Equality Advisory Panel

A Park For All

In September 2020, the CNPA established its Equality Advisory Panel. Its aim is to provide informed, evidence-based feedback, guidance and advice to support the CNPA to:

• ensure statutory public sector equality duties are delivered in accordance with The Equality Act 2010 (and other relevant equality legislation);
• embed Equality and Inclusion in their strategies and corporate processes;
• critically assess and appropriately mitigate the impact of CNPA decisions on equality groups through robust equality impact assessment procedures;
• ensure best practice in equality and inclusion approaches to their work;
• promote equality and inclusion work of CNPA and partners within the park.

Equality Advisory Panel Meetings

You can view upcoming dates and details of previous meetings here

Equality Advisory Panel Members

Hannah Grist – Chair

Hannah is a Member of the Board of the Cairngorms National Park Authority, as well as a Lecturer in Socio-Environmental Systems at Scotland’s Rural College and University of Edinburgh. Hannah is the Deputy Programme Director for an MSc in Environmental Protection and Management, teaching in interdisciplinary approaches, policy and participation alongside environmental science. She also works in research and practice at the interface of the environment and people, and is passionate about inclusion, equality and justice.

Hannah has other non-exec roles including as a trustee of a youth advocacy charity called Young Sea Changers Scotland, as part of the Scottish Policy Group Committee, and as an institutional EDI representative.

Linda Bamford

Linda’s career background is in NHS Scotland, initially as a psychiatric and general nurse before moving into para medicine with the Scottish Ambulance Service.  After 13 years as a frontline paramedic in Glasgow Linda moved into management holding various senior positions within the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS). Her NHS career spanned over 30 years.  She was heavily involved in Accident and Emergency ambulance service provision in various areas in Scotland (urban, rural and Islands) and led on the previous Patient Transport Service Redesign Strategy.  She is the recipient of two queens medals. One for “Long Service and Good Conduct – Emergency Services”, and the second for “Dedication to the NHS”.

Linda is the National Convener for the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS), being appointed to this position in 2015 by Scottish Ministers. MACS is a non department public body who give advice to Scottish Ministers on the transport needs of disabled people.  As well as holding her Ministerial appointment as Convener of MACS, in July 2019 Linda was appointed by Scottish Ministers as Commissioner with the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Commission and in June 2022 as a Non Council Board Member with the South East of Scotland Regional Transport Partnership (SEStrans).

Linda is a Director with Disability Equality Scotland and following her position as Chair with Spinal Injuries Scotland, remains an Ambassador. Both are national Disabled Person’s Organisations (DPOs).  Linda is involved in Children’s Hearings Scotland and is also a qualified counsellor.

Linda brings to her roles, lived experience as a disabled person and qualifications including a Masters in Business Administration and a Diploma in Counselling. She has specialised in areas such as Strategic Planning and Development, Operational Management and Service Delivery, Corporate Governance, Performance and Risk Management, Business Continuity and Resilience Planning, Change Management, Team Building and Leadership Development and Organisational Planning utilising project methodologies.

Linda is passionate about fair and equal access for all and has devoted a great deal of her time to advocating the needs of disabled people in relation to transport and travel, including seeking acknowledgement and a stronger focus on the role of transport as an enabler of human rights.

Linda is a regular visitor to the Cairngorms National Park area devoting many of these trips to finding new accessible places to explore and looking at ways to make places and spaces more accessible and inclusive for everyone, especially given Linda’s reliance on her wheelchair or mobility aids to access the environment.

Liliana Corrieri

Liliana is an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) professional, with experience in the not-for-profit and public sector in the UK, and wider international experience across countries and sectors. She moved to Scotland after several years in London for a life closer to nature and timed by the rhythm and colours of the seasons. She is a keen hiker in love with the Scottish landscape, and a vegan committed to environmental protection and animal conservation. She strongly believes that some of the biggest sustainability challenges society faces today, including loss of biodiversity, air and water pollution and climate breakdown, have strong ties with accessibility and social inequalities, and require consideration of more diverse perspectives for inclusive approaches and positive change. Liliana is a feline lover and finds great joy and comfort in the affection of her seven rescue cats. She is also a Trustee for the rewilding charity SCOTLAND: The Big Picture.

