Northumberland National Park chief to retire

THE man who has been at the helm of Northumberland National Park for two decades is to step down.

- TONY HENDERSON

Tony Gates has been chief executive of the Northumberland National Park since 2005 but he plans to retire in March next year.

Mr Gates’ time in office includes the creation of the Sill visitor centre, near Hadrian’s Wall, and the designation of the National Park and most of Kielder Water and Forest Park as England's first International Dark Sky Forest. He also saw Northumberland voted the UK's top national park by readers of Which? magazine on a number of occasions.

Mr Gates took the National Park job in 2005 after working as chief executive of the Mountains of Mourne Heritage Trust, a Northern Ireland landscape designated an Area of Outstanding National Beauty. He had also worked in The Gambia in Africa and then for the EU development fund.