Meet the Trustees
Sylvia Watson
Chair of Trustees
Chair of Finance Committee
David Jacob
Chair of Health and Safety Sub - Committee
My name is David Jacob. I have been a trustee since 8 June 2018. After leaving school I became an apprentice typesetter. I qualified in 1969. I retrained in the 1970’s to be a teacher. I spent all of my career in North-East London and Essex. After working at Roding Valley High School in Loughton, I retired whilst working at the Children’s Support Service in Harlow. I taught a range of subjects, mostly at Secondary level. Latterly I specialised in disadvantaged children and those with Special Educational Needs. I am married with two grown up daughters and four grandchildren. I have lived in Buckhurst Hill since 1979.
Allan Mabert
Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Lead
I had 40 years of unbroken service in local government, adult education and as a senior manager in the charity sector. I served as a magistrate for 13 years in North East London borough courts. I have been an active member of access and inclusive design groups for major London stadiums and museums. I was proud to represent Great Britain at European and Paralympic level during the late 1970’s.
Bill Flanagan
As a resident of Woodford for over 40 years and having attended Sculpture in Clay classes for over 10 years, I am aware of the benefit that the BHCA brings to both the local and wider community. I decided to become a Trustee as a way of contributing to the marvellous work of Bedford House. I hope that my long experience as a Building Inspector may be of some useful benefit.
Bernard Mooney
Eddie Lindenberg
Vice - Chair of Trustees
My background is working in the timber industry for most of my working life. Leaving school at 15 years old in Edinburgh and moving to London in the sixties, I worked my way up to board level in a large timber agency. Meantime studying for skills in finance, accountancy, management skills, as well as self-development. Eventually initiating an MBO (Management Buy Out) for the company I was working for and then proceeded to develop the group with acquisition of manufacturing plants in Estonia, amongst others. Now, I am semi-retired living in Buckhurst Hill, where luckily my children and grandchildren live close by.
June Chapman
Chair of Fundraising Sub - Committee
Interim - Chair of Safeguarding Sub - Committee
I have lived in Epping Forest since 1995 and have enjoyed classes in yoga and pilates at BHCA. My children also took pottery classes when they were at school. I have a background as a law lecturer in higher education and have worked in the charitable sector for 20 years for Citizens Advice in Camden and St Albans. I was a school governor for 17 years in two primary and two secondary schools and trained governors for Essex County Council. During Covid I worried that this wonderful institution might not survive and offered my service to help.
Fiona Wheeler OBE ACIL
"I am a former career civil servant, having held many policy posts across 42 years within the Home Office, the Department of Health and the Department for Education, where latterly I led on family learning. I am a former Woodford primary school governor with responsibility for literacy. I was a Trustee at Bookstart, and am an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Linguists. I was awarded the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2010 in recognition of my work supporting children and families"
Olivia Lowe
Chair of Garden Working Group
Stephen Harriman
Join the Board of Trustees
Bedford House currently occasionally has Trustee vacancies (volunteer). Bedford House is in an exciting phase of its existence and has ambitions of growth and development. If you would like to help the board making strategic decisions and plans for financial sustainability, please email the CEO expressing your interest in having an informal discussion with the Chair of the Board of Trustees.
As a starting point you may also find the below link to REACH, the role description and other documents helpful in considering if trusteeship is for you.
Lykke Leszczynski, CEO office@bedfordhouse.org.uk.
What is a trustee? By REACH Volunteering https://reachvolunteering.org.uk/guide/become-trustee
“Trustees ensure their charity has a clear strategy, and that its work and goals are in line with its vision. A trustee’s role in a charity is to be the ‘guardians of purpose’, making sure that all decisions put the needs of the beneficiaries first.
Trustees safeguard the charity’s assets – both physical assets, including property, and intangible ones, such as reputation. They make sure these are used well and that the charity is run sustainably."