Photo by Yentl Nijs
Staff & Trustees
Mary Colwell
Director
Mary is a writer, TV and radio producer and conservationist, whose massive walk across the breadth of the UK in 2016 helped raise the profile of the Curlew, and led her to write the greatly influential Curlew Moon (a must-read for any Curlew fan!). Mary founded Curlew Action in late-2019 after a series of talks, meetings and forums among experts discussing what was most needed to rescue the rapidly declining UK Curlew population. Mary loves long distance walking, camping, reading and cycling, as well as wildlife and storytelling, and it is her passion for telling the story of the Curlew that has helped launch it into the public consciousness in the past few years. In addition to Curlew Moon, she is the author of three more books: John Muir: The Scotsman Who Saved America’s Wild Places; Beak, Tooth and Claw: Living with Predators in Britain; and The Gathering Place: A Winter Pilgrimage Through Changing Times.
Flo Blackbourn
General Manager
Flo is a zoologist, freelance presenter, and trainee bird ringer. She has a background in wildlife rehabilitation and promoting undervalued species, particularly urban birds. Her interests include bird conservation, bird migration, seabird ecology, rewilding, and engaging people with the natural world. She presented the 2024 Scottish Rewilding Alliance’s film ‘Why Not Scotland?’ and spoke about rewilding on the main stage of the Restore Nature Now march with Rewilding Britain. She is involved in various wildlife surveys and her local toad patrol, as well as rehabilitating urban birds when she is able. Her hobbies include birding, running, reading, playing board games, cooking, and doing anything outdoorsy.
Charlie Bingham
Outreach & Events Lead
Charlie is a writer who has worked in digital communications and event management for organisations and charities such as RSPB, NSPCC, World Land Trust and Birda. She has worked to produce the podcasting stage at Global BirdFair and managed large-scale science events. Her first book, The Life Affirming Magic of Birds, discusses the lessons she has learnt on her recent journey to reconnecting with nature and, through 12 bird species (including Curlew of course), she hopes to share her passion for the natural world and show people the beauty that awaits them on their doorstep, whether they are in the middle of a city, or rural countryside. She enjoys spending time in nature, musical theatre and exploring historic houses.
Curlew Action Patron
Introducing Curlew Action patron, singer-songwriter David Gray.
"I am delighted to become a Patron of Curlew Action. These are desperate times for wildlife, but the idea of losing magical birds like the Curlew from our landscape is just more than my heart can bear. Curlew Action are all about funding protective and educational efforts but on a localised level, and it‘s inspiring to see the difference that that can make. I’m extremely honoured to be involved and will be rolling up my sleeves with the rest of the team in order to try to preserve a prosperous future for these magnificent creatures.”
David has contributed to three of our Curlew Films, hosted exclusive events with Curlew Action, and highlighted Curlew awareness through his album Skellig.
Watch David's latest video with Curlew Action on our YouTube channel.
Professor David Hill, CBE DL DPhil(Oxon).
Chair of Trustees
David founded the Environment Bank in 2006 and developed the concept of biodiversity net gain, successfully implemented into law in the Environment Act 2021, creating the first global compliance-based biodiversity market. David also established the Foundation for Nature, co-founded the NatureSpace Partnership, was a founding member and previously Deputy Chair of Natural England, Board Member of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, a member of the government’s Ecosystem Markets Taskforce, Chairman of Plantlife International, and founded one of the first environmental consultancies in the UK. He is currently a Board member of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Chair of its Audit and Risk Committee, a Commissioner with the Food Farming and Countryside Commission, Chair of the Northern Uplands Nature Partnership and a Board member of the Woodland Trust.
David lives with his family at their farm in the Nidderdale AONB (the whole farm is dedicated to conservation) and they also have a small farm in the Yorkshire Dales National Park which includes part of the Muker Meadows Special Area of Conservation (a site of European conservation importance), listed as one of the nation’s 60 Coronation Meadows, an initiative instigated by HRH The Prince of Wales. He is passionate about Curlews and they breed on his land in Nidderdale and Yorkshire Dales. He was awarded the CBE in the Queen’s birthday honours 2015 for services to nature conservation and the economy. He is an avid birder and wildlife photographer.
