Crystal Palace Park Trust - Board of Trustees

Philip Kolvin QC is licensing barrister at the leading public law chambers 11 KBW. He has a long-standing interest in the green environment, having been the Chairman of the Crystal Palace Campaign and the author of Saving Open Space.

“My day job is as a barrister, but I’ve spent 25 years campaigning to restore Crystal Palace Park as a green, historic and recreational resource. I think it’s fair to say that the park is in my soul – something about its landscape, its illustrious history, the amazing remnants of its glory days and, perhaps most of all, the love that the local community feels for it. We’ve got the best chance we’ve ever had of preserving and improving the park for those who come after us, of bringing its history out of the ground and retelling its story. Here, in our little corner of a challenging world, it’s a beautiful project that I’m deeply proud to be part of.”

Martin has worked in the film and television industry for over thirty years and has lived in Crystal Palace almost as long. He was the Chair of the Crystal Palace Park Community Stakeholder Group.

Donald originally trained as a planner and spent much of his early career in local government. Before a recent move to Arsenal FC, he was Deputy CEO at Palace for Life, the official charity of Crystal Palace Football Club, with which he retains strong links. He will shortly become Director of Programmes at the Rio Ferdinand Foundation (who incidentally competed in the National Sports Centre in the London Youth Games). In 2016, he was formally recognised on football’s “Blacklist” for work in the community. Donald lives in and is passionate about South London. He joined Crystal Palace Park Trust’s Board of Trustees in 2021.

“It’s a privilege to be involved in what is such a special part of south London… birthplace of the mighty CPFC and venue of one of the great Bob Marley’s last ever concerts. I’m relatively new to the Trust but inspired by local people who never gave up on the park while those in public office were trying to wash their hands of it. The key thing for me is what the park offers our very diverse and dynamic local community, particularly young people.”

Emma is a chartered surveyor with over 12 years’ experience in property development, joint ventures and town planning, primarily focused in London, and is Head of Sustainability in Transport for London’s property team. Emma has lived in Crystal Palace for over eight years and is a keen member of Dulwich Runners AC.

“For me, Crystal Palace Park represents the best bits of our corner of south east London – vibrant, active, diverse and friendly. It holds a special place in my heart – my Dad grew up in Forest Hill, and regularly recalls stories of watching racing on the circuit, and of his father visiting the Palace itself. I keep discovering more to our park, and I’m really hopeful we can continue to make it even more inviting, relevant and accessible for everyone.”

Jordan Ignatius is an experienced Early Years & Youth Work professional, businessman, community leader and positive disrupter with over 15 years of experience across these sectors. His passion is to help improve the lives of children and young people. He has a track record in leading strategy and community engagement, creating value-driven teams, developing homegrown young leaders, and relationship management.

“I’m the Managing Director of Reaching Higher a charity close to my heart, focusing on serving and championing young people. I’m also the founder of Sowing & Growing Nursery and Preschool, a business designed to provide high-quality early years education. Outside the realms of work, I have a beautiful family whom I adore and spend my social time being a foodie, going on long walks and keeping up with sport.”

Amy has a background in education, having worked for a decade as a secondary history teacher, and within education charities prior to that. She has broad experience in educational programmes and an understanding of how these can support adults and young people. Amy has a particular interest in place-making and fostering a sense of belonging for local communities. She joined the Crystal Palace Park Trust’s Board of Trustees in the summer of 2023 and is excited to support learning opportunities within the park.

“To me, Crystal Palace Park is a place that inspires joy and pride. This special corner of south-east London is bursting with history, heritage and opportunity. Having grown up locally, the park has been a constant feature in my life. My memories are full of stories of Crystal Palace Park, and what is so special is that this green space can have the same effect on so many others. I am so grateful to be part of the Trust and involved in this exciting chapter for the park and the local communities that it serves.”

Lynsey is Finance Sub-Committee Lead. She is a chartered accountant and has worked across multiple industries including a Big4 firm, transport, public sector and charities. With an entrepreneurial mindset, she brings financial expertise alongside governance and risk management. She joined Crystal Palace Park Trust’s Board of Trustees in 2020.

“I rediscovered Crystal Palace Park during lockdown. I am passionate about the power of communities and believe the park is a space for everyone, where people can come together. The park inspires my creativity and I hope we can deliver more events like Summer of Play so more people can experience activities in this incredible setting.”

Richard is Communications Working Group Lead. He is an alumnus of the Royal College of Art and a founding director of Jannuzzi Smith, an independent branding and communication design consultancy based in London and Switzerland. His work has been published and exhibited internationally, he has lectured at some of the world’s leading universities, and is a long-term supporter of initiatives promoting sustainable design.

In his spare time he has worked on a number of community initiatives focusing on Crystal Palace Park, including Wilkinson Eyre Architects’ 2003 proposals to regenerate and restore the Palace Terraces as a space for the arts. He joined Crystal Palace Park Trust’s Board of Trustees in 2020.

“In my youth I was drawn from the other side of London to the National Sports Centre to watch and participate in a variety of sports. Years later when I moved to south east London, my children learned to swim at the Centre. For me and many others, it was an internal gateway to the wider park, and shares a parallel history: inspiration, achievement, gradual deterioration, and now – at last – the chance of a brighter future. I hope I can play some small part in the ongoing, concerted efforts to renew the entire park as a vital, joined-up space for the community and the wider public to enjoy.”

Adam is a civil servant with experience of environmental and economic issues. Before joining government he worked in communications in the charity and public sector, on both press and campaigns. He has lived locally for the past 5 years and can’t wait to meet and work with all those who share his love of Crystal Palace Park. He joined Crystal Palace Park Trust’s Board of Trustees in 2020.

“Ever since I moved to London over 20 years ago I have been captivated by the iconic radio mast at the top of the hill. When I finally moved down here I was immediately drawn to Crystal Palace Park and was blown away by it. I love the park because I am always learning something new. Whether about a beautiful tree, the local community and how it uses the park, or a glimpse back into history. Even links to my own family as my father-in-law grew his love of motor racing here when he was young. As a civil servant I see the importance of local community action and how it can ripple out into actions of national and international importance. That is what we can achieve in the park together.”

Gemma is Heritage, Ecology and Landscape Working Group Lead. She is a chartered landscape architect with experience spanning landscape planning, design and management. From landscape and green-blue infrastructure strategies, park and landscape restoration, to transportation, flood defence and recreation schemes, she has a deep understanding of landscape systems, habitats and working in and conserving historic environments. Experienced at project managing and operating within multi-disciplinary environments, Gemma has taken complex projects, built and led teams to deliver from concept, public consultation to detailing and overseeing construction and maintenance. Gemma is an assessor on the Landscape Institute’s Chartership programme and taught postgraduate Landscape Architecture at UEL.

Gemma is passionate about creating equitable and sustainable places for all people and nature, in finding ways to celebrate landscape, ecology and heritage. You might find Gemma in the park looking at trees, landscape or historic features. She joined Crystal Palace Park Trust’s Board of Trustees in 2020.

“From the first school sports event at the NSC, I was fascinated by the sheer scale of Crystal Palace Park and the vistas across London. It wasn’t until much later in life when I was privileged enough to be part of the team developing the sustainable regeneration plan for this special park, that I fell in love with this beautiful area of south east London. It represents an important piece of our complex histories, and despite the many years of neglect, the park provides respite for millions of people every year, and is rich in wildlife. I’m grateful for the opportunity we have to conserve and enhance the park for future generations, with broad offerings and activities for our diverse local communities.“