Our Board
Stewart Prodger
Chair
Stewart has been involved in community safety and resilience for some time, and a trustee within the voluntary sector since 2005.
Currently his day job as Principal Officer, Responders & Communities with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) involves developing and leading relationships with emergency responder and national community organisations. That focus on community safety and resilience includes being part of the Scottish Government’s Voluntary Sector Resilience Partnership, which sparked an increased awareness of the potential for NWS and encouraged him to join the Board.
Stewart lives in Dunblane but despite a Cornish and Scottish background refuses to try haggis pasties! He says: ” With many years as a charity trustee elsewhere and a passion for community I hope I bring some useful experience and determination to support the amazing work being done out there.”
Roddy Ross
Treasurer
Roddy is the Community Safety Manager at Perth and Kinross Council. He has a strong background in Partnership Working and is a trustee of the Lighthouse of Perth, a mental health charity in Perth and the St Johnstone Community Trust.
Roddy has been involved in Community Safety for decades (!) and retains an enthusiasm for how working together as agencies and with communities can improve lives.
Roddy is married with 3 children and 2 grand-daughters, he lives north of Perth.
NWS is part of the Community Safety family and has a great deal to contribute. Its been a period of change and I’m excited by the change and the new team.
Easton Millar
Trustee
Easton’s career started in Coop grocery stores, then quickly into managing larger Coop stores across West Scotland. He moved from selling to the public to selling to the stores that he had learned his selling and management skills in! Working for a major American food supplier he was soon managing sales teams throughout the UK at senior level, and later in his career he became company spokesperson with the role of Trade Relations and communications manager for the UK.
Easton has been a NW coordinator in Gloucestershire since 1989 and has worked to enhance the development of NW membership, NW groups, and with local Police forces. He joined the NW Scotland Board to bring his NW skills to improve communications with communities and just as importantly, Police Scotland.
Easton and his wife moved to Edinburgh to enjoy retirement. However, the opportunity to volunteer and help develop NWS was too appealing!
NW Scotland, using the tools and organisations available to it, and working across Scotland, really can make communities better places to live, and make us all feel safer in our homes!
Jack Birrell
Trustee
Jack was born and brought up on the east coast yet spent his working life down south, joining my first Watch in late 80s in SW London.
Jack retired home to Scotland in 2015, enjoying new-found peace and quiet, not being under a major airport flight path. He intends to be useful, intent on reducing Rural Crime while still able to make contributions and hopes being on this board will achieve success.
Jack lives in Rural Perthshire with his gun dog, working on restoring his large woodland garden to its state of fifty years ago.
As the rural area board member, my main concerns are preservation of the peace & wildlife of our countryside and seeing reduction of crimes and calamities (tourists lost on hills or falling into deep water)..
Richard Whetton
Trustee
Richard is currently the Head of Corporate Governance, Strategy and Performance for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service where he oversees a wide-ranging portfolio.
Richard has a long history of working in community safety, starting over 20 years ago in London and Surrey, working in the Home Office, Local Authorities and Scottish Government. Over the years he has fulfilled community safety officer, manager, and head of service roles, all of which involved leading and working with community projects, including Neighbourhood Watch.
Richard lives in rural East Lothian, is married with three children. He enjoys walking and birdwatching.