The Wilderness Foundation UK team comprises:
- Jo Roberts – Chief Executive Officer
- Jonathan Barker – Project Manager – impACT
- Edward Charles – Project Manager – Turn Around
- Richard Corby – Administration Manager & Educational Visit Coordinator
- Emma Ireland – Administrator
- Sue Macfarlane – Personal Assistant to Jo Roberts
- Rona Birnie – Kenya Projects Director
Many of these people are providing their time, skills and experience on a voluntary basis to further the aims of the Foundation.
Jo Roberts – Chief Executive Officer
Jo Roberts has been Director of the Wilderness Foundation since 2004, but has been involved as Projects Director and Project Coordinator since 1998.
South African by birth, Jo has enjoyed a rich life of wild places in many parts of Africa as she grew up. She trained and worked as a Social Anthropologist during the time of Apartheid, working mainly with rural communities. Her main interest in life is the vital connection between humanity and nature, and the value that experiential learning and outdoor education brings to social and personal change.
Jo focuses her attention on linking wilderness trails to peace and reconciliation and the effects of wilderness on developing sound youth leadership built on environmental awareness and ethics, and the turn around potential for youth who are vulnerable or at risk. Using the extensive wilderness network and her close link to South Africa and programmes running there, she merges best practice from around the world into creative programmes that suit British climate and culture.
Jo is married with two teenagers and lives in Essex with her family.
Jonathan Barker – Project Manager – impACT
Jonathan joined our team in January 2009 to project manage impACT – our environmental youth action group based in Chelmsford, Essex. Jonathan is a keen naturalist and is passionate about wildlife and the environment. He comes to us with a many skills, including those of wildlife photographer and film maker, which gives enormous strength to our work in providing visual documentation of our achievements. Jonathan also has experience as a lecturer working in Chelmsford and is an active volunteer helping in the local community.
Edward Charles – Project Manager – TurnAround
Eddie joined us in January 2007 and has taken on the tough task of project managing our newest and very exciting programme for vulnerable youth – TurnAround. Having retired from Commerz Bank in the City, Eddie works three days a week on fundraising, networking and coordinating the project.
Richard Corby – Administration Manager & Educational Visit Coordinator
Richard joined the Foundation in January 2007 after completing a National Diploma in Countryside Management, following a fifteen year career in business finance. Some of the great strengths Richard brings us are his excellent financial skills, strategic and organisational planning and talents for web publishing. He is managing a number of our school programmes and also serves on the Steering Committee of the TurnAround Project for vulnerable youth. Richard’s newest challenge is the development and implementation of our Youth Outreach programme.
Early in 2008 Richard completed Educational Visit Coordinator training with Essex County Council, which has strengthened our educational portfolio by enabling us to provide outdoor educational activities to students and young people for whom Essex CC has a responsibility.
In September 2008 Richard also took on the Project Manager role for our Community Allotments programme in Chelmsford.
Sue Macfarlane – PA to Jo roberts
Sue joined the Wilderness Foundation UK in September 2007 after a short spell of volunteering on the TurnAround Project. She continued to work on TurnAround until our second intake graduated in November 2009. We are delighted to announce that on 1st November 2009 Sue took up a new role in the Foundation, acting as PA to our ever-busy CEO Jo Roberts.
Rona Birnie – Kenya Projects Director
Rona has worked with members of Samburu communities in Leroghi Forest, northern Kenya, to develop their goals of preserving and restoring their forest. Since 2004, a ground survey with local teenagers has been carried out, followed by an aerial survey, to assess the health of the forest, a honey programme has been established with modern hives, reducing forest clearing and bringing local income, a classroom is to be built with an environmental focus, and a ten year restoration plan has been developed with the Green Belt Movement. The Leroghi Project also supports health clinics in Laikipia and Samburu which provide HIV/AIDS support and family planning. To find out more about the project and to go on a wilderness trail in this beautiful forest, please contact Rona via the WFUK office