Micah Daigeaun

Honoured to be part of Cairngorms National Park Authority’s Equality Advisory Panel, Micah Daigeaun brings experience as an equalities, diversity and inclusion policy professional, primarily specialising in LGBTQ+ issues. Originally hailing from across the Atlantic, Micah discovered a passion for the natural landscape while exploring the trails of Pennsylvania, referred to by many as “Rocksylvania” for the terrain. As a seasoned trail and ultra runner with over 25 years of involvement in sport, they have shared their knowledge as an athlete while also advocating for LGBTQ+ inclusion. In their spare time, Micah enjoys reading about the Cairngorms and other mountains.

Shreoshi Das

I am a nature enthusiast and have been working in the conservation sector for a few years. I am currently working with Buglife as a Policy Assistant and have previous experiences with United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), WWF Scotland, Woodland Trust Scotland and in the biodiversity conservation sector in India.

I have a masters degree in sustainability with a specialism in climate change and the green economy and another masters in environmental science and resource management. I enjoy spending my weekends in nature or volunteering with community groups. I have recently been volunteering with Transition Dundee in their gleaning project.

When I first arrived in Scotland a couple of years back, I was thrilled to learn about access to nature and how everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the great Scottish outdoors. I believe it is the need of the hour for like-minded individuals, irrespective of their colour, creed, or gender, to come together towards the common goal of restoring and conserving nature for a better tomorrow.

Heather Earnshaw

Heather Earnshaw works in equalities & inclusion, specifically in education and with a focus on gender. When not working, she’s most often outdoors and generally up a hill. She believes wholeheartedly in the health benefits, both physical and mental, of spending time outdoors and in wild places. It’s how she recharges. She is excited to have the opportunity to bring her professional knowledge around equalities and inclusion to support somewhere as special as the Cairngorms National Park Authority.

Marisa Ginger

Marisa has spent time studying both a classical studies MA honours at the University of St Andrews and Scots law at the University of Dundee. She has a strong understanding of the legislative aspects of applying the principles of equality and as the newest member of the panel she is excited to contribute. She has spent a great deal of time as a private tutor and as such has a strong understanding of the importance to adapting communication methods to best suit the needs of individuals. As an autistic person, she also has a strong passion for ensuring inclusivity for those who are neurodivergent. She has faced the challenges of being autistic, as well as the great benefits, and looks forward to raising awareness and promoting inclusivity.

She has also has a sustained enthusiasm for nature. She has spent time working in the renewable energy sector for various companies ranging from small companies to a larger renewable company focusing on commercial property. Furthermore, she loves spending time outside with her dogs.

Stuart Hall

I am currently a Senior EDI Partner at University of Aberdeen, after working for 12 years in Higher Education at RGU; Universities of Exeter, Highlands and Islands (UHI), and St Andrews respectively.  This follows 12 years in Health and Social Care, and a degree which engaged in critical contexts around race, gender, national and sexual identities.

I lived and worked in the Highlands as I developed my career, and visit regularly: this was an important and happy time for me, which reflects my wish to share my professional experiences, and network with others to help progress fairness, dignity and respect for all staff, residents and visitors to the Park.

Anita Howard

Anita is a digital accessibility professional that believes an accessible, diverse and inclusive society is everyone’s business. She is a human-focused designer and accessibility trainer committed to reducing friction and increasing the flow of digital experiences of disabled persons and users of assistive technologies in partnership with the disability community within the Fortune 500, Tech Start-up and Charity sectors. As a Senior Accessibility Designer and instructor, she is committed to disability inclusion through usability testing, user centered design, research, audits, and cross-departmental delivery of accessibility through Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) checkpoints.

