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Andy Parsons takes up Chief Executive role

December 12, 2019 by Alana Hopkins
Last edited on May 12, 2020

 

Andy Parsons takes up the role of Chief Executive at the Cotswolds Conservation Board this month.

Andy has an interesting background in both business and charity – he comes to the Board from his role as Chief Executive at the South West Lakes Trust, where he had been since 2015. Before that, he was at Severn Trent Water. His previous non-executive roles include Chairman at Visit Exmoor, Vice-Chairman at Cornwall Sports Partnership and Management Board member of the Visitor Safety in the Countryside Group. He has also been a Secretary of State appointed member of the Cotswolds Conservation Board since August 2018.

Andy says, “For the last 12 years of my career, I’ve been working to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to benefit from health-giving experiences in the great outdoors. I moved to the Cotswolds in 2012 with my family and, since then, I have grown to treasure the special and unique qualities that this area has to offer – from its fascinating built heritage, to its unspoilt open countryside and woodlands. This is a very exciting time to be joining the Cotswolds Conservation Board, with the publication of the Glover Landscapes Review in September and the positive changes proposed to ensure all our national landscapes are fit for the future. The proposal that the Cotswolds should be considered as a candidate for National Park status is particularly exciting, and I hope to help the Board rise to the opportunities and challenges it faces in the years ahead.”

Elizabeth Eyre, Cotswolds Conservation Board Chairman, said, “We’re delighted to welcome Andy to the Cotswolds Conservation Board, and we’re looking forward to supporting him and the team to realise our ambitious plans for the AONB. We are already confident he will make a big difference to our future plans.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

  • The Cotswolds was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in 1966 in recognition of its rich, diverse and high quality landscape. www.cotswolds-nl.org.uk
  • The Cotswolds AONB is looked after by the Cotswolds Conservation Board – an independent organisation established in 2004 which has 37 members – 15 nominated by local authorities, 8 by parish councils and 14 appointed by the Secretary of State.
  • The Cotswolds is the third largest protected landscape in England after the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks and represents 10% of the total AONB area in the UK. It covers 2,038 square kilometres (790 square miles), stretching from Warwickshire and Worcestershire in the north, through Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, down to Bath and Wiltshire in the south.
  • The land management position statements are for use by local authorities, government agencies, land agents, advisers, land managers, farmers and the public. They, along with the planning and transport position statements are available on the Cotswolds Conservation Board’s website.
  • Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), along with National Parks, are considered to be the most special landscapes in the country and belong to an international family of protected areas.  There are 38 AONBs in England and Wales, and a further eight in Northern Ireland.  For further details, visit: www.landscapesforlife.org.uk. For details of the 15 National Parks in England and Wales visit: www.nationalparks.gov.uk