Our aims and objectives, impact on the ground and how we operate as a federation of charities.
The main themes of our work and some of our most important initiatives.
Connect to our regional and local Groundwork Trusts.
What we can do for the wide range of people and organisations that we work with.
Find out the latest about how we're changing places and lives.
Campaigns and ways you can support our work.
Further your career or help us make a difference.
How to contact our team nationally and around the country
Groundwork’s Federation Board acts as the governing body for Groundwork UK and oversees the operation of the wider federation. Each Groundwork Trust has its own board.
The Federation Board has overall legal responsibility for Groundwork UK. The Board is made up of eleven Trustees appointed by Groundwork's regions and nations and 3 Trustees who have been co-opted because of their skills and experience.
Our current board is as follows:
Mr R Lawson - Chair
Bob has served as Chairman of the Federation Board of Groundwork since December 2008. Bob is also Chairman of Barratt Developments plc and Genus Plc.
A qualified engineer with an MBA, Bob’s career has spanned several United Kingdom and Continental groups, including three years as Managing Director of Vitec Group plc, 11 years as Chief Executive of Electrocomponents plc, and more recently 5 years as its Chairman until his retirement in October 2006.
Mrs J C Bridge - co-opted
Jude joined the Federation Board of Groundwork in June 2009 having been involved in Groundwork’s youth programmes since 2003. Jude has been a Trustee of the Prostate Cancer Charity since 2002. She is a board level brand and marketing communications expert with over twenty-five years management experience gained across a broad range of fast moving consumer goods and retail sectors.
During her career Jude worked for Unilever, United Biscuits, and Publicis, Marks and Spencer. At Marks & Spencer (2001-2008) Jude was Marketing Communications Director from 2006.
Mr M Master - elected by East
Mike has served as a Trustee of the Federation Board of Groundwork since May 2008. Mike is Chairman of Groundwork East of England and has been a Trustee of Groundwork Hertfordshire since February 2006.
Mike now runs his own mineral development consultancy and is currently Chairman of the Amwell Nature Reserve, Chairman of the Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust and a Trustee of the Hertfordshire Community Foundation.
Mike has had a career in the ready-mixed concrete, mineral and waste industry. Mike retired in 2003 as Director and General Manager of RMC Aggregates (Greater London) Ltd. As a member of the London Planning Advisory Committee, Mike advised the Secretary of State on marine aggregate planning policy for London.
Mr H Fenton - elected by East Midlands
Hugh has served as a Trustee to the Federation Board of Groundwork since 2008. He is also the chairman of Groundwork’s East Midlands Regional Committee and serves on the boards of two Groundwork Trusts in the East Midlands.
Hugh is also Chairman of Northamptonshire Environmental Forum (Countywide LA21 group), Chairman of the Regional Centre for Expertise for Education in Sustainable Development in Education and Treasurer of Corby Voluntary & Community Services.
Hugh qualified as a Chartered Chemical Engineer and later as a Health Safety & Environmental professional. He spent his working life in chemical & associated manufacturing, initially Production then Works Management and finally specialised in Health Safety & Environment Management. He worked for 3 different companies, based in East London, Cheshire & Northamptonshire and had responsibilities in mainland Europe, USA and other countries. His last employer was Scott Bader, a Common Trustee company (the first common ownership company / social enterprise) manufacturing resins and polymers in Wollaston, Wellingborough. He was responsible for Health & Safety, Occupational Health, Major Hazards, Environmental Management, Quality Assurance, Security, Community Affairs & the 40 acres estate.
Mr J Harley - elected by Groundwork London.
John Harley became a Federation trustee in September 2010. He is appointed by Groundwork London. John is the Global Private Equity Leader for Ernst & Young and is the Global Client Service Partner for Permira and 3i's various funds and portfolio companies.
John is a Chartered Accountant and has run Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate restructuring businesses throughout the 90’s. John joined Ernst & Young in 2000 to run the Global TMT Corporate Finance practice for three years and then the TMT European practice until mid 2005. He was then appointed Global Vice-Chairman of Accounts, Industries and Business Development where he led the major change programme in Ernst & Young's Market strategy until December 2007, when he took up his Private Equity role.
John currently sits on the Board of the University of Brighton and is Chairman of Groundwork London
During his career, John has lived in Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Professor G Street - elected by North East
Graham has served as a Trustee of the Groundwork Federation Board since September 2007. He is the Chairman of Groundwork North East.
Graham is the Director of the Clean Environment Management Centre and Head of the Environmental Research Centre at the University of Teesside. He is also a board member of Nature’s World, an ecocentre in Middlesbrough, a member of the North York Moors National Park’s Sustainable Development Committee and an expert representative on the EU environmental platform INSPIRE.
Before joining the University of Teesside he worked at Rothamsted Experimental Station, H.J. Heinz Ltd and on Enzyme Technology at UCL. He is a Fellow of the I Chem. E, a Chartered Engineer, a Member of the Institute of Biology and a Chartered Biologist. He has been a member of the Biochemical Engineering Subject Group of the IChemE since its inception, acting as Chairman in 1987.
