Our Ambassadors

Dame Fiona Reynolds DBE, President

Fiona is Chair of the National Audit Office. She was Master of Emmanuel College Cambridge from 2012 to late 2021, and before that was Director-General of the National Trust from 2001. Before this she was Director of the Women’s Unit in the Cabinet Office and was previously Director of CPRE and Secretary to the Council for National Parks. Fiona was appointed CBE for services to the environment and conservation in 1998 and was appointed DBE in 2008.

“Living in Cambridge, I yearn for the Peak District’s multi-layered horizons, secret valleys, ever-changing views and stunning edges. It means a lot to be your President and to have an additional reason to remind myself of the Peak District’s beauty. As our first National Park, the Peak District holds a treasured place in the nation’s conservation story. As does this CPRE branch, launched by Ethel Gallimore (later Haythornthwaite) who’s vision and bravery – even audacity – as a pioneer of the countryside protection movement is humbling.”

Helen Mort

Helen is an author based in Sheffield who grew up in the Peak District. Her poetry has been shortlisted for various prizes including the T.S. Eliot Prize. She is a Lecturer in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University, was Derbyshire Poet Laureate and is a former Poet in Residence at The Wordsworth Trust.

Helen says of her role as ambassador for the Charity: “The Peak District has always been an integral part of my life, whether that’s as a climber, walker, runner or writer – many of my poems have been inspired by the edges and hills of Derbyshire. I believe passionately that we should support and preserve the landscape that sustains us and the communities that landscape creates. I’m very proud to be a member of CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire, and even more proud to be an ambassador for such a thriving cause. Sheffield wouldn’t be ‘the outdoor city’ without its proximity to accessible wild places and those places don’t protect themselves. I owe most of my writing to where I come from.”

Mark Cocker

Mark is an author, naturalist and environmental tutor who writes and broadcasts on nature and wildlife in a variety of national media, including The Observer, The New Statesman and The Spectator. He has contributed to the Guardian Country Diary since 1987. Buxton-born, he was our first Ambassador, championing all things landscapes and Peak District on behalf of the Charity.

Anne Robinson

As well as being our tireless and brilliant transport campaigner, Anne has been vice-president of the Charity since 2007. She was also a board member and chair of the Campaign for National Parks.