Stormwater Shepherds describes itself as an environmental charity "committed to restoring health to our waterways." Registered in both Australia and the UK, it presents an impeccable front: Zero Pollution Ambassadors, influential contacts across the stormwater and drainage sector, and a UK Operations Director whose credentials are beyond question.
Look closer, and a different picture emerges. Every trustee is a member of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church. The charities are substantially funded by loans from SPEL Environmental — a PBCC-owned company in the business of selling stormwater solutions. And the charity's primary activity is funding one person whose job is to promote the case for stormwater regulation.
The Six Trustees — All PBCC Members
There are three trustees in each jurisdiction. All six are Plymouth Brethren Christian Church members, and the connections between them run deep through the PBCC business network.
The PBCC connections do not stop at trusteeship. Hornbuckle and Parker both work for RVT Group Australia. Wibberley is a former UBT accountant. The owners of SPEL Environmental are heavily connected to UBT. This is not a coincidence of shared values — it is a network.
Jo Bradley: The One Employee the UK Charity Exists to Fund
Jo Bradley has over 20 years of experience working for the UK Environment Agency and is described by a LinkedIn contact as "one of the most important figures in highway drainage pollution in the UK." She serves as UK Operations Director of Stormwater Shepherds. She is the charity's only employee.
Her recent activities demonstrate clearly what the charity is for:
As a campaigner on stormwater issues, Jo Bradley is, by any measure, doing effective work. The question raised by this investigation is not about her but about who is paying for it — and why.
UK Charity Finance: 90% to One Person
The UK charity is technically insolvent — it has a £247,256 loan from SPEL that it cannot repay from its current income. SPEL is funding a charity that funds one lobbyist, and SPEL is also the creditor that keeps it alive.
Australia: The Money Goes Back to SPEL
The Australian picture is, if anything, more direct. Latest ACNC accounts show income of AUD$380,000 and expenses of just AUD$7,800. Of the income, AUD$373,327 was used to repay a loan made to Stormwater Shepherds by SPEL Environmental Pty Ltd — the same company as the charity's founder. The money flows in from SPEL, sits briefly in the charity's accounts, and flows back out to SPEL as loan repayment. The source of the $380,000 donation is not publicly disclosed.
Despite the minimal expenditure, there is evidence of Stormwater Shepherds carrying genuine influence with the Australian Government — via papers in NSW Government Water publications and a submission to the National Water Reform Inquiry, using the services of former Director of Operations Mary Rayner.
The Hales Family Connection
Atlan Stormwater (the trading name of SPEL Environmental Pty Ltd) is owned by the Hales family of Sydney. Stephen Hales and his sons James and Cameron Hales are the brother and nephews respectively of Plymouth Brethren Christian Church leader Bruce D Hales.
Cameron Hales is actively involved in UBT — the PBCC's central commercial operation. He also served as a director of GAP Global Pty Ltd until recently. The Stormwater Shepherds charity therefore connects the environmental lobbying function directly to the innermost circle of PBCC leadership.
"SPEL funds the charity. The charity funds one lobbyist. The lobbyist promotes stormwater regulation. Regulation creates demand for SPEL products."
Brethren Exposed Investigation — July 2025Charity or Lobbyist?
The argument is simple. Stormwater Shepherds charities in the UK and Australia function as the lobbying and influencing arm of SPEL Environmental and SPEL Products. The charities promote the health of waterways and the need for better stormwater management. Jo Bradley is undoubtedly effective at this. The result of greater awareness of and regulatory pressure for stormwater solutions is, predictably, greater demand for the products that SPEL sells.
A charity that exists to employ one person to lobby for greater regulation of the industry whose products are sold by the company funding the charity leaves one question hanging in the air. Is this a charity? Or is it simply an off-the-books lobbying operation with charitable status attached?