Saunby

James is a director of a micro-business based at Castle Morpeth. James is a keen advocate of economic development through enterprise and infrastructure growth, particularly through linking up remote rural businesses by using information technology systems. James’ work expands beyond the North East to cover the whole of the United Kingdom, therefore as well as being able to learn from the experiences of other LEADER programmes across the country, he is also in a position to share best practice from the Northumberland Uplands area. To support micro-enterprise development, the New LEADER Approach must put in place the systems and support infrastructures to improve business start-up rates and survival rates.

Jennifer HewitsonJennifer Hewitson

Jennifer was born and bred in the Northumberland Uplands, with her family farming in both Upper Coquetdale and Redesdale.  Jennifer has a keen interest in rural development, having studied rural based disciplines for five years, including an MSc degree in Rural Development and Resource Management.  Having worked as a project officer for Rural Development Initiatives in the Northwoods office, delivering an RDPE grant programme for forestry businesses, she now works at Northumberland National Park coordinating the Upland Farming Traineeship project.  She is keen to take an active role in community led, sustainable rural development in the Northumberland Uplands.

Mike MurrayMike Murray

Although Mike was born and brought up in Northumberland, he spent 15 years running Development Programmes in Africa, which included running various small grant schemes, worth over £250,000 per annum, primarily focussed on improving infrastructure. Mike returned to England in 2006, and is now a member of the Advisory Board of the Tynedale Enterprise Project and the Friends of Bellingham Surgery. Mike believes that sustainable development in the Northumberland Uplands is likely to be community-based and inclusive, requiring a collaboration of the public and private sectors. The key focus areas must be public services, affordable housing, and awareness raising of rural realities for people at all levels.

Michael NixonMichael Nixon

Michael Nixon is a micro-enterprise specialist, and he is a board member of Tynedale Enterprise Project. Michael is an active member of his local community, with a particular interest in sustainable farming practices. Michael firmly believes that local communities can be engaged through LEADER, encouraging them to think of their own solutions to their local challenges. Michael is concerned about the sustainability of both farming and the rural community, and belives that the current methods of income generation are not fully fit for purpose in the current climate. Sustainable development is only achievable when the proposals are fully understood and appreciated by the communities that are affected. If the community is encouraged to believe that they can think of their own solutions, then there be a better chance of success.

Pat Beaumont

Pat Beaumont is an independent human resources and management consultant, who specialises in employability and skills in rural areas. She project manages the Northumberland Employability and Work Service’s rural employability project, which includes supporting local projects in North Northumberland. Pat’s interests include local history, archaeology and all things equestrian.

Stuart MossStuart Moss

Stuart works as part of the England Catchment Sensitive Farming Delivery Initiative, which is partnership between defra, Natural England and the Environment Agency. It aims to improve water quality by working with farmers and landowners to reduce pollution, and encourage best practice. Stuart believes that support from communities and partnerships will be instrumental to the success of the New LEADER approach. Northumberland is one of the largest rural counties, and that fact alone appeals to people living and working in the area. This uniqueness is something that is worth trying to enchance and develop. The remote position will allow us to develop small-scale, local, sustainable, and renewable methods of producing power. Support from the community and other partnerships are instrumental to success.

Wendy BondWendy Bond

Wendy has worked at the heart of her local community to help transform it into a busy and happy place, by encouraging organisations to expand, and through setting up a regular Farmers Market. Wendy has been a member of the Northumberland Wildlife Trust since 1973, and has a good knowledge of the issues surrounding hill farming. Wendy brings experience of the North Pennines LEADER 2 and LEADER + programmes. Sustainable development, as far as communities are concerned, is when people feel they can make a difference, and enjoy doing it. Sustainability is about keeping the ball rolling, through encouragement, advice, and a good strategy for the future.

