West Cheshire action on climate and nature

Cheshire West and Chester Council, Chester Zoo and partners came together at the West Cheshire action on climate and nature event on Monday, 3 November, for an afternoon exploring how nature based solutions, community spirit and innovation is helping the borough to accelerate our journey to net zero, building a greener, fairer future for all.

The event included the official launch of the borough’s Climate Emergency Response Plan, highlighted Chester Zoo’s Networks for Nature partnership and provided the opportunity to discuss a range of powerful projects already making a difference in the borough and opportunities for us to do more for people, nature and climate.

All presentations shared on the day can be viewed here.

Agenda

12.30pm: Registration and networking

1pm: Welcome and introductions by Jamie Christon, CEO, Chester Zoo

1.05pm: The Council's Climate Emergency Response Plan by Cllr Louise Gittins

1.15pm: Kirsten Pullen - Chief Conservation Officer at Chester Zoo

1.30pm: Networks for Nature Project by Steve Illidge, Chester Zoo

1.30pm: Focus on nature restoration by Charlotte Harris - Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Roger Goulding - Green Infrastructure Lead Cheshire West and Chester Council, and Paul Nolan, The Mersey Forest.

2.10pm: Panel discussion: Tackling the nature emergency in west Cheshire

2.40pm: Refreshment break

3pm: Outputs of the regional skills study on green skills - Dr Mike Wolffe, Enterprise Cheshire & Warrington

3.30pm: Panel discussion led by Chester Zoo's Youth Board: Green futures

4pm: Closing remarks by Professor Eunice Simmons - Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, University of Chester

4.15pm - 6pm: Networking and canapés

Below you will find a list of our presenters and panellists.

Host: Rose McArthur, Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Director of Transport, Highways and Climate Change

Rose has spent her career in transport, delivering programmes across the world with a focus on connectivity, integration and innovation. She became Director of Transport, Highways and Climate in Cheshire West & Chester in 2021. A diverse portfolio that includes everything from carriageways to climate adaptation, bikes to buses, drains to demand responsive transport. Prior to this she worked for Mott MacDonald as a Technical Director. She has been involved in projects that include the London Olympics, Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and Gold Coast as well as transport strategy behind the Sydney Light Rail and Melbourne Metro. She has worked as a strategic advisor to the DfT and surface access strategy team in Heathrow airport.

Cllr Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council

Cllr Gittins was first elected to Cheshire West and Chester Council in 2011 and in May 2019 was elected as Leader of the Council. Cllr Gittins portfolio responsibilities as Council Leader include Devolution, Public Service Reform, Climate Emergency, the local Health Economy and wider External Partnerships. External appointments include a number of regional and national leadership roles, including Vice Chair of Transport for the North (TfN); Chair of the LGA Children and Young Peoples board, Chair of Growth Track 360; Chair of the Cheshire and Merseyside Health Partnership, elected member lead for developing Cheshire and Warrington as a Marmot region, chair of Coop Councils innovation network and is current leader of the Cheshire and Warrington sub regional leaders board.

Kirsten Pullen - Chief Conservation Officer at Chester Zoo

Kirsten is Chief Conservation Officer at Chester Zoo, bringing over 25 years of experience in wildlife conservation, animal care, and scientific research. From caring for chimpanzees and studying gorilla behaviour to leading the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), her career has blended hands-on experience with strategic leadership. Today, she’s focused on proving that, even in the face of climate change and biodiversity decline, practical solutions - from recovering endangered species and their habitats to community-led nature recovery - can turn hope into real world impact.

Steve Illidge - Networks for Nature Project Manager at Chester Zoo

Steve Illidge is the project manager for the National Lottery Heritage Fund supported Networks for Nature (NFN) project. This is a £5.1M project to conserve and enhance native wildlife over 150 Square KM area in Cheshire over a 3 year period. The project will also reconnect people with nature through a number of local schemes, events and festivals. Steve has over 30 years of project management experience across a wide range of sectors and is excited to see what the NFN project can bring for the regeneration of nature when multiple partners work together with a common aim.

