The South Down National Park has appointed a new director as it looks to accelerate nature restoration across Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex.

James Winkworth has been appointed as the new director of business development and growth at the South Downs National Park Authority.

James has two decades of experience in the commercial, fundraising and communications sectors.

He started his career working in sales and events, including on Top Gear Live and the Birmingham Mega Mela, before moving on to work in the charity sector for Samaritans and Amnesty, and then into working for the South Downs National Park.

At a time when national parks have had their core budgets reduced by 40 percent over the past decade, James is keen to diversify the National Park’s income base, blending public, private and philanthropic revenue streams to increase resilience and strengthen impact.

Having led the National Park’s official charity the South Downs National Trust for the past seven years. James continues his love for the South Downs after he built the charity from zero to a £2 million organisation and one of the UK’s biggest national park based charities.

Under James’ direction, the charity enabled tens of thousands of schoolchildren to connect with the national park and helped to deliver over 70,000 new trees and new wildflower meadows the size of 160 football pitches.

James has lived his entire life on the edge of the National Park in Aldershot, and has a life-long love of wildlife and walking.

“It’s a huge honour and privilege to be taking on this role in a region to which I have such close affinity,” said James, who first discovered his love of nature through his father’s love of landscape paintings in and around the South Downs.

“My one big message is ‘we’re open for business’. We’ve already seen the hugely positive impact that high-integrity business partnerships can have on nature restoration in the national park – from restoring wetlands and creating new woodlands – and I think we’ve only scratched the surface of what we can achieve.

“It’s an exciting time for national parks as there’s so much we want to achieve. With more public, philanthropic and private finance, national parks have the knowledge and skills to deliver. Nature deserves nothing less – the biodiversity and climate crises are not going away and we’ve got to be problem solvers.

“On a personal level, I’m really committed to inclusive growth, ensuring that we’re a national park that everyone can enjoy and that serves a wide cross-section of society. Through the charity’s initiatives, I’ve seen the profound impact that the national park can have on young people and I want this good work to flourish and prosper.”

Vanessa Rowlaands, chair of the National Park Authority, said: “I’m absolutely delighted with this appointment.

“James has incredible contacts, networking and energy. He has the creative vision of what a modern National Park can be and also the acumen to deliver real innovation when it comes to funding. I wish him every success in his new role.”