Who's Who
The Friends of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs is governed by a Board of Trustees who oversee the policy direction and operation of the charity, including compliance with appropriate legislation. Trustees are all volunteers who give their time freely and have a strong interest in, and passion for, the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park area. They get directly involved in fundraising, organising events, project development and in many other ‘hands on ‘ ways to further the aims of the Friends to ensure the charity continues to make a real difference in helping to protect, promote and provide for area covered by the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. We are also fortunate in having some eminent public figures in honorary positions to act as ambassadors and champions for the Friends. The role of Trustees is set out more fully in the attached note - click here.
Honorary President and Vice-Presidents
Sir Malcolm Colquhoun
Honorary President
Sir Malcolm Colquhoun - Honorary President
Since time immemorial Loch Lomond and the lands around it have been home to the Colquhouns, a clan small in size but rich in Scottish history and tradition. These lands, centred on the heritage village of Luss on the western shores of the Loch, now form the Luss Estate, one of Scotland's great landed estates.
Today the Luss Estate is a thriving, commercially managed estate, operating a number of different enterprises in such traditional areas as farming and forestry as well as tourist and leisure ventures including holiday rental cottages, a holiday park and a hotel. A newly-opened 1 MW hydro-electric scheme in Glen Douglas is set to make a significant contribution to renewable energy, with none of the visual pollution associated with wind farms. The estate is also home to two championship golf courses, including the world famous Loch Lomond Golf Club.
Luss Estate extends to around 45,000 acres and is in the custodianship of the present baronet, Sir Malcolm Colquhoun of Luss, and his son Patrick. Together, their mission is to ensure that these ancient clan lands are preserved and enhanced for the enjoyment of future generations.
Professor Gavin Arneil
Honorary Vice-President
Professor Gavin Arneil, O.St.J., D.Sc., M.D., Ph.D. ,F.R.C.P., F.R.C.P.C.H. ,F.A.A.P. - Honorary Vice-President
Gavin has enjoyed a very distinguished career in the medical profession at a senior level. He was Major in the Royal Medical Army Corps, Middle East Land Forces and The War Office. Between 1950-1988 he was consultant paediatrician at R.H.S.C., Yorkhill with 40,000 children going through the ward during this time. Europe’s pioneer on children’s kidney disease.
He founded European and World Associations and was also a founder of the Scottish Cot Death Trust, Yorkhill Children Trust and helped children in 3 wars. Given St Mungo Prize/Medal, Novel Medal of SMA, Honorary degrees, WHO prize. President International Paediatric Association (200 countries and only Briton to achieve this status in 100 years). Advised many developing countries behind Iron Curtain and in Asia on paediatrics. Gavin was a member of the Secretary of State’s Working Party for Loch Lomond & Trossachs, the Loch Lomond Park Authority and a co-founder of Friends of Loch Lomond.
He has served for spells as Chairman, Vice President, Hon. Member & Hon. Vice-President. He has been married for more than fifty years to June and has a daughter and two grandsons.
Lord John McFall of Alcluith
Honorary Vice-President
Lord John McFall of Alcluith - Honorary Vice-President
John McFall, Baron McFall of Alcluith was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1987 to 2010, first for Dumbarton and then from 2005 for West Dunbartonshire. He was best known for being the chairman of the House of Commons Treasury Committee. On 17 June 2010, he was created a life peer as Baron McFall of Alcluith, of Dumbarton in the County of Dunbartonshire.
Before entering Parliament he was a chemistry and maths teacher from 1974-87 in Dumbarton, Kirkintilloch and Glasgow, becoming a deputy-head in Glasgow and Secretary of his Constituency Labour Party. In 1994, he became a Visiting Professor at Strathclyde University Business School, and now is a member of the Strategic Advisory Board at the University of Glasgow Business School.
He was a whip and junior minister (for Education, Training and Employment, Health and Community Relations, then in 1999 for Economy and Education) at the Northern Ireland Office from 1998-9. In 2001 he was appointed Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, and reappointed for a second term in this position in 2005. The committee conducted inquiries into the banking crisis, producing evidence of the bonus culture, the lack of banking qualifications among many top bankers and poor oversight of the industry by the Financial Services Authority.
He is currently the Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Overseas Development. He is Chair of the Scotch Whisky and Spirits APPG and of the Royal Navy APPG. He is Chairman of Strathleven Regeneration Company (which he helped to set up) and of Clydebank re-built, two development companies based in his constituency.
Lord McFall was a passionate supporter of the campaign to secure National Park status for Loch Lomond and in the 1990’s when there was a danger of the campaign faltering he organised a series of conferences to keep the campaign momentum to the fore in the press and with key politicians. He also worked in the background with the late Donald Dewar and others to ensure National Park status was secured early in the life of the new Scottish Parliament.
Billy Petrie DL. OBE JP
Honorary Vice-President
Billy Petrie DL. OBE JP - Honorary Vice-President
Billy Petrie is described as the most popular local politician in Great Britain in an authoratative review of who’s who in British politics. He served as a Councillor for the communities around the western flanks of Loch Lomond and the Clyde Sea Lochs area for a period of 45 years until he stepped down in May, 2012. During that time he has been Provost or Convener of three Councils and Chairman of four tourist bodies and he also served on the Park Authority Board and its predecessor bodies. This is a truly remarkable track record of public service and he has made an outstanding contribution to enriching the lives of so many and ensuring the National Park is a better place to live, work and visit.
In retirement Billy continues to take an active interest in the National Park and he is Vice-Chairman of the Steamship Sir Walter Scott Trust at Loch Katrine.