Charlotte Harris - Chief Executive of Cheshire Wildlife Trust

Charlotte is Chief Executive of Cheshire Wildlife Trust, leading work to protect and restore wildlife habitats across the region. With a background in biology and countryside management, she has over 25 years of experience in conservation and community engagement. Charlotte is passionate about creating space for nature to thrive and inspiring others to take action for wildlife. Under her leadership, the Trust has expanded its impact through ambitious landscape scale projects, strong partnerships, and innovation.

Paul Nolan - Director of The Mersey Forest

Paul has led The Mersey Forest for over 30 years and brings nearly four decades of experience in both commercial and community forestry. He has helped shape The Mersey Forest into one of the UK’s leading environmental partnerships, delivering large-scale tree planting, community engagement, and nature recovery across Cheshire and Merseyside. Paul has also played a key role in national initiatives, including co-leading the £200m Trees for Climate programme. He works closely with local authorities, landowners, and national partners to promote the many benefits of woodlands, from biodiversity and carbon capture to public health and climate resilience.

Roger Goulding - Green Infrastructure Lead Cheshire West and Chester Council

Roger has over 35 years experience in managing nature sites, improving access to nature and supporting communities, partners and landowners to take positive action to protect and improve their own natural and cultural assets to realise the benefits, for people, their business, eco-systems and broader economic/societal benefits. His current role at Cheshire West and Chester Council is very similar to those in his early career, helping to lead nature recovery at a local level, and secure and deliver investment (including a network of Local Nature Reserves, country park and countryside sites in the 1990’s, now delivering 400ha habitat bank).
Roger has been successful developing protected landscape schemes and managing national catchment-based programmes to improve bathing water quality. He delivered regional strategic planning of water-based sport and recreation, Defra’s ‘Access to Water’ pilot, and helped oversee the Environment Agency’s navigations, supporting Government and Ministers as a National Advisor for Recreation & Navigation.

Dr Mike Wolffe - Net Zero Programme Manager, Enterprise Cheshire and Warrington, Cheshire and Warrington Area Lead – North West Net Zero Hub.

Mike works across the Cheshire and Warrington area managing a variety of programmes designed to bring forward the Clean Energy Transition and support sustainable growth across the sub-region.

At present, Mike is working on the coordination of Clean Energy Skills work across the North West region as part of the DESNZ Regional Skills Pilot, facilitating energy planning across the C&W area to facilitate Clean Power 2030, and supporting the assessment of local infrastructure requirements for sustainable growth.

Phoebe Ney - Administrator for Chester Zoo Youth Board

Phoebe's interest in nature and the outdoors started at a young age and has grown into a lifelong passion for conservation! In 2023, she graduated with a first class honours from University of Cumbria in BSc Animal Conservation Science where she was awarded the Sarah McClay Memorial Prize for commitment to conservation. Since graduating, Phoebe has undertaken administrator roles which appeal to her organised and practical nature. This experience along with my knowledge on conservation has led to her current role as the Networks for Nature Project Administrator based at Chester Zoo. Phoebe is keen to continue developing her skills and furthering her career, she is also currently studying part time at University of Edinburgh towards MSc Science Communication and Public Engagement.

Noah Thorley - Vice Chair, Chester Zoo Youth Board

Noah has always had a passion for nature and wildlife, but only recently had the means to pursue volunteering opportunities within this field. Noah serves as the Vice Chair and Leads the People and Culture Working Group on Chester Zoo's Youth Board, helping to embed youth perspectives in conservation, inclusivity, and education initiatives.

Noah is passionate about youth empowerment and creating opportunities for young people to develop their skills and create an impact in their communities. Outside of his Youth Board role, Noah works within Students’ Unions to design and implement mechanisms that empower students’ voices, develop students’ skills, and build meaningful ways to recognise and celebrate the contributions of volunteers.

