Nick Sherwin (Chairman) - Retired Solicitor
Nick became MDT chairman in 2017, having been on the trustee board since 2010. He is a retired solicitor, and was a partner of Clifford Chance LLP for almost 20 years, where he introduced a pro bono relationship for a major conservation body. He is a member of the Council of the British Trust for Ornithology and has travelled extensively both within and outside the U.K. in support of conservation projects. Nick lives in Heyshott.
Simon Ward - Retired Chartered Surveyor & Land Agent
For more than 21 years Simon was the Resident Land Agent at West Dean on the South Downs north of Chichester. Prior to that he was a Managing Agent for the National Trust in East Anglia, his portfolio including two internationally important National Nature Reserves - Wicken Fen and Hatfield Forest. He is a founder Trustee of the MDT following its transfer from the Society of Sussex Downsmen in 1993, Director of a large independent boarding school in West Sussex, Vice-Chair of a Community Land Trust in the Rother valley, and a past Trustee of the Sussex Heritage Trust. Simon lives in Rogate.
Claire Norwood (Treasurer) - Chartered Accountant
Claire is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax adviser. Claire was appointed as a director of Jones Avens in 1997, a small firm of Chartered Accountants based in Chichester and Portsmouth. Claire specialises in accounting and taxation services and advice for family businesses, companies and individuals and their families and is also a specialist in Charity accounting and audit. Claire lives in Southsea.
John Murray - Retired Director
John, Betty Murray's nephew, has held senior positions in engineering companies. After qualifying in Agriculture and managing farms until 1965, he moved into engineering with a small engineering firm making concrete egg laying block machines and welding/generating sets. In 1971 he joined Stothert and Pit manufacturing dockside cranes for the North Sea and Saudi Arabia plus other engineering products. In 1980 he joined the Hawker Siddeley Group, R A Lister Division manufacturing Diesel engines. In 1986 he moved to the North East to set up the UK manufacturing plant of a Japanese company, Komatsu UK. In 1991 he joined the General Electric Company, AEI Cables rising to Purchasing Director. He retired in 1999 to move down to Heyshott, becoming a Director of the MDT in 2002.
Mike Edwards - Ecologist
Mike Edwards is an entomological ecologist specialising in the autecology of, and habitat management for, insects. He has extensive experience with the aculeate Hymenoptera, Diptera and Orthoptera, and less extensive experience with several other orders. He has a wide experience, accumulated over more than forty years, of the diverse habitats which are occupied by these insects. These habitats range from the semi-natural, through post industrial sites, to the agricultural.
He has carried out ecological projects both in the UK, Europe and Australia. He was co-ordinator for the UK Biodiversity Action Plan group The Aculeate Conservation Group (now Hymettus Ltd.) from 1997 to 2007. As a development of this role he has become increasingly involved with management issues for the conservation of a wide range of invertebrate groups and is currently developing monitoring and management techniques for these. He has completed contracts for all three National Conservation Agencies, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (part of NERC), the RSPB, the National Trust, Wildlife Trusts, County and District Councils, Southern Water, Syngenta Crop Protection, Estates, Landscape Architects and Leisure Activity Organisations. Mike lives in Midhurst.
Mike Hadley - Retired Mechanic
Mike lives in Heyshott.
Robert Windle - Chartered Surveyor & Land Agent
Robert was formerly the Resident Land Agent at Cowdray Park for a period of 24 years up to May 2014, before joining the partnership of RH & RW Clutton. He has subsequently formed a new company called Windle Ferrier Land & Property Consultants, based in Midhurst.
Robert was born and raised in north Cumbria, close to Hadrian’s Wall and the Lake District, and enjoys walking in the countryside. He lives in Midhurst.
Alice Parfitt - Ecologist
Alice is an ecologist and naturalist with a keen interest in entomology. She has worked in nature conservation for over 20 years, primarily in nature reserve management for various organisations including the RSPB and the Sussex Wildlife Trust. She currently works for Buglife on projects on the South Downs, and is the Reserves Manager of our newest reserve near Pulborough, Hurston Warren.
Alice joined the Board in 2021 and lives in Storrington.
Paul Stevens - Ecologist
Paul is an ecologist who has been involved in Conservation for over two decades. He has worked on the South Downs as conservation lead at Worthing Golf Club, The WWT Arundel Wetland Centre as Reserve manager for 13 years, and now as an independent ecologist, specialising in Swifts and hirundines,
He is the conservation lead for House martin Conservation UK and Ireland, Sussex Ornithological Society (SOS) Hirundine champion and committee member of the Sussex Amphibian and Reptile Group.
He is passionate about the natural world and how it functions in relation to habitat management, especially chalk downland, wildflower meadows and wetland ecosystems.
