Herefordshire Local Access Forum Members

Neil Barnes

Neil has been a member of the Forum since its inception in 2003 and has gained from this experience a fuller insight into both the operation of the Herefordshire Rights of Way Department and of the major public concerns in this area.

Before becoming a member of the Forum, Neil served for five years as the local Footpaths Officer for the Vowchurch Group Parish Council and has recently been a Trustee of the Herefordshire Nature Trust. Neil has a London University Certificate in Ecology & Conservation and undertook a significant part of the desk research for David Whitehead's recent book "A Survey of Historic Parks and Gardens in Herefordshire".

Neil and his wife own a small acreage of pasture land, part of which is in the Higher Level Stewardship scheme and over which there are several rights of way. He is an active member of Herefordshire FWAG. The concerns of the Forum therefore touch a range of his own personal interests and experience and he intends to use these to help maintain and enhance the best qualities of Herefordshire's rural environment for the enjoyment of all.

David Boddington

David is a retired rural General Medical Practitioner with a postgraduate degree in Ecology. David is a landowner with Commons Rights on Bromyard Downs.

He has been a walker of the countryside since youth, for exercise, and has an interest in natural history and ancient history.

Myra Chilman

Myra is a farm partner, living in North Herefordshire. She has a wide involvement within the community and has had a lifelong interest in riding. Myra is interested in promoting tourism and is currently involved in a programme aimed at providing recuperative care/recreation in the countryside.

Debbie Crowley

Debbie was born in Liverpool and after spending most of her Summer and Easter school holidays in Herefordshire, took the plunge and moved 22 years ago, living in Docklow and Brierley (Leominster).

She enjoys all aspects of walking in our beautiful countryside, second to this Coastal Path Walking.

Working within Planning Services based in Hereford, enjoying a full and active life both in work and socially, she loves to promote our brilliant countryside and amazing walks to anyone who will listen.

She has three wonderful grown up children, who love and respect their rural life. Debbie can be contacted by e-mail at dc1@herefordshire.gov.uk.

Dennis Downey

Runs a company called Walkherefordshire.com which is attracting tourists to walk in Herefordshire, he is also scheme co-ordinator for Walking for Health in Leominster.

He is also an Accredited Expedition Assessor and Approved Activity Provider for the Duke of Edinburgh Award working with schools and youth organisations across the county.

Phil Edwards

Phil began life as one of six children on a small Herefordshire Farm, and recognised the quality of sharing and caring for the local environment whilst quickly learning the importance of growing wholesome local foods.

Phil worked as a motor engineer, which then led to becoming a Royal Mail Road Transport Manager for the last 17 years of his career prior to taking early retirement during 2002. He has lived within Belmont Ward for 24 years and served as a Parish and District Councillor since 1994.

Phil strongly supports local volunteer groups into attracting a variety of funding streams. He continues to drive The Belmont Haywood Country Park project forward and his membership of Belmont Rural, Hereford City and Herefordshire Council plus chairing of the South Wye Safer & Stronger Communities Group aided the collective purchase of the Belmont Pools and ongoing improvements to this important environmental site.

As a regular cycle user, Phil hopes that the Local Access Forum will help to safeguard public rights of way throughout Herefordshire, leading to improved leisure and fitness opportunities for residents and visitors to the county.

Mike Everitt

Mike retired from a 38 year career as an engineer in the Royal Air Force to work a further ten years as a project manager in a research organisation in Malvern.

His interest in the countryside, and particularly in walking, started in 1994 when he joined the Malvern Hills District Footpath Society. He served as their General Secretary for 13 years and now is their Rights of Way Secretary.

Mike is often considered to be knowledgeable but obsessive about local footpath matters but believes he has a balanced approach in working long and hard to assist the Local Authorities in the maintenance and improvement of the access network while also strongly publicising shortcomings and problems of looking after the access network.

For a number of years Mike and his wife have walked at least a 1000 local miles annually, have organised and led two walking holidays a year in England or Wales for the Malvern Hills District Footpath Society and have taken at least one overseas walking holiday a year.

Mike can be contacted by email at wmeveritt@ukonline.co.uk

Richard Gething (Chairman)

Richard is a retired Army officer and has been a Parish Councillor in Herefordshire for the past 16 years.

He has been Chairman of the Herefordshire Association of Local Councils (HALC) since 2002. He currently represents HALC on the Council of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) and is a member of its Executive Committee and Policy Committee. He represents NALC on the national Rights of Way Review Committee. Richard is a member of Herefordshire Council's Standards Committee and an independent member of the Standards Committee of the Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority. He has been Chairman of the Herefordshire Local Access Forum since its inauguration in 2003.

He is married with two grown-up sons and has two grandsons

John Hope

 Details to follow.

Arthur Lee

Arthur 62, now retired, was born and bred in Herefordshire. I am an avid user of legitimate access to the countryside for recreational purposes, physical health, mental well being and pure enjoyment.

I am an active member of the Ramblers where he currently holds positions as Herefordshire Ramblers - Chairman and also Access Officer and is also secretary of the Hereford Group of Ramblers. Arthur leads walks for the Ramblers in both National events and local events including the Herefordshire and Malvern Walking Festivals, encouraging local people and visitors to enjoy the countryside and improve tourism in Herefordshire.

Arthur co-ordinates walks programmes aimed at those new to walking or those wishing to walk for the health benefits. These are shorter, gentler walks ranging from a few hours in and around Holme Lacy House Hotel, to up to 5 miles in the Ramblers “It’s a Breeze” walks series around the county.

