Countryside Alliance News

New chief executive Tim Bonner takes over the reins of the Alliance

Written by Countryside Alliance | 13 September 2015



Tim Bonner took over as chief executive of Britain's largest rural campaigning organisation, the Countryside Alliance, at its annual meeting today (15 September).

He succeeds Sir Barney White-Spunner, who spent three and a half years at the head of the 100,000-member organisation.

Countryside Alliance chairman, Lord Mancroft, told the meeting at Saddlers Hall in the City of London: "We offer our enormous thanks to Barney for all he has done for our organisation over the past few years. It's been a busy, and in parts quite difficult time, for the Alliance, but he has carried on with great humour and we thank him for being a tremendous support to our cause.

"We welcome Tim Bonner, who was chosen to succeed Barney by the Board and will take us forward into a very challenging time."

After outlining the Alliance's successes over the past year, Sir Barney said: "The last near four years have been an interesting and very rewarding time."

Three members were voted onto the board of the Alliance.

They were:


  • Former Alliance director and businessman, Johnny Arkwright

  • Devon-based solicitor-advocate, James Foster

  • East Anglian farmer and joint-master of the Puckeridge hunt, Tim Vestey


Tim Bonner said: "The Countryside Alliance is an organisation for which I have worked since 2002 and have supported for as long as it has existed. Barney leaves an impressive and high profile legacy, but you can be sure that we shall continue fighting the right battles and campaigning in the right areas. Our commitment to the rural way of life will remain the same, whether defending hunting, safeguarding shooting interests at home and in Europe, pushing for superfast broadband and rural mobile signal or trying to game meat onto the national menu."

For more information, contact the Countryside Alliance press office on 0207 840 9220 or email [email protected]

Image shows Tim Bonner (left) and Sir Barney at the Saddlers Hall.