LEG Board of Directors

Marian Austin
Chair person
After graduating from Edinburgh University, Marian spent most of her working life in the ski industry – instructing in various locations around the world and then settling at Nevis Range in 1989 and becoming Managing Director in 2000. She was involved in various environmental projects including the Green Tourism Gold Award, implementing a carbon reduction plan, installing a wood chip boiler. She left Nevis Range in 2015 to set up a very small horticultural business with her husband on their croft in Banavie producing vegetables, soft fruit, cakes and jam. She was instrumental in the development of Glenahulish Community Hydro Scheme which should produce enough power for over 400 houses and help support LEG into the future. She is a director of LEG Power Lochaber and the Community Benefit Company which runs the hydro scheme. After several years on the LEG board as secretary became chair in 2017. Being an outdoors person, Marian can often be found on a hill, a mountain bike or a boat when she is not pushing a wheelbarrow around the croft.

Susan Carstairs
director
Susan worked in the first phase of her life with refugees from Chile before returning to Scotland to live in Lochaber. After a few years at Arisaig Hotel she worked as the project manager at Lochaber Environmental Group from 1999 to 2005 and then at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) working on waste strategy until 2011 when she went to Edinburgh University to study an MSc in Environmental Sustainability.

Ailsa Pooleman
director
Originally from East Lothian, Ailsa has lived in Lochaber for 10 years. She moved here initially to complete her training as a GP, and now can’t imagine living anywhere else. She is keen on bikes of all kinds, be that commuting, bike-packing, or mountain biking, and is the main board member supporting the ‘active travel’ project. She would like to see as many people as possible discovering the joy of moving around by bike, and the benefits this can have for the environment as well as our health and wellbeing.

Andrew Baldrey
director
Andrew is a retired (ha – ha) mechanical engineer who likes to fix things that are broken and re-use things for other purposes especially pallets which are great for building sheds and log stores as well as many other things.
He came to Scotland with his wife Ross in 2017 with the intention of spending winters here, but not the summers on account of the midges. However it didn’t work like that and we sold the house in Devon and put a lot of the proceeds into the house re-build here – and the midges aren’t too bad after all!
He is involved with Glengarry Community Woodland and is a Scottish Greens member of The Highland Council.

Martyn Green
DIRECTOR
Martyn retired to rural Lochaber to enjoy a slower pace of life after 40 years as an environmental radiation protection scientist. He monitored fallout from weapons testing and researched human exposure to natural radiation in the home (radon gas and gamma rays). An avid wild water kayaker and recreational skier and mountain biker in his younger days he now enjoys the outdoors at a more relaxed pace. Volunteering with LEG continues his interest in environmental matters.

Jamie MacManaway
director
Jamie spent fifteen years working in adventure tourism and outdoor education before moving to Lochaber in 2017. Initially working as a freelance outdoor instructor, he joined UHI as an instructor in 2018. He studied Geography at UHI before completing an MSc by Research at Dundee University and now works as a lecturer in Physical Geography at the School of Adventure Studies. He is particularly interested in the impacts of climate change on fragile mountain environments.
Alison Whittaker
treasurer
Alison qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2002 and a Chartered Tax Adviser in 2003 and spent her career working in a variety of roles in both industry and practice. She has recently retired and plans to spend more time running, gardening and beekeeping.
LEG Staff Team

Lesley Hawkins
highland community waste partnership project- officer
Lesley originates from East Yorkshire and has a varied background, having been a mechanical design engineer and then moving into Further and Higher Education. Lesley moved to Lochaber in 2019 and joined LEG in April 2022 as their Highland Community Waste Partnership project officer. Lesley has been learning lots about waste and how to be more mindful about our consumption. She is keen to support people across Lochaber to better understand how they can reduce waste and tackle climate change whilst doing so. Lesley enjoys gardening, as well as getting out and about to meet the wider Lochaber communities whilst exploring the area.

Emma Walters
Fort william bike shed- development officer (active travel)
Emma grew up on the Isle of Muck, went on to study geography at the University of Edinburgh. She has been living back in Lochaber for 25 years. She worked for Highland Council and High Life Highland for 15 years whilst bringing up her two children. She joined LEG in 2021 whilst studying part time. She has since completed her Masters in Sustainability and Rural lRegeneration with UHI (2024). She loves to travel and is most excited about the journey whether it is on foot, wheels or water. She is keen to get as many people as possible to choose active ways to travel in Lochaber as a really simple, cheap and enjoyable way of managing their carbon footprint.

Chris Waters
Fort william bike shed- workshop manager
Chris moved from Lancaster to join the team in February 2023. He has had a varied career in outdoor education and the bicycle industry. He brings a wealth of knowledge about bicycles, teaching and the environment, his fastidious approach, commitment to the cause and work ethic are a great contribution to our active travel work. Chris is an impressive role model when it comes to living life with a low carbon footprint and a great resource if you want to know anything about bike packing or cycle touring (or any other low impact adventure).

Laura Jackson
fort william bike shed- project officer
Laura moved to Fort William in 2016 to study Adventure Performance and Coaching at UHI hasn’t looked back since! Laura has found Lochaber to be the perfect playground for fulfilling her love of whizzing down hills on bikes and skis. She joined the team in November 2023 and has been busy learning all aspects of the Fort William Bike Shed project since. Her positive attitude, commitment to social media and willingness to learn are a great asset to LEG
Mandy Ketchin
Administrator and Food Lochaber co-ordinator
Mandy has always been interested in food issues and environmental issues and the links between them, so this is the perfect role for her! And it fits nicely with her volunteer work at her local Community Fridge and the local community choir .