About us

Origins

The idea for a Rivers Trust for the Great Ouse came about after a few interested local people enquired about it to the national Rivers Trust just at the time the Trust was beginning to test the idea locally with existing Catchment Partnerships and local organisations. As a result of this local consultation, a group of interested people joined forces and together set up a Charitable Incorporated Organisation - the Great Ouse Rivers Trust, which received charitable status in January 2023.

Thanks to the national Rivers Trust for their help and support and now, with the Great Ouse Rivers Trust, all rivers in the UK are covered by a Rivers Trust.

Current Trustees

Paul Leinster is the our chair with over 40 years of practical experience in environmental management, science, policy and regulatory development and implementation in the private and public sectors.

Gen Madgwick has worked for Natural England for 14 years now as Manager for Nature Recovery. A South Cambridgeshire resident and freshwater ecologist with a passion for wildlife, canoeing and swimming in the Great Ouse.

Lara Hawkins worked as an Environmental Consultant for 25 years. She lives close to the

River Rhee, a tributary of the River Cam. At age 4, she learned to swim in the River

Ouse and she still enjoys the occasional wild swim.

Phil Rothwell has worked at a senior level in statutory agencies and charities for over 35 years. For 10 years he led the EA team dealing with flood and coastal risk policy including research, flood mapping and warning, planning and development in the flood plain and related policy. He has served on the Anglian Central RFCC, and also sat on the East of England Heritage Lottery Committee and the Anglia Water Sustainability and Resilience panel.

Simon Wightman has a wide-ranging background in freshwater policy, nature conservation, and ecology having worked for the RSPB and the North York National Park. He has been Funding Manager with Esmée Fairbairn Foundation for the last 5 years. On a personal level he enjoys canoeing and kayaking on the River Great Ouse.

Howard Osborne is a specialist in software performance, running his own business for over 20 years.

Living in Buckingham, he's a keen paddleboarder and wild swimmer.

Helen Boothman has had a 20 year career in marketing and fundraising followed by 20 years of volunteering, charity trusteeship, specialising in governance. She lives within 300m of the River Great Ouse and is passionate about caring and valuing the local land and river scape of the Great Ouse Valley.

Katherine Gillbe Kat trained in ecology and has over 15 years experience in the environmental sector from regulation to policy and later communications.

She now focuses on the recovery of endangered wild Atlantic salmon.

Outside work she loves wild swimming and mountain climbing.

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