Cymdeithas Parc Bannau Brycheiniog
Brecon Beacons Park Society
www.breconbeaconsparksociety.org

THE SOCIETY 
who we are and what we do

OUR AIMS

The objectives of the Society, as stated in the Constitution are:
 "to advance the enhancement, protection and conservation of the countryside and other amenities of the Brecon Beacons National Park for the benefit of the public," and, "to advance the education of the public in the ways in which to achieve the above  including the provision of opportunities for healthy recreation and in particular walking."

The Executive  of the Park Society have also agreed that this web-site will become bi-lingual in Welsh and English, as and when time and money permits. 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The following are the Officers and Committee of the Brecon Beacons Park Society:

Charles Henderson, Chairman
Charles Henderson is a chartered accountant, and was based in London for 25 years, working worldwide.  He joined the Park Society 10 years ago on moving to Monmouth, and started leading walks 5 years ago.  Now living in The Forest of Dean, his interests are trekking, gardening, the arts and history.

Jim Wilson, Vice-Chairman and Guided Walks and Events Secretary
Jim Wilson lives near Raglan, having moved there with his family 5 years ago from the Bath area. He is currently MD of a small consultancy company having previously been a member of the senior executive team at Orange, and in a previous lifetime a theoretical atomic physicist. Jim is an experienced climber and mountaineer and has lead climbing expeditions to the Andes, Himalayas, Spitzbergen and many other remote regions of the world. He was formerly the Central Scotland representative for the Mountaineering Council of Scotland. He has been hill walking in the Brecon Beacons for over 15 years and has been leading guided walks for the Park Authority and Society for the last couple of years. His leisure interests include mountains, whale watching, tennis, squash, running and science fiction.

Ben Sladen, Treasurer and Membership Secretary
Ben Sladen trained as a chartered accountant in Glasgow and then spent 35 years in London.  He established a base in Herefordshire in 1996 prior to full retirement in 2000.  He has always enjoyed walking and joined the Society in 1999.  He now lives near Leominster with his wife Wendy, also a walker. They have a sizeable garden, both cycle and he is involved in various voluntary activities.

Elizabeth Gibbs, Secretary and Planning and Development Control Officer
Elizabeth Gibbs combined a career teaching biology and science with raising her family of five children. Since first coming to the Brecon Beacons in 1963 she has spent holidays in the area every year apart from four when living abroad (Kenya and USA). She and her husband John finally moved here three years ago, to the farmhouse they had renovated in Llangynidr. Here she is actively involved in tree planting and hedgerow renovation but animal husbandry is restricted to chickens. 
She works as a volunteer for the Citizens Advice Bureau and other interests include walking, natural history and singing (also with the Gwent Bach Society).

Chris Barber, Editor of 'The Beacon'
Chris Barber is a founder member of the Society and is well known as an author, with currently twenty-four books published. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, an accomplished  photographer and a popular lecturer. He took early retirement in 1994, having spent 20 years creating and organising the Gwent Countryside Service. He is now publisher (Blorenge Books) and the South Wales Editor of 'Walking Wales' magazine. His many interests and achievements have been recognised by an entry in 'Who's Who in the World'

Clive Eiles, Pipeline Monitoring Officer
Clive Eiles joined the Society shortly after buying a house in Llanddeusant in 2000, and before moving permanently from London in 2004.  He has worked for the Coal Board, been a teacher, education administrator, trainer of education administrators, part time journalist, and most recently a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. His outdoor activities have included climbing, orienteering and hill walking, he leads walks for the Society and leads regular expeditions, walking in Iceland.

William Gibbs, Representative of the 'Walls of Llangynidr
William Gibbs is the representative for Walls of Llangynidr (WOL) on the executive of BBPS. He has been the chairman of WOL since it was founded in 2000. He is also the chair of the Brecknock Museum Art Fund which together with BBPS created the Art Trail that is now part of the Beacons Way. He lives in Llangynidr.

David Thomas, Assistant Guided Walks and Events
David Thomas moved to Llanbedr 10 years ago, from London where he worked in the Telecommunications and IT Industries, but he has known the area since his youth as he came here to walk and camp with his school. He is a keen walker and has recently walked in the Himalayas, and the High Tatras as well as other parts of the UK and Europe. He has been a Community Councillor for Llanbedr, campaigning against the proposed Cwrt y Gollen development and promoting Affordable Houses for Local People. He is also a Director of the Crickhowell Information and Resource Centre (CRiC).
 

