OUR TEAM

Julian Barlow

Chairman

Julian is a local businessman who joined the board of the WWCE in 2019 becoming Chair in 2021. He has a special interest in the environment and issues associated with climate change and biodiversity, which is why Julian not only sits on our board but is also a council member of the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. He is a member of Compton Bassett Parish Council. and is a keen amateur beekeeper.

Julian has owned a public relations business for over 25 years, having previously worked as a journalist in the USA and the UK, writing for regional and national newspapers, and broadcast media. Since then, he has worked with legends like Olympian Sir Steve Redgrave CBE, as well as clients like United Biscuits Group, Tesco, Johnson & Johnson, and construction consultancy Gleeds. He’s also an advisor to senior members of the House of Lords, supporting their social media activity.

Lucy Normington

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Lucy has lived in Purton for almost 20 years. She has been active on the committees of various local community groups such as Mums & Toddlers, the Under 5 Community Playgroup and Purton and Lydiard Scout Group, acting as Club Treasurer and events coordinator for these groups. In her professional life she has worked in the pharmaceutical industry, as the school business manager of St Mary’s Primary School in Purton, and is currently a project impact evaluator for Innovate UK, a government funding body that is based in Swindon.

Lucy is passionate about protecting Wiltshire’s diverse wildlife and communities and is decided to get involved with WWCE to help raise awareness of community energy and develop partnerships with like-minded community organisations.

Sylvia Wyatt

Non-Executive Director

Sylvia is a semi-retired healthcare strategist who has worked with different organisations on complex problems in health, social care, housing and the voluntary sector. She co-developed national policies for healthcare innovation, care outside hospitals and the use of the NHS estate. Sylvia’s fascination with the natural world began when she was a child exploring the mountains and wild places of Europe, Africa and America with her family. Her Human Sciences degree at Oxford included ecology, geology, zoology and animal behaviour.

Sylvia is passionate about decarbonisation and lives in an all-electric home with an electric car. She has supported wildlife trusts in Scotland, Surrey, Warwickshire, Yorkshire and now Wiltshire where she serves on the Sustainability, Education and Wellbeing Committee. She is a keen walker, avid gardener, and naturalist.

Jonathan Bateman

Community Fund, Committee Lead

Jon is a professional engineer specialising in water, utilities and environmental management. Formerly a director of Halcrow Management Sciences (now Jacobs) – a regulatory advisory business focussing on utility policy and regulation – he has been a member of WWCE since 2015 and a director on the board of Bath and West Community Energy since 2014. He was co-opted onto the WWCE board in 2018.

Jon has worked extensively with regulators in the water and energy sectors on strategic planning, price controls, asset management and performance monitoring. He also volunteers in community support and was recently co-opted onto an Area Community Operations Board reporting to Wiltshire Council. Jon is interested in environmental conservation, sustainable energy and enjoys long distance trail and alpine walking, as well as tending his allotment.

David Lewin

Finance Lead

David has been a non-executive director of WWCE since 2015. Over the course of his career, he founded companies Ovum and Plum and provided policy and regulatory advice to a host of international telecoms companies.

Lesley Bennett

Director

Lesley has held a number of high-profile roles with organisations in Wiltshire over the years. She was previously a Trustee of Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, a non-executive customer director with Wessex Water, a non-executive director of the South West Courts Board at Great Western Hospital and an elected councillor. She held this position for 15 years, chairing the Agenda 21 and Planning Panels.

Lesley was one of the founders of Wiltshire Wildlife Community Energy in 2013 and has been a director on the board ever since, Chairing the organisation until 2021.

Rob Gillies

Land Management Lead

Rob has been a member of Wiltshire Wildlife Trust since moving to Chippenham in 2010. Rob works in sustainability for Buro Happold, an international engineering, design and advisory firm for the built environment based in Bath. With a background in environmental and sustainability consulting, prior to moving into the environmental sector Rob worked in the postal and IT sectors, as well as in local government.

Rob is a member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (MIEMA), a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA). He is an enthusiastic volunteer in community development linked to environmental and sustainability issues and is the founder of Refill Chippenham, a campaign to reduce the negative environmental impacts of single-use plastics within his home town.