About Us

Our Aims

The River Waveney Trust is an environmental charity dedicated to improving and protecting the River Waveney, its tributaries and catchment, making it a better place for people and wildlife.

Proud to be part of the Rivers Trust movement, we are one of 60 local river trusts across the UK and Ireland.

We work in collaboration with a wide range of partners including government agencies and other organisations, individuals and local community groups with the aim of delivering a catchment based and integrated approach to managing the River Waveney and the surrounding land. Working in partnership is essential to enable us to deliver effective environmental projects in our river and its catchment.

Volunteers are essential to us, they run the charity on a day to day basis and carry out practical conservation work in the catchment. We have four local groups who meet regularly and manage sites along the river for all to enjoy. We also work in close partnership with the Scole Nature Trails Trust.

Our People

Martha Meek
Development Manager

Martha leads on development and management of the Trust, including projects and funding, as well as health and safety and day-to-day running. She has worked in the environmental sector throughout her working career, for both NGOs and in the public sector. She has specific experience in farming and catchment management, having previously worked in Suffolk as a Catchment Sensitive Farming Officer. She has also worked for Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Kirklees Council Countryside Unit and is a partner in a family thatching and straw growing business.

Emily Winter
Catchment Project Officer

Emily is currently facilitating the Waveney, Water and Woodland farmer cluster, delivering the Water Sensitive Farming initiative in partnership with Norfolk Rivers Trust, and offering advice to homeowners for wastewater and septic tank management. She has over five years’ experience in aquatic ecology, including working on a Broadland fish tracking project as part of her PhD research. She was raised on a family farm in the Waveney catchment and has a broad knowledge and understanding of agricultural practices.

Katie Utting
Rivers Project Officer

Katie volunteered for the River Waveney Trust on the Riverfly Monitoring citizen science project for three years before being recruited as Rivers Project Officer. She sees caring for our waterways and the local catchment as integral to wildlife and wellbeing. In previous conservation roles she has managed conservation work parties on local wildlife sites. Katie runs our Canoe Access & Biodiversity Project and is a keen botanist and advocate for her local river.

Ange Lamb
Volunteer & Events Coordinator

Ange is working on the ‘Preventing Plastic Pollution’ project, which seeks to understand and reduce the impact of plastic pollution in the marine environment by looking at the catchment from source to sea. She is a keen paddleboarder and loves to explore local rivers especially the Waveney. She volunteers on the Canoe Access and Biodiversity project, regularly surveying the river and helping at work parties.  She also works as a part time forest school leader, running Fox Wood Forest School in Roydon. She loves bird watching and is passionate about protecting and enhancing habitat for wildlife.

We are governed by a volunteer board of trustees:

Keith Lead
Chair
Keith is a retired civil engineer, having worked in flood risk management in the Environment Agency and predecessor bodies throughout his working life. He joined the original committee to offer his skills in project management of river maintenance and enhancement work. He is one of the founding members of the RWT.

Karen Stone
Secretary & Treasurer
Karen brings over 30 years’ business experience in the non-profit, hospitality, winery and governmental sectors.  Recently returned from living in Napa Valley, California, Karen’s career encompassed financial, human resources, IT support and compliance.  Her work with a luxury boutique winery focussed on supporting the company’s certified organic practices and their non-profit efforts.  While living in Canada, Karen worked with the Ontario Government and Cisco Systems Canada, overseeing large operational budgets operating across Canada. 

Robin Twigge
Trustee
Robin is the owner of the Swan Hotel in Harleston which is one of the regular meeting venues for the RWT. His contribution, over the years, has been his commercial abilities for the benefit of the Trust. He is one of the founding members of the RWT.

Jane Newbold
Trustee
Jane’s early scientific career started in medical research before she switched to environmental science. She has developed and taught many courses to both students and professionals in the UK and overseas. She has now retired as a University lecturer and researcher and moved to Suffolk where she hopes to contribute to the many projects proposed by RWT for the benefit of the community.

Louise Bond
Trustee
Louise is currently a Company Director of a family farming business based in the Waveney valley.  She has worked in the environmental sector for several years both in the private sector and for the government, having spent 14 years working for the Environment Agency.  She has experience in catchment management and has project managed several river and habitat restoration schemes.

Duncan Barnes                                                                                                                             Trustee                                                                                                                                             Duncan, who lives near Eye in Suffolk, has been in practice as a Chartered Accountant for over 40 years. He brings experience of the governance and operation of charities. He is a former non-executive director of a successful NHS foundation trust. Alongside this Duncan is a keen amateur naturalist, a respected military historian and tour guide, and an enthusiast for everything to do with boats, rivers and canals.

John Blair                                                                                                                                                    Trustee                                                                                                                                              John has been living and working beside the coast, estuaries and rivers of East Anglia for most of his life, which has influenced his regard for their habitats and the wildlife they support. He has worked at a senior level for several leading environmental education and youth development charities around the country. His career has focused upon providing opportunities for individuals and communities to participate in outdoor activities and education whilst engaging with their natural world.  

Todd Strehlow                                                                                                                              Trustee                                                                                                                                            Todd is a town planner and urban designer with 25 years of experience in urban regeneration, project management and community development.  His roles have been across the public, private and voluntary sectors in the UK and US, and has run his own businesses (consulting and also in artisan foods).  Currently he is a Visiting Lecturer for the BA (Hons) Architecture course at the University of Suffolk and advises a number of number Community Interest Companies (CICs) working with the creative sector and diverse communities. Todd is a regular paddler and is a Volunteer River Warden for our Canoe Access & Biodiversity Project.                                                                                                                        

Our local group leaders can be found on each of the Local Groups pages.