About Us

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About Us

Eco Attractions Group is a collaborative alliance of the UKs leading visitor attractions with a strong environmental theme. We officially represent a range of much loved and hidden gem environmental visitor attractions throughout the UK.

Our members share the common goal of helping to connect people with the natural world to create a more sustainable future. All offer adventure, fantastic events, inspiring interpretation and learning for everyone.

The Group amplifies the work of each member’s unique attraction through shared promotion, joint campaigns, project collaboration and pooling of knowledge research and resources.

Eco Attractions Group is a registered Community Interest Company.

Our Vision

People coming together for a sustainable future

Our Mission

Working together to connect people with nature and inspire sustainable living

Trustees

Peter Stewart

New Chair & Company Director

Peter is the Company Chair, elected in June 2021 and responsible for leading Eco Attractions Group and for supporting the strategic direction and activities of the Executive Director of the group.

Peter is The Eden Project Executive Director for Outreach, Development and Campaigns which includes Eden’s biggest educational outreach campaign, The Big Lunch, and was awarded a Member of the Victorian Order by The Queen for his work on the Diamond Jubilee. Prior to this Peter ran Trewidden Nursery and previously spent over 10 years in the advertising industry and working for many well-known businesses such as The Guardian.

Peter believes we all need to reconnect with the environment, and we can’t do this by ourselves! We need organisations like this Group, and collaborative projects, that bring people together making it easier for everyone to take action to protect and love our communities and the environment around them. Instinct to work together and do something good for people and nature is very much at the heart of this Group.

Karl Hansen

Vice Chair & Company Director

Karl Hansen is an elected Vice Chair of Eco Attractions Group and is responsible for supporting the strategic direction and activities of the Executive Director of the group.

He is the Executive Director of the Trust for Sustainable Living, a leader in global sustainability education. TSL hosts the annual International Schools Essay Competition and Debates, which attract the participation of schools in over 80 countries. TSL also runs the Living Rainforest education centre in Berkshire, which welcomes around 100,000 visitors a year including 25,000 children on curriculum-linked school visits.

Inspiring current and future generations is essential if we want to build a more sustainable world. TSL is pleased to be a founding member of the Eco Attractions Group and work in partnership with other centres to create a healthier planet.

Huw Francis

New Company Director

Huw joined the company directors of EAG in June 2021 and is responsible for supporting the strategic direction and activities of the Executive Director of the group.

Huw is the Director of The National Botanic Garden of Wales, that receives over 160,000 visitors a year. Set in the beautiful Carmarthenshire countryside, the Garden is a fascinating blend of the modern and historic, with an inspiring range of themed gardens, the world’s largest single-span glasshouse, play areas and a national nature reserve, all set in a Regency landscape. The Garden of Wales also leads in pollination research and health and well being projects that benefit the surrounding Welsh communities.

He has extensive experience in managing and leading visitor experiences and social enterprises. Previously Huw was the Chief Executive of Stòras Uibhist a social enterprise with 93,000 acre South Uist Estate, covering the islands of Eriskay, Benbecula and South Uist.

Katharine Cockshaw

Company Director

Kath is a company director of EAG and is responsible for supporting the strategic direction and activities of the Executive Director of the group.

She is currently Project Director for the Thomas Wolsey 550 project in Ipswich – a large heritage engagement and social impact project which seeks to increase social mobility and pride in place in the town.

She has extensive experience in the arts, heritage and environment sectors and has led a number of public engagement, education and fundraising projects for The Royal West of England Academy, BBC Learning, Planet Mark for The Eden Project, Bristol Green Capital, the London Borough of Waltham Forest and Markshall Estate.

Kath believes in the positive impact which engagement in arts, heritage and nature can have for our individual and community wellbeing. She is actively engaged in local climate change action and communications work on a voluntary basis.

Richard Sims

Company Secretary & Legal Advice

Richard is a founder of Eco Attractions and was involved in the early negotiations to establish it in 2011. He advises the Group on legal, governance and compliance issues.

In his day job, he is the Head of Legal at The Brooke, having previously acted as Secretary of St John Ambulance.

Richard has extensive experience of the charity sector in various capacities: as Trustee, external advisor, and senior management.

Team

Amy Earnshaw Blake

Executive Director

Amy supports members that collectively engage over 17 million visitors, each year, with the natural world. She is responsible for the day to day management, working with members to develop campaigns, funded projects and partnerships that help raise environmental awareness and promote the mission of the members.

Amy has a MA in Political Science and has been involved in the supporting charities, social enterprises and social business since 1998. She started her career at the British Red Cross working in income generation, focusing specifically on corporate partnerships in the UK and Internationally. She has held various senior positions within the sector including Head of External Affairs at Capability Scotland, Director of the International Voluntary Service, Chief Executive of Classrooms for Malawi and is an Associate Consultant at Challenges Worldwide. Her specific interests and areas of expertise are global citizenship, international volunteering and skills exchange, sustainability and climate education & justice. Amy is currently undertaking the MSc Climate Justice at Glasgow Caledonian University, focusing on climate justice education.

John Pepper

Associate Constulant

John studied engineering at Cambridge University and, upon graduation, joined the energy industry. He spent many years in progressively more senior roles in design, project management and business development in refineries, chemical complexes, pipelines and offshore systems – working in the UK, France and the Netherlands.
Upon leaving the industry, he spent time in Cameroon building a charity to help local people – children, single mothers and the elderly- to have a better life. It was here that he became interested in renewable energy and the mitigation of climate change – by installing biogas and solar energy systems, and reducing deforestation.
John worked with Amy Blake, EAG’s Executive Director, and took the opportunity to join her at EAG where he can add his business and technical experience to support EAG’s mission of building a more sustainable future.

Emma Alesworth

Eco Attractions Advisor

Emma is the previous Executive Director and an advisor of Eco Attractions.

She has a lifelong passion for protecting the natural world with over 22 years experience of developing natural heritage interpretation and visitor centres worldwide including the multi million £ Hong Kong Wetland park and millennium science centres in the UK. She has a background in Marine Biology.

Emma believes it is more important than ever to connect people, in adventurous and playful ways, with the natural world and promote sustainable living. Eco attractions help people develop connections, and create memories, that inspire them to engage with the natural world. She believes pioneering members can support each other by sharing their amazing resources and working together can have greater impact and reach more people.

About Us

About Us

Our Vision

Our Mission

Trustees

Peter Stewart

Karl Hansen

Huw Francis

Katharine Cockshaw

Richard Sims

Team

Amy Earnshaw Blake

John Pepper

Emma Alesworth

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