Accreditation panellists

Meet the independent Nature Towns and Cities accreditation panellists, who assess applications and award official Nature Town or City status to places committed to delivering a greener, healthier future for people and nature.

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Meet the panellists

Chair - John Mothersole

Chair of National Lottery Community Fund

Nicole Collomb

Principal Policy Officer, Greater London Authority

Dr. Philip Askew

Director of Landscape, Peabody

Ian Baggot

Managing Director, Landscape and Heritage, CFP

Kunle Barker

Writer, broadcaster and Founding Director of Natural Places

Tanvi Desai

Partnerships and Development Officer, Parks for London

Mark Cridge

Executive Director, National Park City

Joel Carré

Interim Cleaning and Grounds Maintenance Manager at Southwark Council

Lily Ramsey

Senior Transport Strategy Officer, Transport for Greater Manchester

Jude Hassall

Principal Policy Officer, Greater London Authority

Alan Carter

Chief Executive, The Land Trust

Lou Matter

Senior Network Officer, New Local

Alexe Rose

Environmental consultant focusing on people empowerment and access to nature

Aydin Zorlutuna

UK Director for Landscape, Masterplanning and Urbanism, Arcadis

Sarah Webster

Community Parks Officer, Derby City Council

Rosie Rowe

Research Capacity Lead for Ealing Health Determinants Research Collaboration

Martin Whitchurch

Strategic Lead for Green Space and Conservation, Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council

Chair - John Mothersole

Chair of National Lottery Community Fund

John is the former Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council, overseeing a city that covers both urban and rural areas including a national park. He has previously held senior roles in London with a portfolio that included several parks, urban squares and city wildlife spaces and prior to that was the Arts Development Officer for Newcastle upon Tyne. He is currently Chair of the National Lottery Community Fund for England, Chair of The Sheffield College and was an assessor to The Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry.

Nicole Collomb

Principal Policy Officer, Greater London Authority

Nicole is a chartered landscape architect with over 30 years of experience in urban green infrastructure and public green space policy. As Principal Policy Officer at the Greater London Authority, she leads strategic programmes to make London greener and healthier, including the London Green Infrastructure Strategy. Nicole also serves on the National Lottery Heritage Fund Committee, is a Green Flag Award judge, and contributes to quality review panels in London and Folkestone and Hythe.

Dr. Philip Askew

Director of Landscape, Peabody

Phil is Director of Landscape at Peabody, leading green infrastructure and environmental design across its estates, including the major regeneration of Thamesmead. He previously directed the creation of the London 2012 Olympic Park and its transformation into Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. A chartered landscape architect with qualifications in landscape architecture, urban design, and horticulture, Phil also serves on several design review panels, judges industry awards, and mentors future leaders in urban design.

Ian Baggot

Managing Director, Landscape and Heritage, CFP

Ian is a landscape and heritage professional with over 40 years’ experience across the public, private, and voluntary sectors. He has led Community First Partnership for over 20 years and has contributed to national guidance, research, and policy on greenspace. Ian brings expertise in strategic planning, community engagement, and large-scale landscape and biodiversity projects. A skilled project designer and evaluator, he’s also a keen mountain walker and a Welsh learner.

Kunle Barker

Writer, broadcaster and Founding Director of Natural Places

Kunle is a consultant focused on using design to improve lives and the environment. With over 20 years’ experience in the built environment, he has worked across residential, educational, and major regeneration projects. He contributed to a key project for Related Argent at Brent Cross Town, developing strategies to integrate nature not only into the environment, but into people’s daily lives—an approach widely seen as ground breaking. Kunle has appeared on programmes for Channel 4, ITV and the BBC, and is a regular commentator for Sky News and Times Radio. He writes widely on housing, architecture and design, using his media profile to make the built environment more accessible to a wider audience. He hosts the RIBA Stirling Prize, judges several industry awards, and is a governor at St Christopher’s School in Hampstead and a Trustee at the Grimshaw Foundation.

Tanvi Desai

Partnerships and Development Officer, Parks for London

Tanvi works at Parks for London, focusing on partnerships and strategic planning. She previously led the development of services and legislation for social and economic data research in the UK and internationally. With an MSc in Environment and Sustainability, she has applied her data skills at GiGL managing London’s Open Spaces database and later coordinated the Mayor’s tree programme at the GLA.

Mark Cridge

Executive Director, National Park City

Mark is Executive Director of the National Park City Foundation and London National Park City, a grassroots movement making cities greener and healthier. Launched in 2019 with broad support, London is the world’s first National Park City, with 130 volunteer rangers leading community activities. Previously, Mark was CEO of civic tech charity mySociety and served five years on the Green Party’s national executive. Mark studied architecture at Strathclyde University and began his career in web design before founding the UK’s first digital advertising agency, Glue London, later becoming Global Managing Director of Isobar.

Joel Carré

Interim Cleaning and Grounds Maintenance Manager at Southwark Council

Joel is a land management professional with over 30 years’ experience in the public and voluntary sectors. He specialises in green infrastructure (GI), partnership development, and sustainable investment models, and is currently leading a place management transformation at Southwark Council. Joel has led the development of several innovative and high impact strategic initiatives, including Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s Future Parks Accelerator Project and the Bedfordshire and Luton Green Infrastructure Consortium. Joel also judges for the Green Flag Award Scheme.

