Meet the Chairs

Mary Taylor

Brecon Beacons

Mary Taylor is a retired Health Professional. She is married to a retired Teaching Hospital Consultant. Former positions have included County Councillor, former Governor of Crickhowell High School, former member of Community Health Council, and former member of Dial-a-Ride, Crickhowell. Mary is currently a Trustee of Crickhowell Volunteer Bureau, former Treasurer of Brecon and Radnor Conservatives, and has stood as candidate for the National Assembly in Caerphilly. She is also Chair of the Marie Curie Support Group. Register of interests: Joint owner of the property, The White House, Llangenny. She is an appointed Member to Blas Cymru Cyfnnedig (formerly Welsh Water). She is Vice-Chair of Council for National Parks with responsibility for Wales and is Chair of the CNP Welsh Advisory Committee.

Stephen Johnson

Broads

The Broads Authority is a member of the UK National Parks family and as such its Chairman is a full member of the UK ANPA Executive.

David Green MBE

Cairngorms

David is the Convener of the Cairngorms National Park Authority Board. A self-employed crofter who has diversified into tourism based on the croft, he lives in Ross and Cromarty. He was a Crofters Commissioner until September 2002, Convener of Highland Council until May 2003 and Chair of the Crofters Commission until March 2007. In June 2007 David was awarded an OBE for services to Local Government and crofting.

John Dyke

Exmoor

John Dyke, a farmers son, joined the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food following his education at Crewkerne  Grammar School. After a few years working in Whitehall, he returned to his native Somerset where he married and brought up his 3 children. "I wanted them to grow up as 'country children' appreciative of rural values" said John. Over the years he climbed up the MAFF ladder. And, before he finished his career as Deputy Regional Director for the South West, he held senior positions in the MAFF offices of first Somerset and then Devon. John says he has always been concerned with the plight of small farmers - especially those struggling in difficult terrains like the hills.

Over the years, John also became concerned with environmental matters and was involved in drawing up and launching the ESA Scheme - including that still operating on Exmoor.

After retirement, John became a County Councillor for his home town of Crewkerne and shortly after was appointed by the Somerset County Council as one of its representatives on the Exmoor National Park Authority. Living in the same community as he was born, John has recently become something of a local historian. And has recently written a book about the Somerset village where his family, as well as being farmers, also ran the local pub.  He is still very interested in rural affairs and counts gardening and travel as his main interests.

Bill Hitchins

Dartmoor

Bill was elected Chair of Dartmoor NPA in July 2009.  He became a member of Bickleigh Parish Council in 1983 and its Chairman in 1987. He was elected to South Hams District Council in 1991 and represents the Bickleigh and Shaugh ward. He is currently the Deputy Leader, Historic Environment Champion, portfolio holder for Prosperity and is the National Park representative for the South Hams.

Bill Jefferson, OBE

Lake District

Born in Abbeytown, Cumbria, Bill was educated at  Wigton Nelson Tomlinson Grammar School, Wadham College at Oxford University (M.A. 1966) and the Czech Scientific University.

He worked for the British Council and British Embassy from 1966 to 1998 working in Libya, Kuwait, Algeria, United Arab Emirates, Gatar, Czechoslovakia and Portugal. Principal appointments were as counsellor to the British Embassy in Prague and Lisbon and Director of the British Council in many countries. He was Director for Technical Cooperation and Training for Overseas Countries in London from 1979 to 1982, and was awarded an OBE in 1986.

He has had lifelong interests in overseas countries, languages and Cumbria. Bill has been President of the Cumbria County Bowling Association since 2005 and Chairman of Solway Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty since 2002.

Dr Michael Cantlay

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs

Dr Michael Cantlay is Chairman and Managing Director of William Glen Limited which has tourism, leisure and retail interests in Scotland, Canada and the USA. Dr Cantlay was brought up in Callander where he still lives and his business is headquartered. He has recently retired as Deputy Chair of VisitScotland, and was formerly Chair of Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley and an advisory member of the board of Scottish Enterprise. In 2003 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Stirling University in recognition of his contribution to public service. In January 2006 he became Chair of Forth Valley College.

