Staff and trustees

Core staff team

Helen Da Silva Wood, Chief Executive
Jemma Turner, Lead – Mental Health and Wellbeing
Julie Bartle, Lead – Volunteer Learning & Employability
Helen Devonshire, Project Lead – The Future is Yours, Youth Worker
Holly Kretz – Project Lead – Yeovil Learning
Bekah Witt-Tower, Centre Admin & Project Lead – Bekah’s Kitchen, Gillingham Outreach, and Acting Young Parents Group
Fiona Franklin, Community Partnerships
Nikki Prescott, Lead – Finance
Joanna Lowndes, Bookkeeper & DBS

Sessional team

Liz Woodard, Emotional Support Worker
Sam Dawes, Emotional Support Worker & Project Lead – Anxious to Awesome
Val Catley, Exams administration

Gillingham Youth Collective – National Lottery Community Fund

Lou Donovan, Media Makers
Marianne King, Film-maker

Trustees

Stephen Uden (Chair) – ex Microsoft Citizenship head and Director of Social Investment, Nationwide Building Society; School governor and Chair of Members (2 schools)
Nigel Chappell (Treasurer) – (retired – IT sector), previously Treasurer of the Sherborne PCC
Tony Smith  – Systems specialist (retired) and Trustee of the Sherborne Kitchen
Alex Boyd-Williams – Deputy Head (Sixth Form), Sherborne School
Alison Hoffman – Teacher (retired)
Chris Cooper – Mental Health – Deputy Manager, ReThink
Julie Warren – Finance marketing
Linda Bygrave – Teacher (retired)
Martin Singer – Children’s Services Youthwork and Staff training (retired)

You can find copies of the Trustee Board’s Annual General Meeting here.

Associate Trustees

Associate trustees provide expertise and input in their field of expertise on an ad hoc basis. They are supporters of the Rendezvous (sometimes ex-Trustees) who want to use their knowledge and experience to benefit the work we do but may not be able to commit the time needed to become a full member of the Board. They have no legal responsibilities for the charity, hold no voting rights and work closely with the Chief Exec.

Ingrid Uden – Teacher and Group facilitator
Jack Bukin – Digital Consultant and Trainer
John Stokoe CB CBE – Major-General – Army, retired and International Business
Kate Reynolds – Sabbatical, ex Head Teacher Leweston School
Sarah Childs – Health and Youth Work, retired (Young Parents Lead, Rendezvous 2011-2022)
Sue Prescott – Finance Director, retired (Rendezvous Volunteer since 2018 and Treasurer 2019-2023)

If would like to find out more about joining the Board please get in touch with Helen Da Silva Wood (Chief Exec) via the main contact form below to arrange an informal chat – further information can be found here.