Steering Group

The Steering Group was extended at the AGM in October 2021. This group of local residents are now responsible for developing our Neighbourhood Plan and are working hard on behalf of the Forum.

Steering Group Governance Documents (in addition to the Forum Constitution)
Roles & Responsibilities of the Steering Group
Steering Group Ways of Working

Membership

The Steering Group is made up of the following members:

Richard

Richard Hutchinson (Chair): I have lived in Toton since 2010. I am married and have 2 daughters who are 16 and 14 both attend George Spencer Academy. I am a business consultant in the ruggedised telecommunications field and work across Europe and the Middle East. I have a background in Engineering and Project Management and now run a sales development company in the technology sector. I have a strong interest in preserving the community we live in and ensuring that any future development enhances our community and does not detract from its popularity. With this in mind I wanted to become involved in the Neighbourhood forum to help try to shape and guide the development of the area with a particular focus on the redevelopment of the Barracks site as and when the MOD vacate. By building the right relationships with key people, the Neighbourhood Forum will have the ability to influence the future development of the area.

Denise

Denise Lewis  (Treasurer) I have lived in Toton for more than 30 years and my children attended schools here. I am now retired but most of my working life has been spent in Finance and Accounting so being Treasurer is a familiar role to me. I am also a conservation volunteer at Attenborough Nature Reserve. I volunteered to be a member of the steering group as I believe that as residents we know what is important in our communities and that we should work together to influence their development. We have an opportunity to help to shape the future for our children and grandchildren.

David

David Lovett (Vice Chair): I’m married with four grown up children. I have lived in Chilwell since 1989 and our children all went to local schools in the area. My wife has recently retired from her role as a nurse in Nottingham. I retired in the summer of 2019 from a career as a hospital pharmacist having worked in the NHS for 38 years, the last 21 years at Leicester Royal Infirmary responsible for preparing cancer chemotherapy for patients at Leicester’s Cancer Centre & Children’s Hospital. Previously I was at the former Derbyshire Royal Infirmary in a similar role, and before that at various London hospitals before moving to Chilwell. During the latter part of my career I chaired a national hospital pharmacy specialist interest group, and also undertook some project work for NHS England.

I believe the local community should be actively involved in making decisions about the local area, especially those relating to planning & development which will affect all of us living & working in the area or commuting in and out of it. As a community we shouldn’t just leave these decisions to the council, politicians, developers and other vested interests from outside the area. We all have an interest in how our community develops, lives and works together which is why I became involved with the Forum to help shape our future. Without adequate consideration of the local infrastructure investment requirements and protecting our local environment, necessary future housing and other development will adversely affect us all. As a community we need to stand together, and decide together, how we want the local area to look in the future for our children and later generations to come.

Ian Craik (Infrastructure Focus Group Lead): I have lived in Toton for 31 years and my daughter went to George Spencer and Bispham Drive Junior School where I am Chair of Governors. I have four grandchildren who also live in the area.  Following nearly 40 years in financial services,  in various roles from compliance to sales, I retired in 2013.  My vision of the future is that we should embrace the inevitable changes that are coming but also one where we should try and shape them for the benefit of the area.  I would like to see a community focus with Toton and the surrounding area becoming a vibrant and sustainable place to live and possibly work and not just an unimaginative dormitory.

Ian C
Margaret

Margaret Crittenden (Environment Focus Group Lead): I have lived in Chilwell for 37 years. I am a retired teacher of biology and environmental science with two sons who attended local schools, both of whom used the local green spaces as their playgrounds. Since retirement, I have taken on an allotment, manage a scientific journal, volunteered with the Notts Wildlife Trust and am now the County Recorder for Mosses and Liverworts. I have had a life-long concern about the environment, in particular the need to give room for both wildlife and people to thrive. I am committed to ensuring that green space, for the benefit of wildlife and local people, is an important aspect of the local plan.

Norman

Norman Lewis MBE: I have lived in Toton for over 60 years and worked locally for half my working life in commercial horticulture. In the 1950s, I was involved in the Derbyshire Youth Service and in organising Further Education classes in Long Eaton. In around 1949 I started my involvement with the Attenborough gravel pits to pursue my interest in birds. This then led to persuading the gravel company to agree to the formation of a nature reserve on their site. Attenborough Nature Reserve was opened in 1996, and has since become a SSSI. For the last twenty years of my working life, I was Principal Conservation Officer at the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, having responsibility for the nature reserve for over forty years. During this time, I was also a governor and member of the committee at Brackenhurst Agricultural College for over ten years. Since my retirement in 1995 I have continued to pursue my interests in a voluntary capacity, and during this time I was very honoured to be awarded an MBE for my work in conservation in the county. My interests include: local history, natural history, ecology, and I have a detailed knowledge of both Toton and Nottinghamshire.

Katie

Katie Stephens: (Co-opted member): I’m 25 and have lived in Chilwell for 24 years. I currently work for a livestock feed manufacturer in Leicestershire, so travelling in and out of the area is important to me. I joined the interim steering group to ensure that all views were represented and to assist in developing the future of the local area. I believe this is our chance to have a positive impact on the local area and develop a successful community forum for local residents.

Steve

Stephen Brown (Community Development Focus Group Lead): I have lived in the area all my life and Dawn and I have raised three daughters who have also grown in the area forging a very strong link to the surrounding area. We also now have three lively grandchildren.

I served my apprenticeship and subsequent 14 happy years working at 38 Central Workshop REME, Chilwell, as it was known then, as a civilian motor vehicle mechanic (Fitter MT as was!). I have also served 10 years in the Territorial Army as a REME mechanic, so forging strong military ties. My subsequent years have been spent involved in the Motor Industry, training both adult and apprentices for major manufacturers. 
My early retirement seemed to coincide with the impending closure of Chilwell Barracks and I quickly volunteered to join the CTTC team that I have found very rewarding. 
I know first-hand what great potential there is within the Barracks that if developed properly will prove to be an amazing place to live, work and play!
I feel this is a good opportunity to work with and for a great community and help us all realise the potential we have on our doorstep to give the neighbourhood a new heart. So, I hope we can influence the outcome and help shape the area for our children and grandchildren for years to come. 

Mark

Mark Trought: I have lived in Toton & Chilwell since 1977 working in the Telecomms Industry for Plessey/Siemens in Beeston and Marconi/Ericsson in Coventry. My three children all went to Banks Road, Bispham Drive and George Spencer. There have been significant changes in Toton & Chilwell since we moved here, but the development of Chetwynd Barracks & the SLG provide us an opportunity to enhance the Community rather than taking the simple route to just add more houses.

Ian W

Ian Ward: Having worked in the brewing industry domestically and internationally for 30 years, I worked my way around the UK, settling in Toton 10 years ago. As a director of a local business, and working as a consultant for various organisations, I would like to think I have plenty to offer the Neighbourhood Forum as a resident, and from a business enterprise prospective. 

I’m currently chair of the Community Interest Company Ltd that looks to begin to shape commercial activities that perpetuate the objectives of the Forum’s plan, and which benefit the local area for generations to come.

Jo Zhong: I have lived in Chilwell/Toton since 2009. I have a building services background by training and a Chartered Engineer of CIBSE. After I graduated from Nottingham University, I worked in the AECOM Nottingham office as a design consultant, and then moved back to the University as a senior lecturer. I would like to contribute my knowledge about architecture science, building engineering services and sustainable building technology to help our community’s sustainable, zero-carbon and multigeneration development.

Jo