Our Executive Leadership Team & Governing Body
No one understands more about putting people at the heart of everything we do that our Executive Leadership Team (ELT). Their combination of skills, knowledge and personal experience has been vital to our success.
They are supported by a diverse Board of Trustees who help steer our direction as an organisation with their wide range of skills and high level experience. As an organisation that champions diversity and inclusion, we ensure there is a permanent position on the board for a person with learning disabilities. We were delighted when Richard Keagan-Bull became the second individual with disabilities to be appointed to our board in 2013.
Executive Leadership Team
Paul Snell
Growing up with a younger brother with learning disabilities, Walsingham Support’s CEO understands the difference that good support makes. His view is: “If the people we support, their families and our staff are happy – then I’m happy.” Paul has 30 years’…
Mick Burgess
Mick joined Walsingham Support in October 2016. Having worked in Social Care since leaving school, Mick has held a number of positions, starting his career as a Support Worker, later qualifying as a Nurse and more recently gaining an MSc in Health and…
Debbie Johnston
Debbie joined Walsingham Support in July 2018, bringing over 25 years’ worth of experience in the public sector in the fields of finance, HR, administration and business management. Debbie has worked as Group Business Director for a cluster of Independent…
Governing Body
Heather Benjamin
Heather was elected as Walsingham Support’s Chair of Trustees in October 2013. With over 30 years’ experience in the commercial and voluntary sector, Heather’s previous roles include Chief Procurement Officer at Centrica and a Trustee of Volunteering…
Maddy Thomson
Walsingham Support’s longest serving Trustee, Maddy Thomson joined the board in January 2006 and was elected Vice Chair in October 2013. She is an expert in learning and development in the social care sector, and has extensive experience in management,…
Jeanette Barrowcliffe
Jeanette became a trustee in January 2014 and is also a member of Walsingham Support’s Finance Committee and chairperson of the Remuneration Committee. Jeanette is Finance Director at Meridian Business Support Group, one of the largest independent recruitment…
Donna Clark
Donna joined the Walsingham Support board in July 2013 and was elected as Chair of the Finance Committee in September 2014. Currently working as the Finance Manager at a charity supporting young people in work based training, Donna has experience in…
Liz Edwards
Liz joined the Walsingham Support board of trustees in April 2016. Liz has over 30 years’ experience within HR and has been responsible for resolving staffing issues in a range of charities, including Action for Blind People, NSPCC and St Joseph’s Hospice…
Richard Keagan-Bull
A Walsingham Support trustee since July 2013, Richard brings his personal experiences of services for people with a learning disability to the board. He attended a residential college in Shropshire for 17 years, but has lived independently in his own…
Mark Best
Mark joined the Board of Trustees in the spring of 2017. He is a founding Partner and Director of Midtown Capital Ltd who are responsible for the delivery of major development projects across the wider South East. He holds a number of directorships and…
Lal Heaton
Lal joined the Walsingham Support board in December 2017. Lal originally trained as a Speech and Language Therapist, and holds a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Organisation of the Public Sector. She has over 20 years’ experience in the public sector,…
Faye Draper
Joining the board in September 2018, Faye is familiar with the organisation, having been a support worker for Walsingham Support seven years ago. Her experience in the sector extends to a further 6 years as a social worker and she is currently an Advanced…
Cadanna Llewellyn-Peart
Cadanna joined the board in 2018, after having recently completed a Master’s in Business Administration at the University of Middlesex, attaining the grade of Distinction. Here she won the award of Student Voice Leader of the Year, after her key role…
Deven Pillay
Deven joined the board in September 2018. He has worked in the health, local authority, housing and charity sectors for 40 years, making him well placed for a balanced overview of the environment in which Walsingham Support operates. He has worked as…
Patrons, Honorary Presidents & Vice Presidents
Mark Snell
Along with his wife Anne, Mark is the original founder of Walsingham Support. They have two sons, the younger of whom, Matt, has a learning disbaility. Back in 1980 he sold his Travel Agency business to work with people with learning disabilities…
Lady Bathurst
Born in Marlborough, Wiltshire in 1965 to Christopher and Marguerite Chapman, Lady Bathurst grew up in Lyme Regis, Dorset.Sara grew up in a patriotic home with old-fashioned values, instilling in her a natural sense of duty and a deeply charitable conscience,…
“My personal experience enables me to understand what other people with learning disabilities may want from their service which other Trustees may not be aware of”
Richard Keagan-Bull - Trustee for Walsingham Support