Alison Sterling
Trustee
Alison started her career working as an actor, then quickly moved sideways into producing - first in the theatre, and later in film and television. Her prestigious career highlights include many critically acclaimed and award-winning short films, as well as two BAFTA nominations. She now brings her considerable organisational skills to the board of Curlew Action, and acts as a useful sounding board for any media and presentational opportunities. She loves film and TV, birds and walks.
Rory Wilson
Trustee
Rory has been with Curlew Action since it was established, and joined the board in Autumn 2021. Having read International Relations and Politics at the Universities of Sheffield and Hong Kong, he served as a policy advisor in Whitehall, before going on to work in both applied conservation and conservation advocacy in France, the UK and South Africa. He holds a masters in International Affairs from The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, and an MPhil in Conservation Leadership from University of Cambridge. He is an associate fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, a qualified member of the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa, and former forestry operative. He oversees project management and organisational planning at the charity.
John Miller
Trustee
John recently joined Curlew Action as a trustee in March 2024. He has a BSc Hons in Geology and worked in Global Executive positions at Dell Technologies in Austin Texas and MicroFocus in the UK. Having left the IT Industry in 2023, he now wants to devote most of his time to the environment and conservation by bringing together his business experience and deep love of the countryside. In addition to Curlews, John champions another iconic species in his work for the Atlantic Salmon Trust. He is also the founder of Mygardenspade.com (a heritage garden tool company) and is always willing to talk about how he manages his garden to regularly provide nesting for eighteen individual bird species at his home in Wiltshire.
Anne Cotton
Trustee
Anne has a BSc in Rural Environmental Science and an MSc in Wildlife Management, Conservation and Control from Reading University. After graduating, she worked for 17 years as a Land Management adviser for Natural England (and its predecessor the Rural Development Service). Covering the Upper Thames Tributaries patch in Oxfordshire, she encountered the Curlew and fell in love. After many years working with landowners to create good Curlew habitat, she realised we need to do more to reverse their decline. In 2019 she co-founded the Upper Thames Wader Group and, working with partner organisations, began a project fencing Curlew nests. She leads a team of volunteers on the Thames to find and fence Curlew nests and monitor the outcomes. Alongside her Curlew work Anne has continued to work for NE in various roles including SFI guidance writing, Landscape Recovery, and England Ecosystem Survey. Outside of work Anne enjoys being active outdoors (walking, jogging, cycling, horse riding, gardening), cooking and reading.
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Matt Howard
Trustee
Matt is a poet and environmentalist who worked in various roles for the RSPB for more than a decade. He is currently Manager of the University of Leeds Poetry Centre. His debut award-winning collection Gall was published by The Rialto in 2018. His second book-length collection, Broadlands, was published by Bloodaxe in June 2024. Matt is also an editor and events programmer. He co-founded The RSPB and The Rialto Nature and Place Poetry Competition in 2011 and was co-editor of Magma 72 – The Climate Change Issue. He has been poet in residence for the Cambridge Conservation Initiative and also the Wordsworth Trust. Since 2017 he has been a Trustee of The Rialto, and was Douglas Caster Cultural Fellow in Poetry at the University of Leeds 2021-2023. Matt was the recipient of the 2024/2025 Yorkshire Sculpture Park/Laureate Fund Residency supported by the T. S. Eliot Foundation.
Michael Warren
Trustee
Michael is a writer, medievalist and ecocritic. He has been an English teacher for many years, completed a PhD in 2017 (the subject of his first book, Birds in Medieval English Poetry), was formerly honorary research fellow at Birkbeck College, and is a series editor for the journal Medieval Ecocriticisms. Michael was a steering group member, then chair, for the charity New Networks for Nature. He is the author of The Cuckoo’s Lea (Bloomsbury, 2025)—a journey into the secrets of our ancient place-names and landscapes to discover how birds our sense of place. Michael also curates The Birds and Place Project, a website devoted to (slowly!) recording the birds of England’s place-names, and which aims to include eventually other wildlife and languages also featured in place-names of the British archipelago. Michael recently moved with his family to Essex to be close to the saltmarshes—the habitat he loves above all others.