Lily Ramsey

Senior Transport Strategy Officer, Transport for Greater Manchester

Lily is an urban designer and transport planner and an advocate for creating urban environments that are easier and more attractive places to move around by walking, cycling and public transport; are inclusive to everyone; sustainable; and see nature as an essential urban feature.

Jude Hassall

Principal Policy Officer, Greater London Authority

Jude has over 20 years’ experience in environmental sustainability and land management, providing strategic guidance, implementation, and policy support. They’ve helped landowners collaborate on biodiversity improvements through Natural England’s Facilitation Fund and worked with B&Q to enhance English woodlands and supply chains. Currently, Jude leads the Parks and Urban Green Spaces team at the Greater London Authority, focusing on protecting and enhancing green spaces across London. In their free time, Jude enjoys kayaking on the Thames and beyond.

Alan Carter

Chief Executive, The Land Trust

Alan is Chief Executive of the Land Trust, the UK’s leading green space management charity, overseeing stewardship of over 85 sites across England. With an investment portfolio of £200 million, the Trust delivers over £35 million in social value annually. A chartered surveyor, Alan has been with the Land Trust for 14 years, previously serving as Director of Operations, and spent 13 years at British Waterways. He is a strong advocate for using green, blue, and grey infrastructure to generate social and environmental outcomes for local communities. Alan’s leadership reflects a deep commitment to sustainability, inclusion, and community engagement. Having developed partial deafness over the past decade, he champions diversity and works to break down barriers to accessing green spaces for all.

Lou Matter

Senior Network Officer, New Local

Lou has spent a decade working at the Royal Society of Arts, supporting engagement with people, communities, social change projects and making connections and growing networks, particularly in the South-West of England and Wales. She has also worked with a portfolio of NHS charities at NHS Charities Together, supporting their grants. Lou currently works for New Local, engaging and connecting their network of local authorities across the UK, who are all focused on transforming public services and working closely with their communities.

Alexe Rose

Environmental consultant focusing on people empowerment and access to nature

Alexe has worked for 25 years successfully creating and implementing numerous green space enhancements for both rural and urban communities. She has experience in volunteer management, outdoor education, recreation and community development. She has a strong desire to protect the environment and make it easily accessible to everyone at their doorstep. Having worked on green space partnerships with government agencies, charities, town and parish councils, volunteers and community members, Alexe is excited to see effective joint applications from towns and cities to improve both the environment and people’s access and enjoyment of it.

Aydin Zorlutuna

UK Director for Landscape, Masterplanning and Urbanism, Arcadis

Aydin is a landscape architect with 33+ years of experience and currently serves as UK Director for Arcadis Landscape, Masterplanning, and Urbanism. He leads multidisciplinary placemaking and urban design projects and is an effective communicator with clients and stakeholders. A qualified permaculture designer and building with nature assessor, Aydin is passionate about biophilia in resilient design. He also serves as Chief Assessor for the Landscape Institute and chaired its Place and Regeneration Awards in 2023. His work includes green and blue infrastructure for new settlements and urban nature-based solutions, focusing on long-term stewardship.

Sarah Webster

Community Parks Officer, Derby City Council

Sarah has worked in the conservation, environmental, community, and parks management sector for 30 years, starting with the environmental charity Groundwork and, for the past 21 years, with Derby City Council. Sarah’s roles have focused on delivering nature-based projects, engaging communities, and managing parks in urban environments. This has involved working through consultation, partnerships, and a range of physical and ecological improvements, while also navigating the practical and operational challenges of managing green spaces in city settings. Sarah is also a Green Flag Award judge.

Rosie Rowe

Research Capacity Lead for Ealing Health Determinants Research Collaboration

Rosie is a public health specialist with over 15 years’ experience in local authorities and the NHS, focusing on wider health determinants like access to green spaces. She has led Healthy Place Shaping initiatives in Oxfordshire, integrating health principles into planning, regeneration, and post-covid recovery. Rosie also co-founded Oxfordshire’s Local Nature Partnership, promoting equitable access to nature for wellbeing through strategic leadership and research.

Martin Whitchurch

Strategic Lead for Green Space and Conservation, Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council

Martin has over 20 years’ experience in local authority green space management. He led BCP Council’s Future Parks programme and its work to create a Green Infrastructure Strategy, a partnership with a charitable partner and is now developing urban greening delivery plans. Martin’s remit covers the strategic management of over 2,500Ha of public green space, working in partnership to improve these spaces for people and nature.

Cyfieithiad Cymraeg yn cyrraedd yn fuan.

Accreditation panellists

Chair - John Mothersole

Nicole Collomb

Dr. Philip Askew

Ian Baggot

Kunle Barker

Tanvi Desai

Mark Cridge

Joel Carré

Lily Ramsey

Jude Hassall

Alan Carter

Lou Matter

Alexe Rose

Aydin Zorlutuna

Sarah Webster

Rosie Rowe

Martin Whitchurch