Friends of the Dart is community interest company

It is our mission to advocate for the River Dart.

We work to minimise pollution, improve biodiversity and empower communities from source to sea. We do this through evidence based advocacy and constructive engagement.

We seek to contribute to the wellbeing of other rivers through best practice leadership and collaborative working.

Meet the Friends of the Dart team

  • Hannah is a founding Director of Friends of the Dart.

    For three decades Hannah has mentored leaders, groups and projects whose focus is making a positive contribution to the wellbeing of people and the planet. Both nationally and internationally supporting individuals, NGOs, business and government representatives. She prioritises connection and collaboration, thinking outside of the box to enable long term benefit. She is inspired by whole system thinking and engages through collaborative action with a strong focus on inclusivity, sustainability and growth.

    Hannah is a wild swimmer, nature lover and long term advocate for Nature.

  • Rob is a business analyst with twenty years of experience related to communications, technology, social accountability and government administrative systems in low and middle income countries. He has worked in a wide range of sectors, including HIV, health, education, agriculture, infrastructure, social protection and livelihoods.

    Through his work he has managed the delivery of national scale information systems for government and civil society programmes, coordinating large teams and budgets of over £500,000. Rob also brings previous governance experience as chair of the trustees for a local school with an annual turnover of £1.5m and a student body of 250.

    His current work focuses on the intersection between two interrelated areas - systems for effective delivery of government services and social accountability processes to hold government accountable, monitor performance and guide prioritisation.

    He holds a BSc in Ecological Sciences and is a regular swimmer and kayaker on the river Dart.

  • Eliza graduated with an MSci in Biology from the University of Bristol. Passionate about sustainability and conservation, she is motivated to contribute towards the safeguarding of our natural spaces. Having grown up in Totnes, the River Dart has been a central part of her childhood and adult life. As a keen swimmer and kayaker, she is passionate about ensuring that the Dart is a healthy and safe environment for people and planet.

  • With a dual honours Int. Business and French degree and a Graduate Diploma in Law, Nicky has a respect and interest in the rule of law which extends to how our legal system can not only protect citizens but in parallel nature too.

    Today, she is a passionate environmentalist, it was time spent growing up on the banks of the river Thames and appreciating first hand it’s biodiverse environment and her absolutely love of the natural world that ultimately has inspired her own career shift from working for 10 years in BBC Business Affairs and Acquisitions, negotiated cross-media IP rights deals, to a firm focus on sustainability, the circular economy, tackling plastic pollution, climate change and the protection of our planet.

    Most recently, whilst supporting a growing young family, she co-founded Wrag Wrap Ltd, creating a multi award-winning sustainable replacement for single-use wrapping paper. Producing a product that not only reduces waste by it’s very nature but also uses waste in it’s manufacture has been a rewarding and impactful journey for her.

    Going forwards, using her transferable negotiating and deal structuring skills, it’s an absolute privilege to be able to help, support and take forward the brilliant work of Friends of the Dart into it’s next phase.


Communications and Media

  • Kate is a designer, co-ordinator and creative thinker, who has worked across the Design, Business and Charity sectors. She helps Friends of the Dart and a number of other profit and non-for-profit organisations with their visual communications. Kate is living her best life when wild swimming and this year has completed the Bantham Swoosh and Dart 10K. 


  • Caitlín is a screenwriter with 20 years of experience in documentary, series development, and period drama. Originally from Mexico, she has worked on documentaries about native Mexican species including the monarch butterfly, great white shark, and jaguar. After relocating to the UK in 2020, she began wild swimming and now spends much of her time around the River Dart and South Devon coast, often filming local wildlife. 

  • Nick runs Virtual Office South West, offering flexible business support to organisations around the globe allowing them to focus on growing their businesses in the knowledge their support services are in safe hands. After relocating from London to Stoke Gabriel he has a strong connection with the River Dart from time spent with his family exploring the river and its stunning beauty. 


  • I have recently graduated with a BSc in Marine Geography from Cardiff University. As a regular surfer and lifeguard, I am keen to facilitate the safe use of all bathing waters. Growing up in Totnes has meant that I have always interacted with the River Dart and the communities along its length. I am passionate about long-term environmental sustainability and want to positively impact the natural world.

Friends of The Dart Advisory Panel

  • Will is Professor of Catchment and River Science at the University of Plymouth where he is also Director of the Sustainable Earth Institute. He specialises in land & water processes and interdisciplinary environmental diagnostic tools to support management and policy decisions.

    He has worked on complex soil erosion, sedimentation and water quality challenges in a range of environments including wildfire in water supply catchments (Australia), soil erosion and sedimentation following tropical rainforest logging (Borneo), land degradation in agropastoral land (Tanzania and Kenya), hydropower dam siltation (Chile and Tanzania), water quality and quantify challenges in glacially fed rivers (Peru) as well as agricultural and urban and water quality issues in southwest UK.

    As a geographer he takes a keen interest in transferring process knowledge and understanding between different global contexts to support holistic, research-informed decision making, and the role of citizen science. He is an active participant in United Nations Joint FAO/IAEA coordinated research programmes concerning environmental diagnostics to support for food, water and energy security challenges from field to river basin scale. In 2024 he will join the UNESCO International Sediment Initiative Advisory Board and the UK Committee for International Hydrology.

  • Sahil is a senior associate at Kingsley Napley, and works on judicial reviews and public inquiries on a broad range of issues, and advises clients on environmental law matters. Previously he led the environmental work stream at The Good law project and Good law practice, and assisted Friends of the Dart with their initial strategy and negotiations with South West Water.

  • Ian Browne is a barrister and Legal Manager at Good Law Project, who leads on legal challenges across the organisation’s strands of work to protect the environment, hold power to account and ensure no one is left behind.