Who’s Who

Meet the team who will guide you through a week exploring the places young Gerald considered to be his playground during his childhood on Corfu.
New team picture yet to come!

 

Dr Lee Durrell, MBE

Most of you will know Lee from Gerald Durrell’s wonderful entertaining books. Best known, of course, is My Family and Other Animals, part of The Corfu Trilogy, all set in Corfu. Gerald started a wildlife conservation organisation which is now known as Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, of which Lee is Honorary Director. The Trust is famous throughout the world for conservation work to save endangered species. Lee is a leading expert in animal behaviour and breeding programmes.

We are so fortunate to have someone with such expertise and enthusiasm for Corfu and the island Gerald referred to as ‘paradise’ and ‘home’. Lee brings in a refreshing dimension to not only the island itself but her specific knowledge on the wildlife and environmental issues on Corfu.

Dr David Shimwell

David, affectionately known as Chunkie, was once David Bellamy’s PhD student and is now a close friend.  Chunkie is a great asset to the Gerald Durrell Week, as a botanist, campaigner on environmental conservation, a lecturer at Durham University on Mediterranean ecology and  the history of European vegetation. He is currently writing a book on the differences between Gerald’s Corfu and the present day. He has recently published Dining with the Durrells which is a collection of stories and recipes from the Archives of Mrs Louisa Durrell.

Dr Peter Sutton, BSc (hons), DPhil.(Sussex), CSci., CChem., FRSC, FRES.

Peter studied chemistry and became involved in addressing some of the more serious global pollution problems that we have created, before moving into the realm of teaching. He has a particular interest in the Orthoptera and allied insects and has been the national recording scheme organiser for this group since 2002. His combined interests in chemistry and natural history have led to the publication of books about the larger water beetles of the British Isles, the current status of the British and Irish Orthopteroid insects, and many articles and papers in a variety of journals, 16 of which concern the invertebrate fauna of Corfu.

David Ashcroft
David was the Managing Director of  The Durrell School of Corfu. He is a strong supporter of compassionate farming, originally trained in agriculture, specializing in genetics, at Lancaster University. He has managed several commercial farms before taking up the reins of managing the largest city educational farm in London, The Mudchute. His farming career led him to take his family back to Cornwall, in order fulfill his life’s aim and run his own farm. David now lives in Corfu and spends his time between renovating houses and enjoying the wildlife in Corfu’s countryside.

Alex Ashcroft
Alex was one of the founder directors of The Durrell School of Corfu when it was founded in 2002. She was the Administrative Director of the School until it’s closure in 2014. Alex is responsible for coordinating the Gerald Durrell Week and keeps the accommodation, transport and programme running as smoothly as the culture of the island and participants allow.