From Volunteer to Chairman of Trust ; Top Post for Conservation Enthusiast

By Tony Henderson

FROM volunteer to chairman – that’s how David Brettell has risen in the wildlife world.

David, 45, became a volunteer with Northumberland Wildlife Trust in 1995.

Now he has been appointed as the new chairman of the trust, which has 13,000 members.

He lives with wife Jayne at Lickar Moor Farm near Bowsden in Northumberland.

David fell for Northumberland after moving to the county following three years of backpacking around the world.

After a winter spent in a house near Doddington with a view across the Milfield Plain and the Cheviot Hills, David decided that Northumberland would be his permanent home.

He volunteered to work on the trust’s North Northumberland Otter Project, which has been a huge success in encouraging the animals to re-colonise North East waterways.

David helped make otter holts, erect fences to protect river bank areas and plant trees and shrubs. He was also involved in otter surveying for five years.

In 2001 he and Jayne took on a one-acre paddock next to their home and with the help of the trust transformed it into a water garden, ornamental garden, orchard and woodland area, with habitats designed specifically to attract a variety of species.

The plot is called Charbagh, which in Hindi means “four gardens”.

In 2003 the garden was awarded a Northumberland Wildlife Trust conservation award.

He runs Hands On Help For Communities, which works to help community groups and community partnerships.

David said: “I am passionate about the environment and conservation issues and am therefore delighted and honoured to be the new chairman of the wildlife charity. Although we have 13,000 members and are one of the most active trusts in the UK, I think we still need to raise our profile. We need to get our message out to people at a time when there are a lot of pressures out there.”

Mike Pratt, trust chief executive, said: “We are really excited at the prospect of working with such a ‘hands on’ chairman.

Despite the fact that David modestly calls himself an amateur, we know that in addition to his very successful consultancy job, he has a wealth of invaluable wildlife experience.”

(c) 2008 The Journal – Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.