Trustees
ihAg Ltd is a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee (Charity number 1107841, Company number 5268499) which works closely with many organisations and agencies to deliver its services.
As well as its paid staff, volunteers play an active role. The Trustees are the Directors of the company and form the voluntary management committee. We always welcome more expertise.
Personal Information
I was born and bred in Ipswich and have lived here for almost all of my 30 something years. I have an avid passion for almost all sports, more watching than playing, though I do enjoy playing badminton, tennis and squash. I will quite happily watch almost any sport on TV and can normally convince myself that I am interested! I also volunteer as an Enterprise Adviser in a local Pupil Referral Unit. Perhaps my proudest achievement was trekking the Inca Trail through the Andes as part of a fundraising expedition.
Work / Profession / Skills
I have spent almost all my career in retail, starting as a Saturday boy with Burtons, before working my way up to manage an assortment of different Dorothy Perkins stores. Finally I moved across to BHS and managed both the Ipswich and Colchester stores, responsible for a team of 250 people. Following the company’s sad demise, I moved across to Ipswich Building Society as a Customer Experience Manager, looking after our flagship branch in the town centre and the move across to our new building on the corner of Princes Street and King Street.
Why did I volunteer to be an ihAg Trustee?
I must confess I had absolutely no real knowledge of homelessness and no knowledge whatsoever of ihAg until joining Ipswich Building Society. There I was fortunate enough to encounter ihAg both as our branch’s nominated charity and also as a couple of my team volunteer with the Chapman Centre. I was incredibly impressed by everyone I encountered and the work they do, and therefore decided to try and get involved in helping out any way I could.
Tom
Jell
Acting Chair
Personal Information
I was born and bred in Ipswich and have lived here for almost all of my 30 something years. I have an avid passion for almost all sports, more watching than playing, though I do enjoy playing badminton, tennis and squash. I will quite happily watch almost any sport on TV and can normally convince myself that I am interested! I also volunteer as an Enterprise Adviser in a local Pupil Referral Unit. Perhaps my proudest achievement was trekking the Inca Trail through the Andes as part of a fundraising expedition.
Work / Profession / Skills
I have spent almost all my career in retail, starting as a Saturday boy with Burtons, before working my way up to manage an assortment of different Dorothy Perkins stores. Finally I moved across to BHS and managed both the Ipswich and Colchester stores, responsible for a team of 250 people. Following the company’s sad demise, I moved across to Ipswich Building Society as a Customer Experience Manager, looking after our flagship branch in the town centre and the move across to our new building on the corner of Princes Street and King Street.
Why did I volunteer to be an ihAg Trustee?
I must confess I had absolutely no real knowledge of homelessness and no knowledge whatsoever of ihAg until joining Ipswich Building Society. There I was fortunate enough to encounter ihAg both as our branch’s nominated charity and also as a couple of my team volunteer with the Chapman Centre. I was incredibly impressed by everyone I encountered and the work they do, and therefore decided to try and get involved in helping out any way I could.
Personal Information
Entitled to state pension, lived in North Essex / South Suffolk for 37 years. Moved to East Bergholt in 2011. Married to Coral with three adult daughters, one of whom lives in Ipswich and whose job entails helping rough sleepers and the homeless. Naval Father and South African mother with family scattered around the globe. I enjoy fly fishing, reading, walking and “people”. I recently walked some of the Camino in northern Spain meeting diverse and interesting individuals.
Work / profession / skills
A retired construction director and management consultant. Previously MD of local companies for 30 years working with Housing Associations, Councils and private clients providing affordable homes. Worked in Africa and the UK on Major civil projects, was adviser to the Government on Health and Safety and established a National Occupational Health Scheme for the Construction Industry (CBH). Currently chair of East Bergholt Community Housing.
Why did I volunteer to be an ihAg trustee?
I am deeply upset about the lack of and poor state of housing. As a student I helped in the Simon community in Exeter, and more recently with the Soup Kitchen in Colchester. Construction employs diverse people and I have had some very distressing personal experiences, particularly involving ex-offenders and people with learning difficulties. I have a few years, post-full time work, during which I believe that my skills may be useful to an organisation like ihAg working at the front line in combatting homelessness.