Lyndon Howson - Wildlife and Wellbeing Officer at Chester Zoo

Lyndon is the Wildlife and Wellbeing Officer at Chester Zoo, working as part of the Zoo’s Networks for Nature project to connect communities with nature through wellbeing initiatives. With a first-class Zoology degree and an MRes in Hedgehog Conservation, Lyndon has focused on protecting native wildlife, particularly hedgehogs. While at the University of Chester, he led the Hedgehog Friendly Campus project, helping hedgehogs return and breed on campus and supporting hundreds of volunteers. Lyndon's work has been recognised with the Mammal Society’s Mammal Champion Award and by Universities UK as one of their “100 Faces” campaign. As an author and advocate for youth governance and youth voice, he is passionate about empowering young people to shape a future where both people and wildlife can thrive.

Ximena Anco - Chester Zoo Youth Board Member

Ximena is a recent Zoology graduate serving on the Chester Zoo Youth Board and the Field Studies Council Youth Panel, where she contributes to strategic decisions on conservation education and community engagement. Growing up in the Peruvian Andes and Amazon, and being a Scout, sparked her passion for protecting wildlife and inspiring others to connect with nature.

She currently works as a laboratory technician supporting evolutionary biology studies but aims to transition into the ecology and conservation sector. Her experience spans fieldwork, research, education, and outreach with organisations such as the Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB. Ximena has worked on projects involving marine megafauna (dolphins, seals, porpoises), great crested newts, and bats, as well as small mammals (field voles), toxicology research, and habitat management for birds and reptiles with local wildlife groups.

She is particularly interested in how people and nature can thrive together through community action and is committed to making conservation more inclusive and accessible for young people from all backgrounds.

Jane Gaston - Chief Executive of Net Zero North West

Jane has over 20 years of experience shaping strategic business plans for the development and delivery of large scale, complex infrastructure opportunities in resource management, energy generation, and industrial decarbonisation. Living and working in the North West, Jane is passionate about the importance of integrating clean growth in industrial practices, to secure the region’s future prosperity. As CEO of Net Zero North West she provides strategic and operational leadership for the North West Industrial Cluster ensuring industry works closely with the regions public sector partners across skills, jobs, innovation, investment, communications, and policy, to achieve sustainable economic growth in the North West of England and North East Wales through delivery of the energy transition.

Dr Rebecca Collins - Director of Chester University's Sustainability and Environment Research and Knowledge Exchange Institute (SERKEI).

Rebecca is Deputy Head of Division of Humanities, Cultures and Environment, and Director of the Sustainability and Environment Research and Knowledge Exchange Institute, both at the University of Chester. A geographer by background, she has been collaborating with young adults as co-researchers for over a decade, exploring their views on more sustainable futures. Most recently, this research has started to explore the workplace as a key site for young adults’ environmental action. She has recently taken on leadership of embedding education for sustainable development (ESD) across University of Chester courses.

Rebecca Anderson Moss - Assistant Principle at Warrington and Vale Royal College

Rebecca Anderson-Moss is a member of the Executive Leadership Team at Warrington & Vale Royal College, where she leads the award-winning College Business Centre. She drives strategic stakeholder engagement, project management, and commercial growth, with a strong emphasis on employer collaboration. Under her leadership, the Centre has earned national recognition, including accolades from the Association of Colleges and Educate North Awards. Rebecca also spearheads the DESNZ-funded Regional Skills Pilot via Enterprise Cheshire & Warrington, supporting clean energy workforce development. She is passionate about shaping education through collaborative partnerships that deliver real impact for learners, employers, and the wider skills ecosystem.

Professor Eunice Simmons - Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, University of Chester and Chair of The Mersey Forest Steering Group

Eunice Simmons is Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Chester and a Professor of Sustainable Environments.

She is an environmentalist by academic background with international teaching and research experience in sustainable habitat management and landscape ecology. Beyond her university roles Eunice has been involved in the leadership of many nature and biodiversity projects and was a founding member of Defra’s Expert Committee on Forest Science. Currently Eunice is Chair of Mersey Forest Partnership; the outstanding community forest encompassing Cheshire and Merseyside, an area which is home to over 2.5 million people.