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Meet the Team

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The Sandstone Ridge Trust is run by a Board of up to 10 Trustees; all of whom are volunteers. The team is responsible for the overall management of the Trust, its strategic direction and finances.

Current Trustees:

  • Andrew Hull (Chair)
    Andrew is Emeritus Professor of Landscape Ecology at Liverpool John Moores University. Having set up the Ponds Research Unit in 1990, the first audit of Cheshire ponds was undertaken soon afterwards, demonstrating the serious loss of ponds in the county. From 1995-1999 he was seconded from the University to become Project Director of the EU-funded "Pond Life Project" working in the UK, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands. Outputs from this project have become a benchmark for pond conservation both in the UK and beyond, including the need to work at a landscape scale; including stakeholder involvement and working with volunteers. He was the first President of the European Pond Conservation Network (EPCN) which seeks to influence key decision makers of the need for greater recognition and support for the conservation of these small but significant wetland features.
  • Peter Winn
    Peter is a retired Senior Lecturer in the Performing Arts from the University of Chester. He has studied and taught in Britain, Canada and the USA and has a PhD in Theatre History. When Peter retired in 2009, he decided to take up a continuing interest in Archaeology and was awarded an MA in that subject at the University of Manchester in 2012. He participated as a volunteer and enthusiastic "digger" at the Poulton Research Project and on the Habitats and Hillforts Landscape Partnership Scheme where he took a particular interest in the Iron Age hill-forts of the Ridge, writing his Masters Dissertation on that subject. He joined the Sandstone Ridge Trust in order to represent the interests of those volunteers who hoped to participate in further practical projects along the Ridge, exploring our heritage and interpreting the sites for future generations. He has facilitated workshops for the Trust in Archaeological Field-walking and in the identification of Ancient Trees, and more recently helped to manage the HLF-funded Ridge: Rocks and Springs Project which engaged up to forty volunteers in a three-year survey of the quarries, wells and rock-carvings on the Ridge. Peter is currently leading the Trust's Beneath the Ridge Project. Peter is a keen walker of all the trails on the Ridge and lives in Cuddington.
  • Graham Church
    Graham has been involved in conservation projects as a volunteer across Cheshire and North Wales for more than 20 years and has been a Trustee of the Sandstone Ridge Trust since November 2012. Outside of work he has a passion for conservation — anything from dry stone walling to the creation of new woodlands and protecting wildlife habitats to pathway renovation and restoration work along the Sandstone Trail. He also volunteered on several of the Habitats and Hillforts projects led by Cheshire West and Chester Council. More recently, Graham embarked on an MBA postgraduate course at the University of Chester where his dissertation focused upon Natural Capital Accounting seeking to better understand how the total stocks and flows of natural resources might affect the ecosystem of the Ridge and influence the outcomes of strategic decisions for Councils and local landowners.
  • Stewart Pain (Vice Chair)
    Stewart has been one of our Trustees since 2015. He is a Mechanical Engineer, having had a career in project and business management, including significant experience of managing change and in developing applications and justifications for proposed new developments. Stewart has subsequently built on these skills in a wide range of volunteering roles. These, amongst other things, have developed his fundraising skills, and have helped organisations develop a more strategic approach to their work, which is also relevant to his work with the Sandstone Ridge Trust. Stewart is currently the Vice Chair of our Team.
  • Derek Bell
    Derek is a teacher, researcher, advisor and advocate for improving and enriching education for all; particularly through the living landscape. He has worked in schools and universities as well as holding senior positions in national organisations. Derek remains active in education, nationally and internationally and has a wide range of publications. He has served as Trustee for several organisations. Becoming a Trustee in 2017 and living near the southern edge of the Ridge, Derek has enjoyed our remarkable landscape for the best part of 40 years; particularly through his interests in ecology, environmental studies and primary science. Derek currently takes the lead in developing our partnerships.
  • Terri Hull
    Having previously volunteered for the Sandstone Ridge Trust, Terri became a Trustee in 2021. She is tasked with scheduling communications, in researching content and images, and in keeping our Website up-to-date. Terri also manages the online archive of the Trust. She is developing a more robust communications platform.
  • Nicholas Holmes
    After gaining an MSc and PhD in palaeontological research, Nick spent an initial 3 years in Aberdeen as a geological consultant, before moving to Cheshire and living in close proximity to the Ridge. Based in Chester, Nick then set up his own consultancy in 1995 (in Northwich), to provide a range of geological services; growing the business to one of the largest of its type in the UK. He was responsible for marketing, developing and managing often very large, international projects, as well as providing technical lead and interpretation. Latterly, Nick was an Associate Lecturer at Birmingham University, teaching environmental interpretation of fossil groups on an MSc Course. Following recent retirement, he has been involved in various Sandstone Ridge Trust projects as well as volunteering for Cheshire Wildlife Trust. Nick's background, together with a strong interest in the forces that shape the landscape of the Ridge, make Nick a welcome addition to the team of Trustees. Nick is very keen to develop our appreciation of and public accessibility to local geological heritage.
  • Alexandra Roberts and Ian Betteley
    Alex is our day-to-day Book-Keeper, with Ian Betteley kindly providing further support regarding the finances of our organisation.

Our Patron:

  • David Briggs CVO MBE KStJ is Patron of the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge Trust. Retired Lord-Lieutenant of Cheshire, David is passionately involved with a number of charitable organisations. We very much look forward to working with David in the coming months as he supports the Trust in its long term strategic plan.