Chris
McEwen
Personal Information
I was born and bred in Ipswich and have lived here for almost all of my 30 something years. I have an avid passion for almost all sports, more watching than playing, though I do enjoy playing badminton, tennis and squash. I will quite happily watch almost any sport on TV and can normally convince myself that I am interested! I also volunteer as an Enterprise Adviser in a local Pupil Referral Unit. Perhaps my proudest achievement was trekking the Inca Trail through the Andes as part of a fundraising expedition.
Work / Profession / Skills
I have spent almost all my career in retail, starting as a Saturday boy with Burtons, before working my way up to manage an assortment of different Dorothy Perkins stores. Finally I moved across to BHS and managed both the Ipswich and Colchester stores, responsible for a team of 250 people. Following the company’s sad demise, I moved across to Ipswich Building Society as a Customer Experience Manager, looking after our flagship branch in the town centre and the move across to our new building on the corner of Princes Street and King Street.
Why did I volunteer to be an ihAg Trustee?
I must confess I had absolutely no real knowledge of homelessness and no knowledge whatsoever of ihAg until joining Ipswich Building Society. There I was fortunate enough to encounter ihAg both as our branch’s nominated charity and also as a couple of my team volunteer with the Chapman Centre. I was incredibly impressed by everyone I encountered and the work they do, and therefore decided to try and get involved in helping out any way I could.
Personal information
I live in one of the many lovely mid-Suffolk villages, with my family and two cats.
We live an active life and love to head out in our VW camper (an ex-AA van called Mr Wendlal) whenever the weather permits. We’ve also been known to travel further afield, visiting family in Kenya and the US.
Work/professional/skills
Since graduating in the 1990’s, I have always held positions in marketing and this experience led me to launch my own marketing consultancy in 2019.
ihAg was one of my first clients and I’m immensely proud of the branding work, web development and literature we created together in 2020.
I believe my background in marketing and relationship management helps ihAg and I can support the management team with ideas as well as helpful contacts within the local community.
Why did I volunteer at ihAg?
After spending time with the team during the branding and web development project, their dedication and enthusiasm for changing people’s lives is contagious. Since the project ended, I have kept up to date with their work and supported them from afar.
I was humbled and honoured to be invited to apply for a trustee position in 2023 and I hope to give back my time and experience to help expand the organisation’s reach.
Catherine
Bowyer
Personal Information
I have lived and worked in Suffolk for most of my life except for a 7 year sabbatical in Kent, moving back to Suffolk in 2011. I live with my partner and our rescued black Labrador. I love walking, gardening and anything that keeps me outdoors I also dabble in jewellery making and furniture restoration.
Work/Professional/Skills
I currently work as a project lead for the Integrated Neighbourhood Teams in Suffolk, idnetifying and improving ways of worrking across health and social care directorates.
My previous career includes management of residential care homes, CEO of Age UK Medway in Kent, area management of community services and more recently managing national community engagement and development projects focussing on asset based working to reduce health inequalities in communities.
Whilst working in Kent I was as Trustee of CVS Medway, a role which I really enjoyed as I was able to give my time and share skills and experience.
I am also a Parish Councillor.
Why did I volunteer to become an ihAg Trustee?
I felt it was time to stop talking about volunteering and start doing.
Every person should have access to a safe home to call their own, and ihAg provides support that helps reduce the risk of people becoming homeless.
Work and personal experience has given me an insight into the challenges of running an independant charity.
Personal Information
I am born and raised in Ipswich, a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and love reading and watching movies of that genre. I'm also a fan of Comic Books and Comic Book movies, and helped curate an award-winning exhibtion and socil project based around the costumes from the Blank Panther movie.
I'm also a fan of Amercian foodball, having followed the sport since childhood and previously played at an amateur level for a decade.
Work / Profession / Skills
I am medically retired after receiving a spinal cord injury which has left me permanently disabled. Before this, I was working as a project worker supporting homeless individuals and helping them towards independent living.
I had previously worked in the Police control room, and also within community engagement, supporting individuals and organsiations with community projects. I was actively involved in local politics, serving as a Councillor for a decade, and a term as Mayor of Ipswich.
Why did I volunteer to be an ihAg Trustee?
