Who we are

© Mike Dodd

Who we are

  1. About Us
  2. Who We Are

The partnership is hosted by The Open University and is run by a small team of Open University based academics and supporting staff. It is supported by a Steering Group where each of the stakeholder partners have an interest in the conservation and restoration of this special habitat.  Our network of Ambassadors work across England, Ireland and Wales helping to give advice to others locally who may have issues with management and restoration of floodplain meadows.  We are supported by a number of funders including the Esme Fairburn Foundation (2008 – 2023).

Photo of cattle crossing a river
© Mike Dodd
Staff profiles
Photo of Sonja Kaupe in a field
Ambassadors

Funders

We rely on donations, projects, partners, grants and consultancy income to help fund our work to protect, manage, understand and promote floodplain meadows.  Funding primarily supports core staff to deliver the FMPs objectives. Income is matched by the Open University who provide office space and support and ensure academic time is available to work on the project.

Key funders of core staff costs since the start of the project include  the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and the John Ellerman Foundation.

  1. Esme Fairburn Foundation 
  2. John Ellerman Foundation
  3. Garfield Weston Foundation 
Painting of Fritillary by Marie-Therese King
'Snakes head fritillaries and insects' by Marie-Therese King

Supporting project work

There are a range of funders who have or are supporting project work. More information about our current projects and funders can be found on the projects page.

The Open University Supporter's Fund

Donations to The Open University Supporters’ Fund make projects such as Floodplain Meadows possible. For more information about the projects the university supports, and to find out how to donate, please visit giving.open.ac.uk.

We are keen to keep in touch with people who support projects such as the Floodplain Meadows Partnership. If you would like to be kept updated then please contact us. 

The Steering Group

The Partnership is overseen by a Steering Group comprised of a representative from each of its member organisations. The Group actively directs the Partnership's priorities and research objectives, oversees its finances and ensures co-ordination across the UK regarding policies relating to floodplain meadows. An annual meeting of the Steering Group formally reviews our annual reports and maintains a watching brief across our Terms of Reference, strategy and objectives. The Group meets more regularly online to coordinate the responses of our members to external opportunities and challenges relating to our strategic objectives. We also rely on the Steering Group members to disseminate our findings through their respective organisations.

  • Our ten constituent organisations maintain a consistent stance on how meadows should be valued and supported through public policy. This is assessed at Steering Group meetings through discussion of our respective policy stances, with a target of avoiding any conflict in our messaging.
  • The membership of the partnership is reviewed at least every three years to ensure it includes or represents all organisations with a particular interest in the conservation of floodplain meadows.

Current Steering Group members are Natural England, the Environment Agency, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and conservation bodies including the RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts, the Field Studies Council, the National Trust, People Need Nature and Natural Resources Wales.

Open University logoField Studies Council logo
Natural England logoRSPB logo
Environment Agency logoNational Trust logo
Wildlife Trusts logoPeople Need Nature logo
CEH logoNatural Resources Wales logo

About us - the Open University

The Floodplain Meadows Partnership is hosted by the Open University within the School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences (EEES). Our relationship with this recognised and venerable learning and research institution puts us in a unique position allowing for a much wider audience and academic foundation for our research, advice and advocacy work. Through the Open University there are exciting opportunities for the FMP to communicate and engage, through citizen science initiatives, free courses on OpenLearn, and co-productions with the BBC such as the recent Green Planet series with David Attenborough, Countryfile and SpringWatch.

The Open University's School of EEES vision correlates closely with our own. The School’s vision is to investigate past and present environments, creating positive actions in response to the climate emergency. The mission is to use its world-leading teaching, research and knowledge to address issues of social and environmental justice. The Open Universities aim is to empower scientific citizens, better equipping them to engage with local to global environmental issues. The School offers undergraduate modules and qualifications in Environmental Sciences, Earth Sciences, and Geography and Environmental Science, as well as a taught Masters programme.

OU campus

Our FMP academics have been involved with many courses including: