Candidates for election as trustees:
Stuart Bain
Stuart was co-opted as a trustee in December 2019. His background is in banking, specialising in risk, compliance and governance.
Based in South Wales, Stuart has a passion for the outdoors, walking and conservation. He is the hon treasurer and a trustee for the South and West Wales Wildlife Trust, helping the board to fulfil its financial oversight obligations.
Stuart is also a trustee for Awen Cultural Trust in Bridgend who manage Bryngarw Country Park alongside other cultural locations including libraries and theatres across Bridgend. Stuart is a member of the Ramblers Cymru Steering Group, representing the devolved interests of Wales across the national Ramblers organisation.
He will strengthen the Open Spaces Society board with his experience of charity governance, knowledge of issues facing Wales, and enthusiasm to protect open spaces for the public.
Chris Beney
Chris has served the society both as a trustee and as a local correspondent for many years. Trained as a Chartered Electrical Engineer, he was project manager for a small part of Concorde and later ran, with a colleague, a successful computer business for about ten years. He represented the society on the Rights of Way Review Committee’s working party which led to Defra’s guidance on the Equality Act’s impact on path structures. He has chaired a British Standards working party for two editions of BS5709, the national standard for path structures. He has worked on access related issues with Local Authorities for some 25 years. Chris has been a trustee of several other charities, currently just two, both involved in countryside access.
John Hall
John is Coventry born and bred and has served as OSS Local Correspondent for Coventry since 2013. He joined the Ramblers’ Association (RA) in 1978, was a founder member of Coventry RA in 1983, Group Footpath Secretary 1983-96 and 2013-2017 and a professional Rights of Way officer 1996-2013 with 4 local authorities, and for the RA and British Horse Society (BHS) headquarters. John has been a member of the Institute of Public Rights of Way (IPROW) since 1996. He is a past member of the Rights of Way Review Committee and involved in the Countryside & Rights of Way Bill procedure for BHS. He has attended over 200 training courses including Rights of Way Law Review and IPROW and 47 public inquiries.