Graham’s research over the last thirty years has had sustainability as a theme incorporating, biochemical engineering, industrial symbiosis, sustainability through biotechnology, integrated bioprocess systems and ethics, producing over 100 publications and presentations.
Mr W Hill - elected by North West
Bill has served as a Trustee of the Federation Board of Groundwork since 2003. He is Chairman of Groundwork Cheshire and Groundwork’s North West Regional Committee.
Bill joined ICI in 1968 starting in its Central Management Services before moving into its Pharmaceuticals Division which was demerged into Zeneca Plc in 1993 and then merged into AstraZeneca in 1999 from which he took early retirement in 2001. His pharmaceutical career involved exporting to diverse parts of the World and managing overseas subsidiary companies. His last position was Integration Director for the Far East. For substantial parts of his career Bill was seconded abroad in Hungary while still behind the Iron Curtain, Portugal and Singapore.
Mr D Ritchie - elected by Northern Ireland
Denis has served as a Trustee of the Groundwork Federation Board since May 2008 and is also a Trustee of Groundwork Northern Ireland.
Denis retired from the Northern Ireland Civil Service in 2005 after more than 40 years service. Until his retirement, he had been Head of the Community Relations Unit in the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister for almost 9 years and was heavily involved in the development of 'A Shared Future', the government's policy and strategic framework for improving relations in Northern Ireland.
Prior to this, Denis had been with the Department of Finance and Personnel with wide reaching responsibility across the Treasury and the Department of Economic Developments for 8 years and, before that, the Northern Ireland Office, primarily in financial and accounting roles.
Mr J Bennett - elected by South East
Jeremy has served as a Trustee of the Federation Board of Groundwork since 1999 having been Chairman of Groundwork London until 2009, where he continues to serve as a Trustee.
Jeremy’s career was in television, first as a Producer/Director and Executive Producer in the BBC TV Documentaries Department and then as an independent producer. He founded his own company, 3BM Television, in 1995 and for six years was its first Chairman and Managing Director. He specialised in documentaries and his productions won several international awards. He retired in 2004.
Mr B Gilbert - elected by South West
Bruce has served as a Trustee to the Federation Board of Groundwork since 2009. He is also Chairman of Groundwork South West having been closely involved with Groundwork in the West Midlands before he moved to Cornwall.
Bruce is Chairman of Caldmore Area Housing Association, a Governor of Sandwell College and is a member of the Fundraising Committee of St Basils, a charity for homeless young people in Birmingham, and an associate member of Caret, a leadership and management consultancy based in London and Birmingham.
Bruce served for 30 years in the West Midlands Police retiring with the rank of Chief Superintendent and was Chairman of the Walsall Strategic Partnership. He was awarded the OBE in 2004 for his services to regeneration.
Mr J Troth - elected by Wales
John has been a Trustee of the Groundwork Federation Board since September 2008, is Chairman of Groundwork Wrexham & Flintshire, a Trustee of Groundwork Wales and a Director of the Careers Wales Association.
John spent the whole of his career working in the UK Ceramics Industry. He was Managing Director of Dennis Ruabon Ltd. producing and selling quarry tiles and paving bricks globally. He has also been actively involved in Education and Training in Industry and the Public Sector. He was President of the Institute of Ceramics and was Chairman of the Working Group that established the Modern Apprenticeship Programme. He was Chairman of Governors of what is now Glyndwr University.
Professor A D Collier - elected by West Midlands
Tony has served as a Trustee of the Federation Board of Groundwork since 2006, having been Chairman of Groundwork West Midlands since March 2009.
Tony has worked in private practice and property development in the USA and UK including running his own consultancy and creating The Bond Company where he is now Chairman and Managing Director. The Bond Co has an outstanding record as an innovative and creative regeneration company, pioneering the Eastside regeneration zone in Birmingham, the largest urban regeneration area in Europe.
Tony has wide ranging experience at senior management level in business and higher education. His 25 year career in higher education included over 12 years as Dean of Faculty at the University of Central England. Tony has lectured extensively in Universities and colleges throughout the UK, undertaken radio and TV presentations and won awards. He is Executive Editor of the B.E.S.T. series of textbooks which have been published in over 20 countries. He has served on national committees for the DETR and chairmaned the working group on Innovation on the UK’s Waterways.
Mr S Baker - elected by Yorkshire & The Humber
Stuart has served as a Trustee of the Federation Board of Groundwork since 2007 having been a Trustee of Groundwork Leeds since the early 1990s and appointed their Chairman in December 2006.
Stuart has worked in the rail industry in a mix of roles, primarily in the North East and North West of England. He moved to London in January 2002, to the Strategic Rail Authority to work on the West Coast Main Line project. In 2005, he moved to the Department for Transport, where he retains West Coast responsibility, and has taken charge of all major rail investment schemes outside London. These include the replacement of all Inter City trains, Birmingham New Street rebuilding, improvements to the Stansted line and the upgrading of the Great Western route.
In 1977, Stuart wrote the ‘Rail Atlas of Britain and Ireland’, the standard reference work of the current rail and metro networks. Some 30 years on, this is now in its 11th edition and has sold over 150,000 copies.
