People
The Helvellyn Foundation is currently funded and managed by Trustees Bill Holmes and his two daughters, Lauren and Becky.
Bill Holmes
Bill is the Chairman of a global business services company that he founded near Crewe in Cheshire over 30 years ago. He has always had a passion for walking and spent nearly every holiday while he was growing up visiting the Lakes whilst staying at an old miners cottage perched on the slopes of Helvellyn. Many bigger treks followed later in his life including Kilimanjaro, Toubkal and Kinabalu and he also enjoys sailing and travelling to new parts of the world. His mother did Botany and Zoology at Durham and always inspired Bill and his two siblings to have a keen interest in the natural world. With the foundation he wants to support Lauren and Becky as they take a more hands on approach to helping projects which they have carefully researched and for which they hold a particular passion.
Lauren Gupta (Holmes)
Lauren is determined to be a good ancestor and works across various roles to ensure a more prosperous future for people and planet. Alongside running The Helvellyn Foundation, she works as Youth Insights Programme Coordinator at Solutions for the Planet, a social enterprise that brings young people and businesses together for a more sustainable future. She works part time as Deal Manager at Daring Capital, where she supports in the search for extraordinary, under-represented founders who are building companies that make the world a better place. She is also on the Steering Group of the Northern Philanthropy Network, which aims to drive more philanthropic activity in the north of England. Environmental funding, trust-based philanthropy, responsible wealth-holding, and raising youth voice are topics that Lauren is particularly interested in.
Becky Holmes
Becky has been passionate about the natural world for as long as she can remember. Alongside running The Helvellyn Foundation, Becky works full time as Chief of Staff at Langland Conservation, a charity that provides cutting-edge intelligence support for conservation. She was recently appointed to the Advisory Group for the Environmental Funders Network which aims to increase philanthropic giving to environmental causes. She also holds a BSc in Ecology & Wildlife Conservation, and a BA in Graphic & Communication Design. She is passionate about all aspects of conservation but holds more specific knowledge on the areas of, poaching, the illegal wildlife trade and rewilding.
