Tim Bonner takes over as chief executive of the Countryside Alliance

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