Pursuing a passion for the countryside in Hertfordshire

Adam Hopwood is almost a year into his role as a trustee with CPRE Hertfordshire. As a first-time trustee, he shares about his motivations for taking on the role, the fresh perspective he’s been able to bring to the board, and the exciting opportunities and projects he’s been involved with.

Embracing trusteeship

Since joining CPRE Hertfordshire as a trustee in November 2023, Adam has loved getting involved in the diversity of activities and responsibilities that come with his role: ‘As a trustee, I wear many hats. I participate in board meetings, helping chart the strategic course of CPRE Hertfordshire. I also collaborate with fellow Trustees, ensuring everything runs smoothly and effectively’, he says. Hear directly from Adam about what he’s enjoying most about his role:

Adam has been able to get involved with various projects at CPRE Hertfordshire, some of which he feels particularly proud of. ‘We run a children’s art competition, which is a great way of getting young children and their families across Hertfordshire to engage with the theme of the countryside’, he says. ‘We had a range of entries this year from primary school children up to secondary school ages and we had winners across a number of categories.’

He’s also proud of ‘an innovative piece of technology that we’re hoping to share with the public on our website (…) a digital mapping tool where they’ll be able to see where planning applications are located across the county. We’re hoping that we can develop that now and have different layers – for example, we have a whole library of walks that you can do across Hertfordshire, and we want to be able to put those on the map as well.’

A deep passion for protecting the Hertfordshire countryside

Having grown up in Yorkshire for much of his childhood, the Dales and the Peak District were never too far from Adam’s doorstep when he was young. However, as an adult he decided to leave the countryside and move down to London for work. This made him realise just how much he loved and missed country life, and he later moved out to Hertfordshire in 2018 to start a family. ‘That’s why the Green Belt is so important’, he explains. ‘You’ve got the benefit of being close to London, but you can also live in the actual countryside. Being able to walk from the train station back home through fields and trees is a real privilege.’

One of Adam’s favourite walks in Hertfordshire passes through Comb’s Wood, an area of ancient woodland dating back to the 1600’s. ‘You can walk it at different times of year, you get the bluebells in Spring, in Summer it’s lush and green and if you go in Winter its really ethereal and almost a bit spooky, but quiet, peaceful and serene as well. I do like that walk and that part of Hertfordshire, because I feel like it really summarises what the countryside has to offer.’

Indeed, Adam’s love and appreciation for the Hertfordshire countryside has inspired his desire to take action and help to protect it. ‘The Hertfordshire countryside isn’t simply a pretty picture; it’s the canvas for wildlife to thrive, the source of clean air and water that sustains us, and a wonderful place to relax and recharge. It’s important to protect it, not just for ourselves, but also for the generations who will follow us.’ So, when Adam heard that CPRE Hertfordshire were seeking a new trustee, this seemed like the perfect way to pursue his passion;

‘I want to make a tangible difference, working with like-minded people to find solutions to the challenges facing the countryside… I want to spend more time driving positive action and promoting the countryside across my local community.’

Bringing a new perspective to the board

Given that this is his first trustee role, Adam has really valued the opportunity to learn about the workings of charity governance. However, before applying he was a little apprehensive about the time commitment that might be required of him. Yet he soon realised that this wasn’t going to be a problem, as ‘we tend to have our meetings in the evening…we have things like our annual strategy day and the AGM at the weekend, so actually it fits quite nicely. Every other trustee meeting we do over Zoom rather than meeting face to face, so it does make it easier to manage commitments.’

‘I don’t really see it as a commitment, but more so a chance to be energised and do something a bit different’, Adam explains. He often has the chance to go beyond the standard expectations of his role by ‘getting involved in projects, working on recruitment or a variety of different things; you can really flex up and down depending on your availability for a given period.’

To succeed as a trustee, particularly when you’re new to the role, Adam suggests that ‘it’s a balance of, on the one hand, being able to listen, learn and take the perspectives of the other trustees on board. But then also being brave enough to share your own opinion and be challenging.’

‘Sometimes being new can be a benefit in that sense, as sometimes asking what might seem to be an obvious question can prompt quite an interesting discussion. I tried to play that role of bringing a fresh perspective.’

Find out more

In Adam’s words, ‘I’m proud to be part of a dedicated team working tirelessly to protect and promote the Hertfordshire countryside. If, like me, you think that this sounds like a very rewarding pursuit, why not consider joining us as a trustee?’

If you think you’d like to volunteer for CPRE like Adam and stand with the countryside, take a look at our volunteering pages and current opportunities, or get in touch with us at volunteeringteam@cpre.org.uk. You can find out more about CPRE Hertfordshire here.