Reopening Creve Coeur first aim of new president

Mike Brown was elected unopposed to the post at the AGM this week.

Under his presidency, Mr Brown is hoping to see the trust embark on some ambitious projects.

Primarily he is focused on opening of a new site at Creve Coeur on the Chouet peninsula.

The site is shortly to be returned to the trust, having been leased to the States to be used as a landfill site nearly 30 years ago.

‘The site has been fenced of for about three decades and has developed into an important wildlife site, especially for ground-nesting birds,’ Mr Brown said.

‘I’m keen to open it up as reserve so it can be of benefit to wildlife and the people of Guernsey.’

He is hoping to involve other organisations, such as La Societe Guernesiaise and the RSPB, in the project and is passionate about promoting co operation between Guernsey’s environmental organisations.

‘There are a lot of environmental charities in Guernsey and together we can achieve more than we can apart. Protecting the environment should never be a competition. I’d like to take this opportunity to reach out to any charity that wants to talk to us about conservation.’

Mr Brown was previously the trust’s land manager and had been involved with the charity for four-and-a-half years.

He moved to the island as a teenager in 1966, not long after the death of his father.

‘We came to Guernsey as my mother was looking for a fresh start, and I’ve lived here ever since,’ he said.

‘The island’s been incredibly good to me and my family and part of the reason I agreed to stand as president of the National Trust was because I wanted to put something back.’

Mr Brown worked in the finance industry and soon became involved in local charities, but it was not until the birth of his grandchildren that he became interested in ecological issues.

‘Having grandchildren prompted my concern about global warming and the environment, and a few years ago a friend asked me to become National Trust land manager and I was happy to help’.

Mr Brown was proposed by the outgoing president Tony Spruce and supported by all the current council members.

He paid glowing tribute to the outgoing president.

‘Tony served as president for six years and is going to be a very hard act to follow. He left the trust in a much better place than he found it.’