Pavel Vitek, Website maintenance
Pavel Vitek originally from Prague has lived in the UK since 1968.  Following his ‘early’ retirement Pav taught skiing in Canada and led cross-country skiing and walking holidays before moving to Wales. Pav is a member of the British Association of International Mountain Leaders and leads guided walking breaks from Ty Croeso Hotel in Crickhowell which he manages with his partner Linda Jarrett.  Pav  is also leading walks for the Society and represents it on the BBNP Sustainable Tourism Partnership.  He was co-opted to the Executive Committee in 2007 and elected in 2008.  Pav’s current responsibilities include maintenance of the web site, organizing 1st aid training and helping with the guided walks programme.

A BRIEF HISTORY

The Brecon Beacons National Park, in the early 1990s, was the only National Park which did not have a ‘Friends’ organisation. Other Parks had such bodies, some of which had been in existence for many years before the National Parks themselves were created after the Second World War.

Brian Powdrill was the catalyst in forming the Society. As a Councillor, he had been appointed to the Park Authority, and, over a period of time, he had been approached to set up a ‘Friends’ organisation.

In the early part of 1992, he contacted a number of local people to consider forming such an organisation. An informal committee was set up, and they visited and talked to the Friends of Pembrokeshire National Park, the Countryside Council for Wales, the Council for National Parks, the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, and many other bodies and people.

Many hours were spent in deciding the organisation’s name, aims and objects, logo, and numerous other matters, because it was felt necessary to present, at any launch, the bones of an organisation, which could be amended or changed as necessary when the organisation had been set up. John Evans, a local solicitor, wrote our first draft constitution. The Countryside Council for Wales agreed to fund half the setting up and launch costs as well as half of the running costs for the first two years.

The Society was finally launched at the Council Chamber in Brecon on Sunday 13^th September 1992. It was a packed, standing-room only meeting, chaired by Anthony Carthew, a TV presenter who lives in the park. Chris Bonington CBE introduced the society to the general public and gave one of his mountaineering presentations. Brian Powdrill and Keith Mascetti followed him. The launch resulted in the Society achieving an initial membership of between 70 and 80. Keith and Dianne Millican were among those first members.

The acting officers following the launch meeting were Brian Powdrill (Chairman), John Revans (Vice Chairman), Sandra Belcham (Secretary), and Robert King (Treasurer/ Membership Secretary). They were joined by Ken Milnes, Carolyn Flynn, Elaine Christopher, Anne Watkins, Bob Allen and Richard Griffiths to form the steering committee. At the first AGM on 22^nd April 1993, the steering committee was elected as the executive committee, with the addition of Keith Mascetti and Geoffrey Williams ( Richard Griffiths did not stand). A programme was arranged, but, with such a small membership, attendances at events were often poor. Talks given by Chris Barber at the Bear were one of the few successes.

The draft constitution, which was mentioned earlier, was approved at the first AGM. A number of changes were then made, at the request of the Charity Commissioners, so that we could be granted charity status. The achievement of charity status is a long and tortuous tale. A number of persons played a greater or lesser part in this, and, in the end, thanks particularly to Keith Millican, the status was achieved.

In 1996, Brian Powdrill stood down as Chairman of the Society and was succeeded by Keith Millican. For the next five years, Keith and his wife Dianne, first as Secretary and then Secretary, Treasurer and Membership Secretary, were the leaders of the Society in difficult financial and membership times. Despite falling membership and little or no funds, the Society survived. 

In the winter of 1999, the National Park Authority made a decision not to run a winter walks programme. The Society, thanks to John Sansom and his walks leaders, set up a replacement programme. The resultant walks programme was highly successful, and led to on-going summer and winter programmes, which resulted in improved membership and finances.

In 2000, Keith and Dianne Millican decided to have a second retirement and moved to the Lake District. This resulted in a complete change of officers, on an acting basis until they were duly elected at the AGM in 2001. The Society was very fortunate in having as Chairman Haydn Williams, a retired conservationist. The other officers were John Sansom, Roger White and Peter Roberts. 

Haydn Williams stood down as Chairman in 2004, was succeeded by Frank Cook and in 2006 by Nigel Phillips.

Thanks to Robert King, founder member and former Vice Chairman of the Society for the above.

To find an alphabetical listing of pages and topics, click on the  Contents  page