Trustees
George Boyd
Vice-President and Treasurer
George Boyd - Vice-President & Treasurer
George enjoyed a career in senior management positions with cargo liner shipping in Glasgow and Liverpool, thereafter in the travel Industry and finally in a family textile firm in Glasgow. Since retirement he has been active in numerous voluntary organisations including Rotary International.
He is a past Treasurer of the Friends, past Chairman, now Vice President and interim Treasurer. For many years he was the Treasurer of the Scottish Campaign for National Parks and Helensburgh & District Access Trust. He is one of the Friends longest serving Trustees and has taken a particular interest in the work of the Park Authority and helping to make a real difference in the Park.
James Fraser
Chairman
James Fraser, MA DipTP. MTS. - Chairman
James is a qualified planner and a tourism specialist with a lifetime’s experience in tourism having held senior positions with tourist boards for almost 30 years. He was Chief Executive of Tourist Boards and VisitScotland Regional Director, covering the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park and a wider area from 1983 to 2006, after spending spells with tourist bodies covering the Thames & Chilterns and Grampian Region.
He owns and manages a self-catering holiday business with his wife in the Cairngorms National Park, runs a successful tourism consultancy business and is a member or adviser on several bodies including the Scottish Campaign for National Parks and Love Loch Lomond Destination Organisation.
John Urquhart
Vice-Chairman
John Urquhart
With a lifelong interest in the countryside and outdoor pursuits and having retired in 2003 from a career teaching Geography, John is now involved in a number of countryside voluntary bodies. He is a member of both the National Park and Argyll and Bute Access Forums, the latter of which he serves as Chairman. John is a Director of the Helensburgh & District Access Trust where he has been very active in developing their Three Lochs Way long distance footpath. He is the Chairman of the Love Loch Lomond tourism destination organisation and is also a partner in two small tourism businesses, Balmillig House B&B and Lomond Guides, which are active members of the Friends Our Park Visitor Giving Scheme.
Bill Dalrymple
Bill Dalrymple
Bill is a geographer and planner by profession and his career goal was to see the establishment of National Parks in Scotland, and to realise the benefits such a designation can help to deliver.
He was Chief Executive of Scotland's first National Park 2002 - 2007; Chief Officer to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs Interim Committee 1999 - 2002;and Loch Lomond [Regional] Park Officer 1996 - 1999. Prior to this he was a senior planner with Dumbarton District Council.
Bill has a keen interest in the National Parks movement in Scotland and is an active Board member of the Scottish Campaign for National Parks.
Dr Joyce Deans
Joyce Deans, CBE D Univ. PPRIAS.
A lover of the countryside. An Architect specialising in the conservation of and new uses for older buildings. Joyce was elected President of the Glasgow Institute of Architects (first woman), the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (first woman) and elected Vice President of the Royal Institute of British Architects. She was Vice Chairman of the Board of Glasgow School of Art. She was also elected the first Vice Convenor of the Court of the University of Strathclyde which she combined with the Depute Convenor Estates where she became deeply involved with Ross Priory, Gartocharn, the University’s Staff Educational Centre on the Banks of Loch Lomond. Joyce chairs the Friends Membership Goup.
Phillip Norris
Phillip Norris
Following a career in music and posts which involved 11 years in Germany, and posts with Scottish Opera and the BBC, Philip moved back to Dunoon in 1999 where he and his wife have owned and run tourism businesses - a small 11-bedroom hotel and now a self-catering business with 2 letting units. Philip is a former Vice Chair of the local tourism association, Cowal Marketing Group, and continues to be a committee member of this group, which is dedicated to promoting tourism in Cowal. In recent years Philip has been closely involved in successfully leading the opposition on plans for 3 large-scale wind farms in Cowal and very close to the National Park boundary. He is a keen hillwalker and photographer as well as a PS Waverley enthusiast.
Iain Stuart
Iain Stuart
Born in Alexandria, Iain studied history, politics and education at the Glasgow and McGill Universities. He spent his working life in regeneration initially as a District Commissioner in Africa, then with the World Bank in the Caribbean and latterly with Strathclyde Regional Council as Depute Chief Executive for social strategy.
Iain was a founder member and Chairman of the Scottish Urban Regeneration Forum and a former Director of the Tullochan Trust and the West Dumbartonshire Environment Trust. He currently serves on the National Park Local Access Forum. He and his wife run an equestrian business at Tullochan Farm, Gartocharn. He is a lover of the outdoors, a keen hillwalker and skier.
Staff
Sandra Dyson
Sandra Dyson - Support Officer
Sandra joined the Friends in May 2012 and provides a range of support services to ensure the smooth running of the charity. She is now the main contact for members, merchandise sales and general enquiries as well as providing admin support for the Friends OUR Park scheme.
Prior to joining the Friends Sandra had a varied career including spells as an IT lecturer, a prison warden, a bank teller and providing support services for a family building business. Sandra lives in Balloch and has a good knowledge of the National Park.
Alice Blazy-Winning
Alice Blazy-Winning - Our Park Project Officer
Alice joined the Friends in 2009 to implement and develop the OUR Park Visitor Giving scheme. She has an MSc in Ecotourism from Edinburgh Napier University and a background in tourism project and event co-ordination, environmental conservation, as well as sales and marketing. Alice has a particular interest in how tourism and conservation can work together to enhance the natural environment.
Alice has a love for the great outdoors, and spends her leisure time exploring the tranquil and wild areas of the National Park on foot and by bike.