Anita is a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) and member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP). She also volunteers with LGBT Youth Scotland and the Scottish Tech Army to create a digital world that recognizes and includes a full range of human diversity that is accessible to all. She adores Scotland, is a botanical artist, and plant-based Desserts Chef. As an environmentalist that loves all things rooted in nature, she finds joy in being outdoors and hiking with her senior rescue dog.

Kevin Hutchens

Kevin Hutchens, BA Honours History, Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work. One of the founding members of the Inclusive Cairngorms Working Group. Has experience of living on benefits from a period of unemployment from 1985 to 1987. A Life Member of the YHA since 1975. Most of my career and voluntary work has involved me in working with and for people with learning and physical disabilities.

I have voluntary work experience in the housing sector, having been a member of the board of Langstane Housing Association from 1996 to September 2020 in which time I have held positions of Convener Tenant Services Committee, Operational Services Committee and most recently Audit Committee. For several years I was a member of Grampian Regional Equality Council and I was on the Board of Contact for Families with Disabled Children from 2012 to 2021.

I am presently involved in helping with the Transform Food Pantry van which is a mobile food bank supported by my church and I am actively involved in encouraging debate and action on a wide range of international issues as vice chairperson of Aberdeen United Nations Association. I am an active trade unionist committed to equality issues. As somebody who has been on a low income, I have a particular interest in ensuring people on low and middle incomes can access in a fully inclusive way the Cairngorms National Park.

Vanessa Kind

I have an MA with distinction in Politics and International Relations, with a focus on international law and public policy. Growing up bilingual, and living in politically turbulent communities, I am sensitive to the barriers faced by vulnerable groups, and am a skilled cross-cultural communicator.

I have 6 years’ professional experience in social and community care, and more recent public sector policy roles, often with a focus on disability in transport, digital and rural contexts. My partner and I have multiple disabilities, giving me lived experience of barriers to engaging with public services, and the wider community.

In my personal time, I enjoy taking long walks, studying medical botany and enjoying the company of my cats, and partner.

I hope that as a member of the Equality Panel this allows me to help contribute to the inclusion of disabled people and other protected groups in the Cairngorms and surrounding communities, while improving understanding of barriers to access for those employed by the Authority and those engaging with the Park.

Lina Payne

Lina has worked on gender equality and inclusion issues for over 30 years, advising government departments, non-government sector, and UN agencies. She is currently a technical adviser to the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), advising on gender and equality policy. Over a number of years, she has supported corporate systems and processes to improve inclusion and diversity in the public and non-government sectors, led large social research programmes, developed guidance and provided training on gender and equality across different sectors. In her early career, she lived and worked at a community level in several countries in Asia and Africa, carrying out social research and advising on programming to address poverty and inequality. This included years living and working with refugees from South Sudan, leading in depth social research with minority groups in Vietnam and analytical work for programming in Bangladesh and India. She has worked in several conflict affected countries, and most recently, supported some of the Afghanistan crisis response. She continues to work with civil society and human rights activists in the global south.  She has lived in and worked from the Cairngorms National Park for over 20 years.

Keith Turner

I am a Geography Teacher in Moray, with 20 years’ experience working in the Scottish state education system. I am committed to learning for sustainability and ensuring all students have the opportunities and experiences that help develop their global view. In recent years, I have started working to decolonise my curriculum and have acted as a critical friend during curriculum developments.

I grew up in Leith, Edinburgh, where committed teachers ensured I had so many opportunities to explore Scotland’s wild landscapes, including the Cairngorms. This inspired me to study physical geography at Aberdeen University, before undertaking geomorphological research into the deglaciation of the Patagonian icefield. I trained to become a teacher in 2002, starting my career in Lerwick, Shetland. We moved to Speyside in 2016 and are loving rediscovering the Cairngorms as a family!

In 2022, I worked with a team of teachers to produce materials to support all geography students during the pandemic. This resulted in being awarded the Royal Scottish Geographical Society’s Tivy Education Medal and becoming an honorary fellow.

As we grapple with the triple crises of climate breakdown, biodiversity loss, and health and wellbeing, we must ensure that everyone can find their place in our shared landscapes, to the benefit of all of us.