Paul is the most recent member of the board having been appointed in November 2024.
Nick became MDT chairman in 2017, having been on the trustee board since 2010. He is a retired solicitor, and was a partner of Clifford Chance LLP for almost 20 years, where he introduced a pro bono relationship for a major conservation body. He is a member of the Council of the British Trust for Ornithology and has travelled extensively both within and outside the U.K. in support of conservation projects. Nick lives in Heyshott.
Simon Ward - Retired Chartered Surveyor & Land Agent
For more than 21 years Simon was the Resident Land Agent at West Dean on the South Downs north of Chichester. Prior to that he was a Managing Agent for the National Trust in East Anglia, his portfolio including two internationally important National Nature Reserves - Wicken Fen and Hatfield Forest. He is a founder Trustee of the MDT following its transfer from the Society of Sussex Downsmen in 1993, Director of a large independent boarding school in West Sussex, Vice-Chair of a Community Land Trust in the Rother valley, and a past Trustee of the Sussex Heritage Trust. Simon lives in Rogate.
Claire Norwood (Treasurer) - Chartered Accountant
Claire is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax adviser. Claire was appointed as a director of Jones Avens in 1997, a small firm of Chartered Accountants based in Chichester and Portsmouth. Claire specialises in accounting and taxation services and advice for family businesses, companies and individuals and their families and is also a specialist in Charity accounting and audit. Claire lives in Southsea.
John Murray - Retired Director
John, Betty Murray's nephew, has held senior positions in engineering companies. After qualifying in Agriculture and managing farms until 1965, he moved into engineering with a small engineering firm making concrete egg laying block machines and welding/generating sets. In 1971 he joined Stothert and Pit manufacturing dockside cranes for the North Sea and Saudi Arabia plus other engineering products. In 1980 he joined the Hawker Siddeley Group, R A Lister Division manufacturing Diesel engines. In 1986 he moved to the North East to set up the UK manufacturing plant of a Japanese company, Komatsu UK. In 1991 he joined the General Electric Company, AEI Cables rising to Purchasing Director. He retired in 1999 to move down to Heyshott, becoming a Director of the MDT in 2002.
Mike Edwards - Ecologist
Mike Edwards is an entomological ecologist specialising in the autecology of, and habitat management for, insects. He has extensive experience with the aculeate Hymenoptera, Diptera and Orthoptera, and less extensive experience with several other orders. He has a wide experience, accumulated over more than forty years, of the diverse habitats which are occupied by these insects. These habitats range from the semi-natural, through post industrial sites, to the agricultural.
He has carried out ecological projects both in the UK, Europe and Australia. He was co-ordinator for the UK Biodiversity Action Plan group The Aculeate Conservation Group (now Hymettus Ltd.) from 1997 to 2007. As a development of this role he has become increasingly involved with management issues for the conservation of a wide range of invertebrate groups and is currently developing monitoring and management techniques for these. He has completed contracts for all three National Conservation Agencies, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (part of NERC), the RSPB, the National Trust, Wildlife Trusts, County and District Councils, Southern Water, Syngenta Crop Protection, Estates, Landscape Architects and Leisure Activity Organisations. Mike lives in Midhurst.
Mike Hadley - Retired Mechanic
Mike lives in Heyshott.
Robert Windle - Chartered Surveyor & Land Agent
Robert was formerly the Resident Land Agent at Cowdray Park for a period of 24 years up to May 2014, before joining the partnership of RH & RW Clutton. He has subsequently formed a new company called Windle Ferrier Land & Property Consultants, based in Midhurst.
Robert was born and raised in north Cumbria, close to Hadrian’s Wall and the Lake District, and enjoys walking in the countryside. He lives in Midhurst.
Alice Parfitt - Ecologist
Alice is an ecologist and naturalist with a keen interest in entomology. She has worked in nature conservation for over 20 years, primarily in nature reserve management for various organisations including the RSPB and the Sussex Wildlife Trust. She currently works for Buglife on projects on the South Downs, and is the Reserves Manager of our newest reserve near Pulborough, Hurston Warren.
Alice joined the Board in 2021 and lives in Storrington.
Paul Stevens - Ecologist
Paul is an ecologist who has been involved in Conservation for over two decades. He has worked on the South Downs as conservation lead at Worthing Golf Club, The WWT Arundel Wetland Centre as Reserve manager for 13 years, and now as an independent ecologist, specialising in Swifts and hirundines,
He is the conservation lead for House martin Conservation UK and Ireland, Sussex Ornithological Society (SOS) Hirundine champion and committee member of the Sussex Amphibian and Reptile Group.
He is passionate about the natural world and how it functions in relation to habitat management, especially chalk downland, wildflower meadows and wetland ecosystems.
Paul is the most recent member of the board having been appointed in November 2024.