Meet The Team

Max Smith

Max Smith

Queenswood and Bodenham Lake Manager
Patricia (Tricia) Dorée

Patricia (Tricia) Dorée

Visitor Experience Assistant
Liz Bunney

Liz Bunney

Visitor Centre Assistant
Paul Ratcliffe

Paul Ratcliffe

Reserves Officer
Trevor Hulme

Trevor Hulme

Reserves Officer
Debbie Bean

Debbie Bean

Retail Officer

Queenswood Country Park & Arboretum and Bodenham Lake are managed by a partnership of two local charities: Herefordshire Wildlife Trust & New Leaf Sustainable Development. In addition, the Arboretum is supported by a third charity, the Queenswood Coronation Fund.

Both sites are retained in public ownership through Herefordshire Council and are leased to the partnership via a 99 year leasehold ‘community asset transfer’.

New Leaf Sustainable Development

New Leaf is a not-for-profit co-operative, whose aim is to promote sustainable living in Herefordshire and beyond.

Initiated in 2010, we are best known for our annual h.Energy event and for our work to reduce Herefordshire’s carbon footprint. As a small charitable co-op, New Leaf works collaboratively with many communities, public sector organisations and businesses across the county. We seek to support and encourage people, locally and internationally, to demonstrate that the pursuit of a flourishing ecology, human wellbeing and a prosperous local economy are worthwhile and inter-related objectives with multiple benefits.

New Leaf Sustainable Development Ltd is an exempt charity and is a not-for-profit co-operative (BenCom), no. 31282R.

Herefordshire Wildlife Trust

Herefordshire Wildlife Trust is the largest membership-based wildlife organisation in the county, dedicated to inspiring people about wildlife, acting as a wildlife champions and creating wildlife havens.

Our vision is for a Herefordshire richer and more diverse in wildlife that is valued, and cared for, by its people to the benefit of all.

The Trust covers the county of Herefordshire and works closely with neighbouring Wildlife Trusts in England and Wales. The Trust is supported by around 5,000 local members and manages 54 nature reserves. We are a member of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, a federation of 47 Wildlife Trusts covering the whole of the British Isles.

The Herefordshire Wildlife Trust Limited is a company registered in England and Wales no. 00743899 & registered charity no 220173.

The Queenswood Coronation Fund

The planting of the Arboretum at Queenswood began in 1953 to mark the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It was funded by a public appeal via ‘The Queenswood Coronation Fund’ launched by Sir Richard Cotterell. The site’s managing partners continue to work closely with the Coronation Fund committee today and it continues to be an important support to the Arboretum. Donations to the fund, including those made for tree adoption, provide invaluable income which ensures that the Arboretum continues to be further developed and improved.

The Queenswood Coronation Fund is a perpetual fund and a registered charity no. 518624.

Funding

The running of Queenswood Country Park and Arboretum is funded by monies raised through car park charges and through the sale of logs and charcoal produced from the management of the woodland. The Queenswood Coronation Fund also raise money specifically to care for the Arboretum. Click on the button below to find out more about donating to the Queenswood Coronation Fund.

Managing the Two Sites

Herefordshire Wildlife Trust has much experience at senior managerial and strategic level in managing wildlife sites including Sites of Special Scientific interest. the Trust currently manages 55 nature reserves acorss the county. The Trust runs WildPlay and Forest School programmes and a wide range of habitat improvement, species conservation and community engagement projects across Herefordshire.

Through the expertise of New Leaf, the sites will be used as exemplars of good practice to support the county’s approach to sustainable development. An example of this is a proposal to seek funding to refurbish the buildings to the highest possible energy standards and undertake energy management measures, with the intention of minimising carbon emissions associated with the two sites.