Gerard van der VeenGerard van der Veen

Attracted by its tranquillity, Gerard and his family started their rural domicile in Northumberland just over 10 years ago. His expertise lies in innovation and shaping the future of the multinational industry. Started as a design engineer, he became futurist & trend researcher spending his last 6 years in the Netherlands as a groupleader and MT adviser on stratigic issues for Philips Corporate Design.  Arriving in the UK he was awarded an EPSRC research grant, a Research Fellow for 4 years within UK’s academia, applying his methodology within the next generation of manufacturing. His particular interest now lies in the future of the Northumberlands Uplands, it’s development of small rural businesses set within an area of outstanding beauty and embedded in a rich cultural heritage. After running recycling & renewable energy projects advocating novel idea’s originated from fundamental research to model consumer behaviour, he now hopes to co-establish emerging trends like the bottom up approach, i.e. entrepreneurial thinking. The creation of sustainable manufacuring, derived from local needs and demands of small communities. Passionate about Nature, strong believer in modest human intervention, he started his micro business to demonstrate viable sustainable design priciples in art & craft based products.

Alan WinlowAlan Winlow, MBE

Alan is a native of Thrunton in the Northumberland Uplands Area. Starting with planting trees provided by a neighbour at an early age he has developed a life long interest in environmental issues. He has been responsible for large land restoration and renewable energy projects, winning the prestigious national Business and Industry Environment Annual Award in 1991. The schemes involved the wider community and included contributions from numerous schools, universities, scientific organisations, conservation groups, local government and a jail. As a founder member of the UK Deming Forum he introduced the ideas of Dr W Edwards Deming into several large businesses leading to remarkable improvements in performance. Myron Tribus, a regular contributor to the Forum explains that; “People work in a system. The job of the leader is to work on the system to improve it – everyone helps” Alan hopes that he can assist with improving the Northumberland Uplands system.

Ben TanseyBen Tansey

Originally a trained forester and having spent several years working on the economic development of the forestry sector across Northumberland, I’ve spent the last few years working at the demand end of the wood supply chain - stimulating the demand for wood fuel as a Business Development Manager for one of the UK’s leading wood fuel boiler installation companies.  As the newly appointed Northwoods Director, I hope to continue the excellent work supporting forestry businesses and improve the wood fuel supply chains, improving the economic and environmental contribution trees, forests and woodlands can make.  A resident of Northumberland and a Parish Councillor for Glanton, I’d hope to be able to contribute experience of the rural and forestry sectors, business development and renewable energy to the Northumberland Uplands Local Action Group.

Peter MurrayPeter Murray

Peter Murray brought up in Felton, and went to school in Alnwick prior to studying Plant Sciences at Oxford. He  currently lives in the North Pennines farming small numbers of Highland cattle and rare breed sheep as well as breeding sports horses. Peter has spent thirty years in the pharmaceutical industry, founding and running three start-up companies and being a member of the Board of an AIM-listed plc. An entrepreneur, Peter is keenly interested in the start-up and development of sustainable businesses in rural areas. Peter is a Member of the Northumberland National Park Authority, where he chairs the Review Panel and is a member of the North Tyne and Redesdale Action Area Working Group.

Dagmar WinterDagmar Winter

Dagmar Winter is the Newcastle Diocesan Rural Affairs Officer, based in Kirkwhelpington and having a great love for the Northumberland Uplands she is well aware of the precious and threatened nature of the communities that make up the Northumberland Uplands. She hopes to help facilitate and support creative ideas and enterprise which tackle issues and offer opportunities for traditional and new upland livelihoods. Impressed with NULAG's work to date which makes a difference to people's lives she hopes her contribution will further the positive effects such groups can have on the Northumberland Uplands.

Dagmar brings to the NULAG:

• a good understanding of how people and communities work (through her work as a parish priest, Secretary to Village Hall Committee etc)
• an analytical mind
• good communication skills
• an understanding of the pressures on upland hill farmers (Chaplain to Farm Crisis Network Northumberland, regular visitor at Auction Mart and similar gatherings)
• an awareness of the - just about still current - "regional" rural issues (Vice-Chair of the North East Rural Affairs Forum)
• experience of heritage and tourism issues (previous post at Hexham Abbey)
• contacts through many and varied rural networks (Northern Rural Network; Stronger Communities Partnership NCC; rural clergy in Northumberland and nationally; Rural Affairs Group of the Church of England