Our Team

Meet The Trustees

Graeme Jackson

Trustee - Operations

Graeme’s Grandfather first came to the village in 1915 and he and Graeme’s father grazed their cows on the Townend until 1992. Graeme was born in the village in 1957 and lived here until 1974. As a child he used to play on the Island and in the Ouse Beck catching stickle backs and watching the many water voles which were then in abundance. In those days the field was also the school playing field and the school children played in the field every day.

In 2005 he and his family moved back to the village from working around the world in overseas aid development. After retirement Graeme worked for the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and was able to indulge his lifelong passion for nature and conservation. Graeme is also a parish counsellor and the success of the UOCT fulfils a long held dream of securing this wonderful space for the village in perpetuity.

David Lloyd OBE

Trustee - Chair

David is Chair of Trustees. He loves the Ouse Gill Beck and is delighted that Townend Field has been saved for future generations. He is never happier than when seeing the Barn Owl patrolling the fields at dawn and dusk.

David’s background is in governance; he currently chairs the Leadership Centre and is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at University of Birmingham. He was the Police and Crime Commissioner in Hertfordshire from 2012 to 2024 and chaired the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners. He had previously been involved in local government in Hertfordshire. His professional background is in banking and financial advice.”

Tim Gifford

Trustee - Secretary

“I have lived in the village for 20+ years, having retired in 2021. I took on the role of UOCT Secretary in December 2024 and help to support the sterling work of the fundraising team and the technical experts in the Trust.

Having enjoyed life in the Ouseburn community for a couple of decades, I strongly believe that protecting the local environment for future generations is a compelling reason to be involved.”

Rich Little

Trustee - Treasurer

“I asked asked to help originally, because I am an accountant who knows something about tax. GiftAid has been a major contribution to meeting our target. I like a challenge; raising £300,000 in a month, is definitely that! Jayne and I have been in Ouseburn for over 16 years. Both of our children went to school across the road from our house. We have a wonderful local community and the physical surroundings are such an important part of what makes this place great to live and work in. It is vital that it gets protected and enhanced.”

Kate Yates

Trustee - Environmental Expert

“The benefit to every child that goes to the school from now on. Amazing! Not just the space they will gain, and the benefits this will bring to their overall education, but also the knowledge that their community cared enough about them, and about their environment to do this. That’s a powerful message to send the next generation….”

“My career is in nature conservation, and I’ve worked to protect wildlife and habitats in nature reserves and protected sites for many years. Projects like this are brilliant because they provide more much needed space for nature alongside the community, allowing people to see and feel the benefits of nature-rich places.”

Louise Rayner

Trustee - Social Media Manager

“I am passionate about nature and also have a child at the school who will greatly benefit, as well as countless others, from having a school field and access to a nature reserve right on their doorstep. Being a primary school teacher myself, I would love to support the school in utilising the outdoors to deliver an even richer curriculum offer. Having experience in managing social media and creating digital content means that I can make myself useful, whilst balancing the demands of being a busy working Mum.”