David Jamieson (Chair) Expand David is responsible for managing Edinburgh’s public parks and greenspaces, including the city’s nature reserves, woodlands, allotments and urban forest. As Head of Edinburgh’s Parks Service he has secured a number of accolades for the city, including winner of Britain in Bloom, COSLA’s Gold Medal for Service Innovation; Improvement, the UK's Best Parks, Grounds and Horticultural Service Team award, and Fields in Trusts’ Best UK Landowner. As a chartered ecologist and environmental manager, with degrees from Stirling, Heriot-Watt and Huddersfield Universities, his career has ranged across the public, academic and voluntary sectors. In recent years he has also been a director of Volunteer Development Scotland, BTCV Scotland, Oatridge College and the Falkirk Environment Trust - promoting volunteering as a means for positive social and environmental change
Claire Mennim (Deputy Chair) Expand Claire is Team Leader for Parks and Sustainability at Falkirk Community Trust. Claire loves parks, it doesn’t matter whether they are pocket parks or if they cover hundreds of acres. Natural or formal, urban or wilderness she passionately believes they deserves investment to protect all of the benefits they provide for wildlife and people. Over the last fifteen years she has worked for a range of not for profit and public organisations, fundraising for open spaces, engaging with the communities who use them, project managing improvements and writing long term management plans. She currently works for Falkirk Community Trust managing key strategic parks and outdoor sports facilities in Falkirk.
Richard Morris (Finance Director) Expand Richard is a Board Trustee of Sustrans and also the Director of E-Resilience, a consultancy focussing on international strategies and commercialisation within the marine renewable energy. Prior to this, he worked as the Commercial Director at NaREC and the European Marine Energy Centre (Orkney), encouraging the build, testing and use of wave and tidal technology for the production of renewable energy, acting as a global ambassador for Scotland as it leads the way in developing marine renewable energy solutions. With over 25 years’ experience working in the environmental and space sectors Richard has lived, worked and travelled all over the world, finally settling down to live in Scotland.
Dr Matt Lowther Expand Matthew has worked in the public health sphere most of his academic and professional life. He has an honours degree in Sports Science and a PhD in Exercise and Health Psychology. He started his professional life as a Health Development Manager in a local authority. He then took up a cardiovascular disease prevention post within the Public Health Institute for Scotland before going on a three year secondment to the Scottish Government as the National Physical Activity Policy Coordinator. He then returned to NHS Health Scotland as a Principal Public Health Adviser, specialising in the critical appraisal and synthesis of public health effectiveness evidence. He has been honorary senior lecturer at both Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities and he now works for NHS Health Scotland as the Head of Service for Place and Equity.
Scott Ferguson Expand Scott is Project Coordinator for the Seven Lochs Project, an ambitious greenspace / green network project focussed on the creation and sustainable management of the Seven Lochs Wetland Park, Scotland largest urban nature park, which spans the Glasgow City / North Lanarkshire Council boundary between Easterhouse, Coatbridge and Stepps. Scott began his career in environmental science, gaining a PhD in acidification of uplands, before moving into the city to work on greenspace planning and management, urban biodiversity and community involvement in environmental action and learning. He previously worked for Scottish Natural Heritage and the Glasgow & Clyde Valley Green Network Partnership.
Sue Hilder Expand Sue is the Outdoor Access Officer at Glasgow City Council. She has over 20 years’ experience working in outdoor access, including for the National Farmers Union of Scotland, various local and National Park authorities and the National Access Forum. Sue has a long association with environmental volunteering and was a trustee of BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers – now TCV) for 16 years and previously Vice Chair of the UK Board; she continues to be a TCV Ambassador. Sue is Secretary of Scottish Outdoor Access Network and a member of the Central Scotland Regional Forestry Forum. Sue has also trained as a ‘land artist’ and has an MA Fine Art (Environmental Sculpture).
Shivali Fifield Expand Shivali is in the final stages of completing her PhD, which uses participatory action research to explore greenspace aspirations and challenge environmental injustice with disadvantaged communities in Glasgow. She has always been passionate about encouraging others to experience the physical and emotional benefits of outdoor spaces and is an experienced community worker and group facilitator. Her professional career has focused on developing integrated services for complex needs, in both London and Glasgow, in the fields of youth work, rough sleeping and refugee integration. Before embarking on her PhD, Shivali was the Homeless and Asylum Services Manager and part of the North East Senior Management Team for NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde.
Vicky Abernethy Expand Vicky has a degree in Environmental Science and a PhD in Wetland Ecology. Her career has spanned research science at Glasgow University, biodiversity policy at RSPB and public sector management of the greenspace development service at North Lanarkshire Council. She now holds responsibility for country parks, greenspace and cemeteries. Responsible for a wide range of urban and semi urban greenspace she is keen to encourage innovation and partnership to deliver high quality spaces for communities. Vicky has previously sat on the regional board of the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and is currently a member of the Committee for Scotland for RSPB.