I've always been passionate about making a difference in my community, and after my injury stopped me from working, I wanted to find a way to put my skills and knowledge to use. I was familiar with the work of ihAg, and it seemed a logical fit. I'm proud to play my part in the great work ihAg does.
Glen
Chisholm
Personal Information
I am born and raised in Ipswich, a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and love reading and watching movies of that genre. I'm also a fan of Comic Books and Comic Book movies, and helped curate an award-winning exhibtion and socil project based around the costumes from the Blank Panther movie.
I'm also a fan of Amercian foodball, having followed the sport since childhood and previously played at an amateur level for a decade.
Work / Profession / Skills
I am medically retired after receiving a spinal cord injury which has left me permanently disabled. Before this, I was working as a project worker supporting homeless individuals and helping them towards independent living.
I had previously worked in the Police control room, and also within community engagement, supporting individuals and organsiations with community projects. I was actively involved in local politics, serving as a Councillor for a decade, and a term as Mayor of Ipswich.
Why did I volunteer to be an ihAg Trustee?
I've always been passionate about making a difference in my community, and after my injury stopped me from working, I wanted to find a way to put my skills and knowledge to use. I was familiar with the work of ihAg, and it seemed a logical fit. I'm proud to play my part in the great work ihAg does.
Personal Information
I have lived in Ipswich for over 30 years and I am overdue in contributing to the local area.
Work / Profession / Skills
I had a corporate career rising to strategy executive roles in a FTSE100 company and then set up my own consulting business providing expert advice on the telecommunications sector and business mentoring support to scale-up businesses.
In addition to ihAg, I am a trustee at the Raedwald Trust which provides alternative provisions for children who need a different route to education success, and I mentor the CEOs of two national charities through the Kilfinan Group. I am a non-exec chair of a fair-trade clothing social enterprise and an advisory board member for an agri-tech business.
Why did I volunteer to be an ihAg Trustee?
I have had the good fortune not to experience being homeless, but I have long felt for those who are. As a society, we can and should do better.
IhAg does fantastic work here in Ipswich. I hope that as a Trustee I can bring my experience, time and energy to help the team to deliver even more to the local area.
Rob
Davison
Personal Information
Entitled to state pension, lived in North Essex / South Suffolk for 37 years. Moved to East Bergholt in 2011. Married to Coral with three adult daughters, one of whom lives in Ipswich and whose job entails helping rough sleepers and the homeless. Naval Father and South African mother with family scattered around the globe. I enjoy fly fishing, reading, walking and “people”. I recently walked some of the Camino in northern Spain meeting diverse and interesting individuals.
Work / profession / skills
A retired construction director and management consultant. Previously MD of local companies for 30 years working with Housing Associations, Councils and private clients providing affordable homes. Worked in Africa and the UK on Major civil projects, was adviser to the Government on Health and Safety and established a National Occupational Health Scheme for the Construction Industry (CBH). Currently chair of East Bergholt Community Housing.
Why did I volunteer to be an ihAg trustee?
I am deeply upset about the lack of and poor state of housing. As a student I helped in the Simon community in Exeter, and more recently with the Soup Kitchen in Colchester. Construction employs diverse people and I have had some very distressing personal experiences, particularly involving ex-offenders and people with learning difficulties. I have a few years, post-full time work, during which I believe that my skills may be useful to an organisation like ihAg working at the front line in combatting homelessness.
Personal Information
I have lived in or around Ipswich since I was sixteen. I am a bit of a geek and love Fantasy (especially anything with dragons) and Sci-Fi movies and books. I also love good action movies. I am seriously into Lego which is a hobby I share with my grown son, with us often purchasing kits for each other as well as other collectables.
I am also avidly into Cross Stitching, which is very relaxing, and I have a wall full of completed projects.
Work /Professional / Skills
In my professional life, I am an IT Development Project Manager working in Retail. Leading on change projects to enhance our stores, make the lives of our colleagues better and delight our customers. As part of this role, I write a lot of documentation including; funding applications, deployment plans, rollout schedules, project plans etc. I chair meetings, work closely with technical colleagues, and generally find solutions to ensure my projects run smoothly.
