Team 2023

RICHARD PERING

STUART WALKER

Trustee

Richard's background is in geography and STEM informal education. He now manages learning programmes in four of the London's Royal Parks, based at the LookOut Discovery Centre in Hyde Park. The Year-round offer includes school visits, family activities and walking tours for adults. Richard has also led short-term projects exploring innovative ways of bringing the Parks' nature and heritage to life.

Trustee

Stuart taught for nearly three decades in mainstream and special schools. He was for seven years Head Teacher of an outstanding special school in East London specialising in supporting young people with emotional difficulties and behavioural problems. He was chair of the national youth charity the Woodcraft Folk and continues to be a trustee. He is a Forest Schools teacher, a Forest Bathing leader and a trainee bushcraft instructor.

DR IAIN BOULTON

Trustee - Chair

Iain has 19 years’ experience of working in local government within London, with particular specialisations in ecology, greenspace management, planning and development, environmental education and promoting volunteering by local residents, businesses and third sector stakeholders. Iain is active in a range of environmental and conservation charities; he is Vice-Chair for the Association of Local Government Ecologists (ALGE) and an active judge for London in Bloom and Green Flag Award. He has been an active LEEF member for many years and has been Chair of the LEEF Management Committee since 2010, and now the Chair of its Board of Trustees since 2017.

JAYA GAJPARIA

HELEN ROBERTSON

Trustee

Jaya is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at London South Bank University (LSBU) and The New School Parsons Paris. Jaya is the lead for LSBU’s Sustainability Research Group, a Fellow of the Schumacher Institute, and a Fellow of HEA. Jaya began her academic career in 2011 completing her doctoral research on Gender, Poverty and Development. She is a keen advocate of systems thinking and inclusive education. Before academia, Jaya spent over ten years working in the charity sector where she continues to support several grassroots NGOs.

Trustee

Helen is an experienced environmental educator, having worked in the sector for over 18 years at sites across the UK. Helen has worked for FSC since 2001, and currently manages FSC London and FSC Epping Forest, leading a team of Tutors that deliver courses to schools and community engagement activities at sites across London. Helen is experienced in: teaching courses to all age groups, course development, event management, business planning and budgeting, staff training and development, fundraising, grant applications, project management and delivery, administration. Helen is also FSC Health and Safety Officer, working nationally to develop and support Health and Safety systems and deliver training in FSC systems.

SHAIRA BEGUM

Trustee

Shaira is an environmental justice organizer, educator and trainer. Shaira has a background in community building, training and facilitating in the women's and environmental sectors, with a wealth of experience working around health and climate projects. She has worked across a number of environmental education charities and nature reserves across London. Forest Schooler, community gardener from Tower Hamlets via Bangladesh, Shaira features amongst this list of amazing individuals as part of the Climate Reframe project: https://climatereframe.co.uk

LEEF is currently looking for more trustees to oversee LEEF, support its functioning and ensure that our vision serves a wide range of Environmental Educators in London. If you are a LEEF member, and you'd like to become a trustee, see our 'be a trustee of LEEF' page here, and contact us on [email protected] for more information.