People & Planet Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees is the team of people who oversee all the work that the People & Planet does and tries to keep the organisation working in the best interests of the network.
This is your portal to finding out all about the Board of Trustees (also known as the BoT) — who we are, what we’re currently doing, and how you can get involved. Check here regularly, and watch out for announcements, to find out about which consultations we’re currently running on our work, so that you, as part of the network, can continue to be involved in how People & Planet is run.
- Find out more about how the BoT is democratically involved in the network.
- Read the Meetings Minutes And Papers for past and upcoming meetings.
Student trustee elections
Elected student representatives make up over half our Board of Trustees. Elections take place every year in February. Nominations to be a student trustee are open all year round.
Current Trustees
People & Planet's trustees in random order.
Ruth Taylor
Ruth is a campaigner and public engagement strategist, with specific interest in youth mobilisation. Previously at Restless Development and Amnesty International UK, Ruth now works with a range of organisations as a consultant. She loves disruptive education, storytelling and people-led campaigns. Ruth graduated from the LSE with a Masters in Human Rights and is currently studying for a Postgraduate Certificate in Media, Campaigning and Social Change at the University of Westminster.
Annie Pickering
Che Ramsden
Ché works in the NGO sector as an innovations expert, leading on strategy, impact, and service development. She currently works for Amnesty International UK, where her work has focused on strategy, community organising, and supporting the development of campaigns by running innovation sprints. She is also a proud trade unionist, and has served on Unite the Union’s LGBT+ Committee. Her main interest is ensuring that people’s lived experience is at the heart of the pursuit of social justice. In her free time she enjoys singing and attempting to parent a (very cute) toddler.
George Buskell
"Hello! My name is George Buskell, I’m a Master’s student studying Global Political Economy at Goldsmiths, University of London! I’ve been involved with People and Planet for three or so years and was previously Vice-President of Surrey People and Planet. In my spare time I enjoy vegan home cooking and playing guitar. I love People and Planet, and I hope to represent activists to the best of my ability on the board of trustees."
Emily Adams
Hello Everyone! I'm Emily, currently a final year Marine Biology student at Plymouth. Activism has always been close to my heart. I've been a Regional Organiser for 2 years, and active People & Planet committee member at Uni for the last 3 years, so I'm really looking forward to being more involved.
Maddie Bromfield
Hi I’m Maddie, a fourth year music student at the University of Edinburgh. I’ve been a member of People and Planet Edinburgh for 3 years and have previously been a regional organiser for Scotland. I’m involved in climate activism, staff-student solidarity and campaigning against the hostile environment. I’m really passionate about non-hierarchical organising and the importance of grassroots activism.
Beth Bhargava
I'm a second-year undergraduate in History, and have been involved in Cambridge Zero Carbon's campaign for divestment since my first year. As a member of ZC, I've helped lobby university management, plan marches and rallies, and have written numerous articles publicising the campaign.
Paula Lacey
"I'm Paula, and I'm a final year linguistics student at the University of Edinburgh. I've been campaigning with People & Planet Edinburgh for over 3 years now, and I was also the regional organiser for Scotland in 2018. I've been involved in housing activism, refugee solidarity work, and climate justice campaigning, and I really believe in collective grassroots organising as a vehicle for change."
Emma Carter
Claire Kelly
Claire has many years experience working in the not for profit sector campaigning on social justice, environmental and human rights issues. She worked for Campaign Against Arms Trade from 2008 – 2019 responsible for financial reporting, office management and HR matters. She was also a Steering Committee member during this time involved in organisational decisions that guide the campaign, reviewing policies and procedures and addressing issues of long-term strategy planning. Claire now works for Abianda, a not for profit organisation that works to improve the wellbeing of marginalised young women who have been exposed to violence and sexual exploitation through gang culture, by offering one-to-one, group work and employment opportunities.
Nick Werren - Chair
Hello! I'm Nick Werren, I'm a PhD student researching quantum physics at the University of Surrey. I'm involved with a lot of environmental and housing activist groups, and I think People & Planet is a fantastic bedrock for creative, radical, and progressive politics.
Trustees: How We Work
Our Jobs
The Board of Trustees has a lot of responsibility for making sure People & Planet is fulfilling its aims: it approves our accounts and annual budgets, and comments on and approves staff plans, ensuring that the office is working on the best projects to support your campaigning.
It’s also involved democratically with the network: student members are elected every year to represent the student network on the Board of Trustees, and it works to be open with the network about the work it’s doing — both keeping the network informed about the decisions being made and providing spaces for the network to be involved in decision-making.
Our Membership
The Board of Trustees is made up of democratically elected student members and also non-student members drawn from other organisations such as Oxfam, Friends of the Earth or ActionAid, who are chosen for their areas of expertise. The elected student members always make up more than half of the Board of Trustees, and meetings are chaired by the student members in rotation.
Our Processes
The Board of Trustees currently meets four times a year, and all members try to attend. Office staff are also invited along to meetings in an advisory capacity when needed. You can find summaries of our meetings and important information about what we’re discussing below.