Charles Bishop

Charles joined Dwr Anafon in November 2023. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland but spent most of his childhood in Pinner, Middlesex. He graduated in Zoology from University College London and worked as a zoologist in Bristol and Birmingham. In 1998 he took up a lectureship in the School Of Biology, Bangor University (and moved to Abergwyngregyn). Charles has a general interest in biodiversity and the environment, along with sustainable living and quality of community life.

Laura Fielding

Laura joined Dwr Anafon in May 2023. Originally from North Wales, Laura attended Eirias High School and took a gap year to travel and work abroad before studying for an MSc in Earth Science at Liverpool University.  She then studied for a PhD (also in Earth Sciences) at Lancaster University, specialising in Nile sedimentology.

Recently, she set up Plastic Free Llanfairfechan and helped the village work towards Plastic Free Community status. During the pandemic she was driven to open a zero-waste shop in Llanfairfechan in December 2020. Since opening the shop, she has joined the Town Council (May 2021), become a school governor at Ysgol Babanod and in 2023 became Mayor of Llanfairfechan (May 2023-May 2024). Laura is very pro-active in Community Events committees, coordinating Town Council social media, and helping with Town Council events such as the monthly Artisan Market, and Great Big Green Week.

Liz Gatehouse

Liz has lived in Aber for 45 years with her family. Her children have grown up here and went to Llandegai School and Friars School. She has been involved in many village activities including the Hydro project, Clwb Garddio, the Heritage Valley Partnership and editing the Aber newsletter. She has also been treasurer of three different organisations and knows how committees work. She worked at the Student Union Travel office for a number of years and the Citizens Advice Bureau for more than forty years. This advisory role gave her a wide knowledge of social issues. She has researched and contributed to the nomination procedures for two Queen’s Awards, including one for ARC – both were successful. Liz is active in village life in Aber, striving to ensure the community works together to give its residents the best possible surroundings to live. This includes facilities, a sustainable environment and a safe neighbourhood where residents take care of each other, particularly its most vulnerable individuals.

Wynn Griffiths

Wynn’s family have lived in Aber for generations and he was born and has lived his whole life in Abergwyngregyn. He farms above the village and is also a fencing contractor. Wynn has played a prominent role in community affairs for many years, serving as a Community Councillor, Director of the Abergwyngregyn Regeneration Company with particular responsibility for servicing the Aber Falls car parks.

John Hulme

John moved to Llanfairfechan at the end of 2021. His background is in writing (he has a masters in journalism) and is a published poet.

Before lockdown, he was sharing some of his experiences as a former home carer (along with his perspectives on issues like bereavement anxiety, depression, social isolation, etc) as a community performance poet, back in the Wirral where he used to live. Perhaps this is why his first piece of social engagement after moving to Llanfairfechan was to host a couple of open mic nights.

John is a roving ambassador for Dwr Anafon, engaging with groups and individuals to see how we might help.

Jenny Jones

Jenny’s family has lived in Abergwyngregyn for generations and she was brought up in the village before moving away to the family farm at the age of fourteen. Jenny moved back to Abergwyngregyn in 2018, and since then has become actively involved in its life and is a Director of ARC. She is a fluent Welsh speaker and is married with a blended family of two sons, a stepdaughter and a stepson.  Jenny has taught music, piano in particular, to children and adults of all ages from beginner level to degree and has accompanied various choirs, including the University Chorus, Cantorion Menai and more recently, the Forget-me-not Chorus for those living with dementia.  Jenny also has extensive experience of working with children with additional needs.

George Mair

George is our Secretary. He was born in Scotland, and graduated with a MA in English and Sociology from Glasgow University and then a MSc in Sociology from Strathclyde. In 1987 he was awarded a PhD in Criminology from the London School of Economics. In London he worked in the Home Office Research and Planning Unit, carrying out research and policy analysis for almost 20 years, and then moved to Liverpool where he was Professor of Criminal Justice in the Law School at John Moores University between 1995 and 2012. He then moved to Liverpool Hope University to build and manage a Department of Social Science and ended up as Head of Law before retiring in 2020. He has written extensively on crime and justice. He has been Executive Secretary and Deputy Director of the British Society of Criminology, a member of the Merseyside Probation Board and a member of the Liverpool Community Safety Partnership. He and his wife moved to Llanfairfechan in 2021; they have four children – all of them grown up.

Aziz Maki

Aziz is a familiar face in Aber, running Caffi Hen Felin since 2014.

Following graduation from the London School of Accountancy, Aziz worked in various accounting rolls in London. His last job, prior to moving to Aber, was at a large pharmaceutical company.

Aziz hopes his financial and business background will prove useful to Dwr Anafon.

Alwyn Nixon

Alwyn joined Dwr Anafon in April 2023.

Married to Ann, with two grown up children and two grandchildren. Alwyn has been resident in Aber since 2020. Recently retired, Alwyn worked first as a local authority planner and then as a Welsh Government Planning and Environment Inspector.

His interests include long distance and hill walking and running, gardening and volunteering with organisations including National Trust (Penrhyn Castle garden team), Snowdonia Society (including Carneddau Heritage Partnership), North Wales Wildlife Trust.

Gareth Owen

Gareth is our Chair and was born and schooled in Wrexham ahead of graduating from Bangor University with a BSc Hons in Applied Physics and Electronics. He spent 25 years in London working in the film industry, and for 16 of those years exclusively with Sir Roger Moore. He relocated to Llanfairfechan in 2017 where he is a partner in the local travel agents. He has also authored 21 books – so far!

Rita Roberts

Rita is married with two daughters who now live in Cardiff. She has lived in Abergwyngregyn for the last 42 years and had previously visited to stay with family every school holiday since she was 4 years old. She completed her nursing training at Manchester Royal Infirmary, and Midwifery and District Nurse training in Bangor. She worked as a Community Team Leader in Bethesda and Bangor for over 36 years, until retiring recently. Rita sits on the Committee for Aber Almshouses, ARC, Aber Snooker Club, and is Clerk to the Community Council. As somewhere which has always been close to her heart, she is eager to make a meaningful contribution to village life.

Nick Rushbrooke

Nick has lived in Llanfairfechan for fourteen years. He is a Chartered Civil, Water and Environmental Engineer, having worked in the water industry for over thirty years and retiring as a Director of United Utilities. Since then he has been Chairmen of various not-for-profit companies and charities in Merseyside and as a JP in Liverpool and Conwy. He was made a Deputy Lieutenant of Merseyside in 2006. His current interests include Llanfairfechan Town Twinning, Rotary, volunteering for the National Trust and being a Member of Glas Cymru. He is married to Mairead and, together they have three grown up children and two grand-daughters.