THE Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) has welcomed a new development officer to its team.
Nick Critchley replaced Andrew Nixon, who moved to the Gwent Wildlife Trust, in April.
The 38-year-old, dad-of-two, has a wealth of experience in conservation and rights of way work with the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB. He graduated with a geography degree from the University of Derby and went on to gain a post graduate diploma in countryside management from the University of Wales, Bangor.
First working as an assistant rights of way field officer for Oxfordshire County Council he then progressed to work as an open access officer for Denbighshire County Council on a pilot scheme that looked at the impact of new access legislation on the Berwyn, Llantysilio and Ruabon mountains.
He then progressed as a senior countryside officer managing landscape sites and a stretch of Offa's Dyke national trail including across the spectacular Eglwyseg Rocks, he became the moorland field officer for the Heather and Hillforts Project; a Heritage Lottery Funded Landscape Partnership Scheme.
This work, engaging with local landowners to manage the uplands of the Clwydian Range and Llantysilio mountains particularly with bracken control and heather burning, gave him opportunity, in 2011, to work within the newly-extended Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB.
He then moved to their unit as the sustainable development officer with responsibilities for community project planning and delivery.