Alison Bate is the organisation’s Partnership Manager.  Having previously worked in local authority green space development and environmental education, Alison now manages the charity’s learning opportunities, fundraising and financial management.

Angela Lewis is Fields in Trust’s Head of Programmes and also has a Development Manager role covering the Midlands, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. She joined Fields in Trust in 2011 with a focus on the QEII Fields Challenge, and having led the organisation’s work on the Centenary Fields programme in partnership with The Royal British Legion, and the London Marathon Charitable Trust’s Active Spaces programme, now leads the Development Team to deliver the Green Spaces for Good Strategy.

Angela has always worked in sport and leisure for a variety of organisations at national, regional and local level including Sport England and the London Borough of Richmond. She spends as much time as possible in parks and green spaces; running, boot camping or watching her daughter play football.

Richard is Head of Country Parks and Estates at Leicestershire County Council, ranging from small local picnic areas and wildlife sites to complex Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Although all trustees are responsible for finance, Richard is Treasurer of Midlands Parks Forum, working closely with our Partnership Manager who undertakes Financial Management and Cash Flow Forecasting to ensure the charity remains sustainabile.

Sam is currently Environmental Partnership coordinator for a local authority, with experience in Green infrastructure projects and countryside management. Sam has facilitated a county-wide parks and open spaces forum and was more recently chair the East Midlands parks forum.

Sam is enthusiastic about engaging people with the natural world and has a passion for trees and woodlands and for many years has coordinated a volunteer tree warden network. Sam is married with two children and a dog and has been known to give a home to unusual pets such as an axolotl and Giant African land snails.

Ishrat has 17 years’ experience with Greenspaces management and community cohesion.  She has worked largely in local government, but also with third sector organisations, supporting the work of young South Asian women.  She has also supported various initiatives as a volunteer.

Ishrat has worked in a number of community involvement projects throughout her career and managed a number of successful large-scale events.

Her passion for green spaces and development enables her to play a vital role in decision making as a trustee and ensure the Midlands Parks Forum has the best start to become a key player in green space decision making locally, regionally and nationally.

James has over 17 years’ experience in the parks and open spaces sector and currently manages a number of teams at Nottingham City Council including parks development, ecology, rangers and country parks.

He has managed projects at a variety of scales including multi-£m lottery funded restorations and works closely with numerous partners including other charities and third sector organisations. He is a keen park user with his family and lover of the outdoors, particularly when on 2 wheels!

James is Vice Chair of the organisation, and is an advocate for the East Midlands (where there are currently over 125 Green Flag award winning green spaces), and bringing new members into the Forum.

Liz spent the last 10 years at Dudley developing award winning Heritage Lottery funded projects at several parks within the Dudley borough, and as team leader on a Healthy Towns project.  Liz really values input from the voluntary sector into the management of parks and has worked on a number of asset transfer projects to enhance community ownership of assets, and community involvement in asset management, as well as partnership projects with organisations such as the Wildlife Trust.   

Liz recently moved to Walsall Council to develop Public Health funded programmes of activity in Parks.  Liz is Chair of Trustees, and will play an integral part in the good governance of a charity, to ensure that Midlands Parks Forum adheres closely to its mission and works in the interests of its beneficiaries.

Click below to hear our Partnership Manager and Trustees share the charity’s achievements from their second year as a charity.