Once or twice a year I organize and lead Ramblers members on week-ends away, usually in Youth Hostels, to places like the Lake District, Snowdonia, Exmoor or the Peak District. Arthur is a member of the Joint Advisory Committees for both Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) within & adjoining Herefordshire – Malvern Hills AONB and Wye Valley AONB.

Arthur’s knowledge and varied interests brought to the HLAF recognize the need for improved access to access areas and public rights of way, for the purpose of open-air recreation, physical health, mental well being and enjoyment.

Roger Lowery

Roger lives near the Bromyard Downs on a 2 acre plot of land surrounded by sheep pasture. He is the co-ordinator for an informal group of about 20 people which constitutes the ‘Bromyard Walking Group’. His role is to co-ordinate a programme of rural walks within about 25 miles of Bromyard twice a month.

Roger has also walked and climbed in many parts of the UK and in various countries overseas. In addition he is a canoeist and so has some experience of issues related to access to rivers and their banks in Herefordshire and elsewhere. Roger has now retired as a biologist and university lecturer in the UK and overseas. His experience and various activities, both in the UK and abroad, have made him aware of the need to approach land access issues in a sensitive manner.

Living surrounded by farmland and the local commons he is aware of the need to control access to land for practical farming reasons.

Dick Makin

Dick was born in Scotland, moving to Cheshire in 1942 where he was educated, before going to college in Manchester. Dick has been interested in farming ever since his first school trip at the age of 8 to a farm, and although his father was an electrical engineer, he was determined to farm. Dick and his family bought a Farm in 1958 and at the age of 18 he learnt from other Herefordshire farmers what the job and the countryside were all about.

Dick joined the local NFU and has been its chairman. He also became Parish Councillor and was Chairman for 9 years. Dick was a Herefordshire Councillor for 3 years and he is at present a member of Queenswood Panel, a governor of Barrs Court Special Needs school, a Parish Councillor, a member of the NFU and CLA, and also a member of Wye Valley Rotary Club.

Dick has a wide range of interests in which he is ably supported by his wife Margaret, who is a true Herefordian and has instilled a love of this beautiful County in Dick and his family.

Ben Nash

Ben has a background in law, land and property ownership and management, including Countryside Stewardship Schemes with access provision. He has many years experience of active involvement with, and managing of, voluntary and forum organisations.

He represents Herefordshire Voluntary Sector interests on the Joint Advisory Committee for the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Ben also has a working knowledge of the Single Payment Scheme. The cross compliance requirement of this scheme involves aspects of rights of way.

Peter Newman

Peter is a bookseller living in Kington. He is Trustee of the Open Spaces Society, and the Society's Local Correspondent in north-west Herefordshire. Peter has been a member of the Central Rights of Way Committee [CROWC] and has walked public paths and ridden bridleways since the 1960's.

Peter fought a successful case in the 1970's against Hereford and Worcester County Council in the High Court and Court of Appeal to force them to remove obstructions from several public paths. He has been running the Kington Footpath Scheme as Voluntary Organiser for 20 years in partnership with Herefordshire Council and Hereford Probation Office, whereby people on Community Payback Orders from the Courts work on the rights of way network in north-west Herefordshire.

Grant aid of £46,000 was secured some years ago from the European regional Development Fund, and many hundreds of stiles, footbridges, footpath signs, waymark posts and ditch crossings have been installed, and many miles of public rights of way cleared. Peter has two very well used public paths crossing his land at his present home.

Aubrey Oliver

Details to follow.

Colin Palmer

Colin lives near Ledbury where he grows some 10,000 Christmas trees, having enjoyed a 20 year career in agriculture before becoming a specialist advisor to private forestry organisations.

He has enjoyed many countryside recreations including mountaineering, orienteering, caving and canoeing. However, the introduction of the mountain bike led to his developing a deep interest in countryside access issues in which he has been active both locally and nationally for over a decade.

The development of outdoor recreation and tourism to promote the rural economy is a particular interest which he pursues by researching and publishing offroad cycling map guides. He can be contacted by e-mail on colin-palmer@branchline.demon.co.uk.

Derek Wareham

Derek is a land manager, user and conservationist. He is a retired Farm Business Manager currently working unpaid in the voluntary sector. At present he is Trustee/Treasurer of the Herefordshire Rural Support Network. Derek can be contacted by telephone on 01544 388628 or by email at derek.wareham@tiscali.co.uk.

Jenny Williams

Jenny was a history teacher for most of her working life and moved to the Leominster area 23 years ago. She has also worked as clerk to Luston & Yarpole Group Parish Councils and has run a holiday cottage business. Jenny was Chair of the Trustees of Leominster and District Playing Fields, and is now secretary of Leominster Rambling Club. As a Ramblers Association member, Jenny now spends much of her time leading tours for Ramblers Worldwide Holidays both in the UK and abroad.

Mike Wilson

A Yorkshireman by birth, Mike retired from a full career as a navigator in the Royal Air Force, mainly with Search and Rescue Helicopters, and having commanded no. 22 Squadron in 1999.

He was a member of Herefordshire Council from 2003 to 2007, as Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation for two years and Cabinet Member for Resources for two years. A local authority Governor at the local primary school, he has been a member of Bartestree with Lugwardine Group Parish Council since 2001, Chairman between 2003-2008, and is their footpaths officer.

Keen to promote access to the countryside, Mike was responsible for setting up the Forum at its inception. A life member of the National Trust and a member of the RSPB, he is married and has five grown up children and eight grandchildren between him and his wife. Living on the farm administered by his stepson, where they have six very well used public footpaths crossing their land, he is well aware of the trials and tribulations associated with them. Mike can be contacted by e-mail at mo@which.net.