Andy Atkins

This clip is from a series of 100 life history interviews with environmental campaigners in the UK, 1970-2020. It will feature in a book published by UCL Press in 2026. The full interview, along with the rest of the collection will be searchable on the British Library’s Sound and Moving Image catalogue and the interviews will be accessible onsite at the British Library in St Pancras from February 2026. For more information visit www.royalholloway.ac.uk/ohemQuotation:Andy Atkins: So I then left in 2015, the middle of 2015. So I had actually been, well various organisations were expressing interest, let’s say, in me but I was far from certain that I wanted to go on to another big charity.Saskia Papadakis: So were these other large organisations who were approaching you?Andy Atkins: Yes. I mean I was getting sounded out, would you be interested in this, would you be interested in that. So I felt a bit conflicted in as much as I had always said that I would probably only be there for six to eight years, knowing myself and knowing this was going to be a big job before I started. I thought probably, probably you would be wise not to be there forever and ever, for your own sake and everybody else’s. So I was coming up to six years and I’d never promised I’m going to go but I was thinking actually I was probably right when I said that to start with, that I should probably not overstay my welcome here. Then I did find it, it was very, very full on. I loved so much about it but it was very, very full on. That had a cost to the family as well in the hours I was working, the weekends I wasn’t there, the family events I couldn’t be at, even more so, way more so at Friends of the Earth than even at Tearfund.The number of times I had to drop stuff to do media work. When I did once not go on to Newsnight because I wanted to see my daughter and I promised her something, I got such a panning from members of the board that I hadn’t taken the Newsnight interview. I thought right, the costs, at some point you can sustain it for a number of years but for me and the family and actually for Friends of the Earth, I think I should look to move when the right thing comes. Well various things happened. First the new government was elected. It was a coalition government.Saskia Papadakis: In 2015?Andy Atkins: When was that?Saskia Papadakis: The coalition was 2010.Andy Atkins: Oh no. So I mean the new, so the next government which wasn’t coalition, it was then-Saskia Papadakis: David Cameron was Conservative.Andy Atkins: David Cameron which was 2015. Right. So he was elected and we thought right, if I am going to go, it’s better I go sooner rather than later because one of the things you do as a leader of one of the big charities is you get to know the main political leaders, you have to. You’re at meetings with them, you lobby, you build up a relationship and so do your staff, get to know the government ministers and so on. I thought if I’m going to go, it is much better that I go sooner rather than later so that a new leadership can build the relationship with the new government rather than me building it and then leaving. Secondly, I had this very intriguing call which was an organisation that I did know of, very small organisation based in West London called A Rocha UK.They knew that I was a Christian and somebody had recommended they speak to me because they were wanting to do a restrategise, a re-visioning of who they were and there was a big debate going on as to whether they should remain as a very local organisation in West London with a nature reserve near here and so on or whether they should try to have a more national impact. They had heard there was a Christian leading Friends of the Earth and wanted to talk to me about any ideas. So they came to the office actually, the chair, the treasurer and somebody else at that time came to the office, met me at Friends of the Earth and told me about this. I said I was very happy to talk to them and feedback such thoughts as I had, which I did and then I didn’t think much more about it. Then I stood down from Friends of the Earth and I told the board that I would step down on the seventh anniversary of me being there. So I would go on to seven years and that would give them a chance to look for a replacement and I could help them with that so they would have six months’ notice.So I think the day it was announced that I was stepping down, I got a phone call from somebody I barely knew at that stage who was working at A Rocha UK to say we’ve just seen you’re stepping down, did you know that A Rocha UK is looking for a new chief exec. It was like the day after or something, incredible. I also got a phone call from a guy who was a good friend, I don’t know if you’re interviewing him, David Nussbaum who was the chief exec of WWF at the time, also a Christian, as it happens, phoned me also to say do you know about A Rocha? Have you seen that they’re- I did think at the time I just want a break. I really didn’t feel like suddenly going off and doing another job, whoever it was with. I had promised myself a break, just a break because actually I wanted to do a lot of painting to be honest. I just said wouldn’t it be lovely to have three months painting. I didn’t think I was going to produce Banksy’s or masterpieces but I just wanted to have some fun.Anyway, they advertised the job and I applied for it and I got it but I said I’m not going to start until I’ve had my full six months so that’s the condition. If you can’t wait that long, find someone else. They were very patient. So I think I was appointed in, or offered the job in early October 2015 but I didn’t start till January 2016. That was marvellous. I really needed to wind down after Friends of the Earth and had been- There’s so much I really enjoyed and learnt but some of it was really tough and above all, just really tiring. I just felt like I could sleep for months afterwards and almost did. I did do a little bit of painting, nothing like as much as I thought but I had a very good six months off.British Library catalogue number: C2037/65 Project clip number: 215