Julian Johnson

New Forest

Julian is the Chairman of the authority. He has lived in Wiltshire for 35 years but has long-standing connections with the New Forest. He was in the Army for nine years, worked in shipping in west Africa and then joined one of London’s leading advertising agencies. He moved into management and marketing in the manufacturing industry until his retirement. He was elected to Wiltshire County Council in 1993, later becoming Chairman of the Transport, Highways Planning Committee and then Council Chairman for 2001/02. He represents Wiltshire at the South West Regional Assembly, and chairs the Regional Planning and Transport Group. Julian has served on many local bodies including the New Forest Committee. He enjoys travelling to remote areas, and is interested in military and colonial history, outdoor pursuits, wildlife and the environment. In 2000 he became a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

John Riddle

Northumberland

John Riddle is a Northumberland County Council representative and is also Chairman of UK ANPA, (elected at the Annual Meeting on 12th July 2007). John represents the National Park Authority on the following bodies, the English National Park Authorities Association - English Chairs' Group, LGA Rural Commission and the Northumberland Strategic Partnership.

John Fletcher

North York Moors

John Fletcher is a member of North Yorkshire County Council, Hambleton District Council as well as a Parish Councillor representing the Great Ayton Ward. Mr Fletcher is the Chairman of the National Park Authority. John has spent a lifetime in Engineering and is a Chartered Engineer. With many interests John has always been involved in rural affairs and is a Council member of Stokesley Agricultural Society.

Narendra Bajaria CBE

Peak District

Chair of the Authority, Member of the English Heritage Urban Panel, CABE Regional Representative for Yorkshire and Humber, Renaissance Advocate for Yorkshire Forward RDA, Deputy Chair of the South Yorkshire Housing Association, Director of Yorkshire Culture, Chair of the Yorkshire Arts Space Ltd., and Director of Key Fund (South Yorkshire).

Richard Howells

Pembrokeshire Coast

A former News Editor of the Western Telegraph, Richard Howells entered Local Government to head a department which included Economic Development, Tourism and Public Relations. On these subjects he was an adviser to the Association of Welsh District Councils and represented Wales at both national and European levels. After leaving the public service he lectured in tourism related issues and was the principal of a marketing consultancy. A former director of the local Wildlife Trust he also has a long association with cricket and rugby at both village and county level. For many years a Community Councillor he includes among his hobbies golf, gardening - and entertaining seven grandchildren!

Caerwyn Roberts MBE, OBE

Snowdonia

Cllr E. Caerwyn Roberts, a farmer from Harlech, has been a Member of the Snowdonia National Park Authority since 1987 and Chairman since 1999. In 2001, he was appointed Chairman of ANPA and since 2004 he has held the Vice Chair of ANPA. In 1988, Cllr Roberts was appointed a magistrate. Since 1999 he has been a Gwynedd County Councillor representing his hometown of Harlech and Talsarnau. He currently farms 400 acres of land in partnership with his wife Bet and son Bryn. In 1979, he was one of the first farmers to diversify into farm tourism when he opened the farm for school and educational visits.

Subsequently, Merthyr Farm has been featured on television and radio programmes, national newspapers and magazines on numerous occasions. In 1997 he received the MBE in recognition of his services to Welsh agriculture, and in 2010 was awarded the OBE for his services to the Community of Gwynedd.

Margaret Paren

South Downs

Margaret Paren’s working career was spent in Whitehall, mainly in the Ministry of Defence but also with spells in the Cabinet Office and in the National Audit Office. She was a member of the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1990. After taking early retirement Margaret became involved in local community activities and the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE).

From 2001 she was heavily engaged in the South Downs, both as a campaigner for the National Park and as a member of the South Downs Joint Committee and its predecessor bodies. Her interests are travel, bird watching, dog walking and, when time permits, painting.

Carl Lis

Yorkshire Dales

Born in Penrith, Cumbria, Carl Lis has lived in Ingleton since 1982. He is deeply involved in the local community and has been chairman of Ingleton Parish Council on which he has served for over fifteen years. Since 1991 he has been the elected Craven District Councillor for the Ingleborough Ward, and was Leader of the Council for seven years in total, most recently 2003 to 2008. He is Chairman of Ingleborough Community Centre Management Committee, Ingleton Rural Community Association, Ingleton Scout Executive and Ingleton Football Club, and is also chairman of the Ingleton Primary School Board of Governors.

Carl was awarded an OBE in the 2009 New Years Honours, for his services to the communities of North Yorkshire.

Carl worked in the quarrying industry for forty years and was manager of Ingleton Quarry for Hanson Aggregates for over twenty years. He was appointed to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority in 1996 and was Chairman from 2004 to 2008. He was re-elected chairman in July 2009.