While we're actually the Wales & South West region, we have a separate Welsh advisory board, Bwrdd Glandŵr Cymru, looking after the interests of our Welsh waterways. So this board is able to focus just on the south west.
All our boards give local people:
- a voice in developing and improving their waterways
- a chance to connect with their waterside communities
- an opportunity to help guide our decisions and strategies
- the ability to support and champion the waterways in this region
Meet our regional advisory board members
Chair - John Podmore
John spent 40 years working in criminal justice. He was governor of HMP Brixton and Belmarsh and a prisons inspector. He spent six years as Hon Professor of Sociology at the University of Durham and has worked internationally as an expert on prison corruption.
He has also worked across the Third Sector as Chair and Trustee of a number of charities. He has navigated much of the canal network and in addition to being a member of the South West Regional Advisory Board, is a volunteer lock keeper on the Kennet & Avon Canal.
Alexa Volker
Alexa is Reading’s Business Improvement District Manager (BID). Funded through a levy the BID brings additional services to the town centre including security, cleansing, events, Christmas lights, floral and bunting installations. Over recent years Alexa has grown the BID to include social value projects, training programmes and wellbeing initiatives ensuring it adds value to the growing corporate nature of Reading’s business sector.
Oda Dijksterhuis
Oda is passionate about the river and waterway environment. Her current expertise at the Environment Agency includes delivery of Nature Based Solutions, river restoration, Natural Flood Management, and carbon sequestration through woodland and wetland creation. Oda worked for British Waterways and Canal & River Trust for nearly 20 years, starting as ecologist on the exciting £29M HLF Kennet & Avon Canal restoration, followed by various environment & heritage management roles in Wales & South West and West Midlands. She co-produced the Trust’s Waterways and Wildlife Handbook together with Trust colleagues and the University of Oxford. This handbook showcases our fabulous canal wildlife.
Harry Hayer
Harry Hayer has over 30 years’ experience in Executive and Non-Executive Director roles across a variety of sectors including the NHS and charity sector. He is currently Executive Director of People at Sustrans, a UK active travel charity and custodian of the National Cycle Network . As the son of migrant parents, Harry grew up in some of the most deprived areas in Coventry and has a life-long disability. He is passionate about the environment and health and well-being and wants everyone to be able to enjoy the benefits of walking, wheeling and cycling along the UK’s paths and waterways. Harry lives in Bristol.
Adrian Robins
Adrian is the Regional Stores Director for Sainsbury's for the Region of Hampshire, Berkshire and part of Wiltshire. In a 35 year career with Sainsbury's he has held a variety of senior central roles in Supply Chain, Commercial and IT change as well as Regional Store operational roles. He was also a Trustee Director for over a decade of the Sainsbury's and Argos Pension scheme.
He is passionate about improving our canals and rivers, whilst connecting communities to make this happen.
David Shipley
David Shipley has sold forklift trucks, worked in recruitment and investment banking, and produced a film. After serving a jail sentence for fraud in 2014, David became an active campaigner for prison reform. He now writes on prison and justice issues for the Spectator, iNews, Inside Time and the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and often appears on radio and TV commenting on these topics. David is pursuing a PhD at the University of Southampton. He lives near the Sharpness & Gloucester Canal, along with his wife, daughter and dog.
