Geoff Nickolds

Geoff Nickolds

Role
Committee Member for the East Midlands
Geoff Nickolds spent a long career with Severn Trent Water Limited, for the final 10 years as Conservation, Access and Recreation Manager responsible for recreation, heritage and biodiversity issues across the company's whole region and 50,000-acre estate. This included over 40 reservoir sites open to the public, together receiving over 4million visitors each year.

He drafted and managed the implementation of Severn Trent Water's Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), chaired the Water UK/Wildlife Trust's Otters and Rivers Project and was a member of the National BAP committee for the Otter. A graduate in Ecology and Biological Sciences from the University of East Anglia, Geoff is also a certificated member of the Institute of Fisheries Management and a Chartered Environmentalist.

After leaving Severn Trent Water, Geoff chaired a committee for the Environment Agency, and was a member of the Peak District National Park Authority for eight years until 2015. He was the Deputy Chairman of the Authority, the member lead for biodiversity and chaired the innovative Moors for the Future partnership.

Geoff is a member of the Forestry Commission Regional Advisory Committee for the East Midlands and is a trustee of the Trent Rivers Trust. He has been a member of the National Trust Midlands Regional Advisory Board and of the Trust’s National Council. He also works as an independent Conservation, Access and Recreation consultant.

He has a broad interest in the full range of heritage across the East Midlands; in particular in safeguarding and promoting access to natural heritage and the great benefits to physical and mental health and wellbeing for communities and individuals which this can provide.