I have previously worked in the Public Sector working on projects to make the lives of vulnerable children and adults better. Firstly, assisting schools in Ipswich to set up services and clubs to help their most vulnerable children. Recruiting Family Support Workers to work with the whole family to keep the child in school. Sourcing funding to ‘reboot’ after school clubs, keeping children safe for longer and letting them just be children.
Then working for a specialist Board including the Chief of Police, Church, Council Execs and County Councilors. Pulling together a high-profile conference to bring all of Ipswich’s ‘decision makers’ together. This is where I was first introduced to ihAg. The main aim of this Board was to set up a Night Shelter in Ipswich. Sadly, the funding ceased before we could complete this project, but it gave me a very good overview of the key players helping vulnerable adults in Ipswich, ihAg being fundamental. Because this project did not get completed, I have always had an unfinished feeling and that I needed to do more.
Why did I volunteer to be an ihAg Trustees?
I had previous knowledge of ihAg and the fantastic work they do in Ipswich.
When I was looking for volunteer work in Ipswich, it was a natural fit. Being a Trustee is helping me fulfil a wish I have had for over 10 years, after an unfinished project in the Public Sector.
I believe homelessness is very complicated, and a personal bugbear of mine is when people get judgmental. I strongly believe this is something we could solve if we all worked together. I want to be part of the solution and help in any way I can.
Jeanette
Hunt
Personal Information
I have lived in or around Ipswich since I was sixteen. I am a bit of a geek and love Fantasy (especially anything with dragons) and Sci-Fi movies and books. I also love good action movies. I am seriously into Lego which is a hobby I share with my grown son, with us often purchasing kits for each other as well as other collectables.
I am also avidly into Cross Stitching, which is very relaxing, and I have a wall full of completed projects.
Work /Professional / Skills
In my professional life, I am an IT Development Project Manager working in Retail. Leading on change projects to enhance our stores, make the lives of our colleagues better and delight our customers. As part of this role, I write a lot of documentation including; funding applications, deployment plans, rollout schedules, project plans etc. I chair meetings, work closely with technical colleagues, and generally find solutions to ensure my projects run smoothly.
I have previously worked in the Public Sector working on projects to make the lives of vulnerable children and adults better. Firstly, assisting schools in Ipswich to set up services and clubs to help their most vulnerable children. Recruiting Family Support Workers to work with the whole family to keep the child in school. Sourcing funding to ‘reboot’ after school clubs, keeping children safe for longer and letting them just be children.
Then working for a specialist Board including the Chief of Police, Church, Council Execs and County Councilors. Pulling together a high-profile conference to bring all of Ipswich’s ‘decision makers’ together. This is where I was first introduced to ihAg. The main aim of this Board was to set up a Night Shelter in Ipswich. Sadly, the funding ceased before we could complete this project, but it gave me a very good overview of the key players helping vulnerable adults in Ipswich, ihAg being fundamental. Because this project did not get completed, I have always had an unfinished feeling and that I needed to do more.
Why did I volunteer to be an ihAg Trustees?
I had previous knowledge of ihAg and the fantastic work they do in Ipswich.
When I was looking for volunteer work in Ipswich, it was a natural fit. Being a Trustee is helping me fulfil a wish I have had for over 10 years, after an unfinished project in the Public Sector.
I believe homelessness is very complicated, and a personal bugbear of mine is when people get judgmental. I strongly believe this is something we could solve if we all worked together. I want to be part of the solution and help in any way I can.
Trustee Recruitment
ihAg relies on the Executive Trustee Board to ensure overarching Governance and strategic direction for the charity.
The Board meets approximately every two months to review the strategic, financial and operational position of ihAg, and agree future priorities.
If you are passionate about the need to end homelessness, through the provision of local, personalised support, please consider applying to become a Trustee of ihAg. We welcome people from all walks of life, and all life experiences. We currently have an under-representation of people from BAME and LGBT communities and from those who live with a disability. Hence, we particularly welcome applicants from these groups.
Consider applying to become a Trustee of ihAg
Or, for an informal chat, contact Jools Ramsey-Palmer - Chief Executive Officer of ihAg - on 07753 316323 or jools@ihag.co.uk or Tom Jell - Vice Chair of ihAg - on tomtrustee@ihag.co.uk.
