CPRE Volunteers receive national award

Three of our fabulous volunteers were recognised with a national CPRE award this Autumn

In October three of our wonderful volunteers were nominated for a national CPRE volunteer award for their hard work and dedication to the charity and the countryside.

They were each presented with their award by fellow volunteers, ahead of the formal award presentation at the CPRE National Conference in Birmingham in October.

Congratulations to our three volunteers and thank you for your years of hard work and dedication to CPRE Gloucestershire. We couldn’t do what we do without our wonderful volunteer workforce.

Tom Hancock 

Tom served as Chair of our Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury District Committee for 34 years, retiring at our recent AGM. Tom has been a dedicated, passionate and hard working volunteer for CPRE Gloucestershire for many years, sharing his knowledge and expertise to further the charity’s aims.

Tom was nominated by fellow volunteer Annabel Burton who said “Tom is always open, honest, trusted and connected. He always remembers we are volunteers and never fails to thank us for any work we do.”

Tom was presented with the award at his home by David Bayne, Chair, and Annabel Burton, member of our Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury District Committee.

Nick Dummett

Nick served on the South Cotswolds and Tetbury District Committee for 22 years, becoming the Secretary in 1999, taking over as Chair in 2007 and now continuing to serve as a much valued member of the Committee after stepping down as Chair this year.

Nick was nominated by Max Thorneycroft, who has taken over as Chair of the District Committee. Max said “It is estimated that Nick has personally considered approximately 1,000 planning applications per year. His letters to council planning officials have been based on a detailed knowledge and understanding of national and local planning policies and as a result the views of the South Cotswolds and Tetbury District Committee are given great weight by planning officials in assessing planning applications. He has personally visited many of the sites that have been the subject of contentious or dubious planning applications and has an unrivalled knowledge of the Cotswold’s geography.

“Nick attended many sessions at the council offices when the 2011-2031 Cotswold DC Local Plan was being formulated and played a crucial role in ensuring that the Plan did not allocate too many sites (or unsuitable sites) for development.

“He personally managed the project to replant some 1.5 km of hedges on Dartley Farm, liaising with the landowner and teams of volunteers from a local primary school and the Cotswold Conservation Board. He managed the construction of protective fences and the planting of hundreds of mixed hedging whips.”

Nick was presented the award at his home by Max Thorneycroft, Chair, and Jo Jones, member of our South Cotswolds and Tetbury District Committee.

Peter Wilson

Peter has served as a member of our Stroud District Committee for almost two decades, and set up the Gloucestershire Stone Stile Project last year; a county wide project to identify, photograph and catalogue every remaining stone stile in Gloucestershire.

Peter was nominated by Elisabeth Skinner, Chair of our Stroud District Committee, who said “Peter has given long and valuable service to CPRE in the Stroud District through the committee, but his greatest impact has been his project to identify, photograph and catalogue stone stiles throughout Gloucestershire. The project has inspired a significant number of people across the county to go exploring the countryside helping to find stone stiles. Peter now has significant mobility issues so his success in motivating people across the county in such great numbers to search for stone stiles on his behalf has been extraordinary.”

Peter was presented with his award by Elisabeth Skinner, Chair and Pippa Schwartz, member of our Stroud District Committee.

In receiving the award Peter paid tribute to some 250 individuals and their families who are walking the pathways of Gloucestershire discovering stiles and recording their current condition. “This Award is theirs, not mine. Stiles are an important part of our historic landscape. It is great so many families are involved.” Peter thanked Maggie Booth for her work publicising the project and Hugh Tarran for his continuous help with technical support in recording the stone stiles.

Want to join our wonderful volunteer workforce? Take a look at our opportunities on our Volunteering page or get in touch – info@cpreglos.org.uk