MEET THE TRUSTEES

Pat's career has covered a range of positions, amongst which she was instrumental in setting up The National Association of Volunteer Bureaux UK.  

For over 25 years she worked with her husband in one of their training companies, in schools and colleges all over Wiltshire, helping young people gain the confidence to enter the world of work and to achieve and follow their dreams.  On their retirement they set up GoFish doing the same work but as a non profit making organisation.  

This has now been renamed The David Baker Foundation of which Pat is the Chair.

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Annali has lived and worked all over Europe. She is a Chartered HR professional through the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and has developed a specialism working in research organisations. She is particularly interested in work-life balance which she made the focus of her research during her masters degree in Human Resource Management 2018.  Before this, Annali was an environmentalist, working for a number of conservation organisations such as WWF European Policy Office. Since then, she has always been interested in the interactions between the environment, the economy and social need and cultural values. She took a career break in 2003 and worked as a professional yacht skipper. Whilst she misses the sea, Wiltshire is now very much her home.

Verena Buchanan has worked in the affordable housing sector in the south west for her entire career. She is Operations Director at Selwood Housing Group. 

Verena is responsible for all Selwood Housing Group’s front-line services to customers, which includes ensuring the group’s 7,000 homes are safe and well maintained.

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Rob James is a qualified accountant and has worked in finance for a range of industries during a career spanning over 20 years. He is Financial Controller at Banner, a local leading provider of school uniform and sportswear, where he is responsible for overseeing the accounting operations and the financial and regulatory compliance of the company.

A Trowbridge resident for all his life, Rob is thrilled to be involved with a local organisation with its community focus and incredible desire shown across the team.

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Ali Jones is a communications professional with experience in public relations in the charity sector, local government and higher education. 

Ali has also worked at South Gloucestershire Council, creating accessible information for people with learning disabilities and now works for the University of Bath as Media and PR Manager in the University’s Department of Marketing & Communications. 
 
Ali became a Trowbridge Future trustee in 2019 and is passionate about bringing her communication skills to support and  promote the charity’s projects and mission.

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Stewart Palmen worked within the electronics industry for many years and spent some time living in South East Asia. Before joining  Clarendon College in Trowbridge as a teacher for 6 years. 

Stewart has been a Town Councillor for the Trowbridge Central Ward for 10 years and a County Councillor for the last 4 years. He was involved in setting up the Street Pastors, rebuilding the Civic Centre and setting up the first Trowbridge independent traders market. “The Weavers Market” (Chair of the organisers group).

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Ali worked as a SEND Teacher and Head Teacher, specialising in Autistic Spectrum conditions, for most of her career. She has also worked as a part time Youth worker and has experience of working within both the business and local government sectors.

Ali has been retired for three years. She is also a trustee for Trowbridge Town Hall Trust and The Friends of Trowbridge Community Sensory Garden. Born locally, she has lived in Trowbridge for many years.
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Jo is a Wiltshire Councillor for Trowbridge including the Studley Green area as well as a Governor at both Studley Green Primary and the John of Gaunt secondary schools.  Studley Green is the only community in Wiltshire within the top 10% of the UK Deprivation index.

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Jo was the Head of Marketing at the Consortium, one of the UK's largest suppliers of resources into schools across the UK as well as working with nurseries, care homes and local authorities.  She is a qualified workplace coach

Belinda is a self-employed business psychologist and professional development coach, specialising in workplace mental health and wellbeing.  Her background include many years in the corporate business world within leadership development and strategic HR roles. 

She relocated from South Africa in February 1999 and have lived in Trowbridge ever since.  Family is very important to her and Trowbridge felt like home to her from the start where her and her family have grown and settled within the community.

David is semi-retired, previously occupying the role of Head of Young People’s Services with Wiltshire Council. He is a Trustee and Chair of Governors of the John of Gaunt School and has retained a commitment to young people’s services by his membership of the Executive Board of the Federation for Detached Youth Work, a small national charity. With over 40 years of delivering and/or managing youth services David has gained substantial experience of finance, personnel and strategic management and was previously an Ofsted Inspector of Connexions and Youth Service

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