Our People
The Barnes Fund and Walsingham Lodge Trust charities have a corporate trustee called The Barnes Fund Trustee Ltd. It has nine Directors – all voluntary. For simplicity on this website we refer to them as trustees. We employ an Executive Director and Administrator.
Our Executive Director
The role supports the leadership of the organisation and provides day to day management and administration within the strategic framework established by the Trustees.
The duties include (but are not limited to) administration of all aspects of the Grant Giving process; advice to the Board on services and work in the community; liaison with referral agencies, charities we support, the CVS and local authorities; support to the relationship with ELM Group in respect of Walsingham Lodge and the Berkeley Road Bungalows; compliance with financial and other statutory requirements; and issues regarding the Fund’s freehold property interests.
KATY MAKEPEACE-GRAY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Katy joined The Barnes Fund in September 2018, bringing fifteen years of grant making experience from her time at London Councils, in which she managed a grants programme tackling social disadvantage across London. She has extensive knowledge of, experience and contacts within the Voluntary Sector and is passionate about strong local communities, green space and the thriving voluntary sector of Richmond borough.
LOUISA PLATT (ADMINISTRATOR)
Louisa joined The Barnes Fund in March 2021after taking time off from working in the egg industry to bring up her son. During this time she was active within several local charities – offering IT support for AGE UK, visiting families for HomeStart, helping run dementia friendly art classes and more recently being a regular FiSH! shopper. She was also PTA Chair at East Sheen Primary School and is a committee member of the Barnes Charity Fashion Show. She has a strong affinity to Barnes and understands the challenges facing many local residents.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Our board of directors is responsible for the charites’ strategic governance and comprises nine people, all of whom must live in Barnes.
The board oversees all aspects of the charities’ work – including allocation of almshouse vacancies and the effective management of the almshouse community; the grants programme; and is responsible for the stewardship of the charities’ income generating assets, made up of property and investments.
To manage its work effectively, the Board has created three committees : 1. Grant Giving. 2. Walsingham Lodge and 3. Investments. Each Director is a member of at least one committee, and the board can co-opt other individuals onto a committee in order to benefit from their expertise.
Appointment of Directors
All Directors are appointed by the Board and selection is made based on skills, experience and knowledge of the needs in Barnes.
In five cases, they are nominated: two by Richmond-upon-Thames Council, two by Churches Together in Barnes and one by Richmond Council for Voluntary Service. The other four are identified following open advertising as vacancies arise.
Directors can be appointed for up to two four-year terms.
If you are interested in applying to become a director, please contact our Executive Director.
Richard Raine
Chair
Richard is a Chartered Accountant and MBA.
During his career he has been Finance Director of several companies, both private and publicly listed, across a broad range of industries. He has significant experience in financial restructuring, raising finance and corporate transactions.
He is married with two children and has lived in Barnes for twenty five years. He and his family enjoy being involved in the local community, and taking advantage of the local amenities and wonderful green spaces in the area.
Over an eighteen year involvement in the charity sector, Richard has previously served as a trustee of Trinity Hospice and Parkinson’s UK, as well as four years as a director of the Fundraising Standards Board.
Luke Tegner
Vice Chair
Luke brings commercial experience from twenty-five years in industry. He has expertise in marketing and communication, data protection and in using data to improve understanding of the needs of people in the community. As a trustee, he provides a fresh view of the vision for The Barnes Fund and Walsingham Lodge Trust, and of how to communicate about ourselves to the Barnes community.
Maria Wood
Nominated by Churches Together in Barnes
Maria’s professional career has been in Social Work and Counselling. She brings knowledge and experience of statutory and independent/voluntary social care systems, having worked in a variety of settings and served as a Trustee for another charity. She is familiar with the needs of the elderly, and the Assessment and Safeguarding of vulnerable children and adults. Maria is the Barnes Fund and Walsingham Lodge Trust Designated Safeguarding Trustee.
Nicolas Tiffou
After 25 years in financial services within complex multinational, multi-cultured organisations and ten years in various charities as strategic advisor, founder or trustee, Nicolas brings local knowledge gained from his role as trustee of another local charity; from setting up a school in the parish; and from fund-raising and volunteer work. Nicolas is Chair of the Investment Committee.
Kate Coppinger
Co-opted
Kate has a 20 year career in investment banking and is now a Non-Executive Director on several listed UK companies. Her trustee role at The Barnes Fund includes a focus on managing the Housing Register for applicants to Walsingham Lodge and facilitating effective communication between trustees and the residents there.
James Whale
Treasurer Nominated by CTiB
James is a Chartered Accountant with 25 years’ experience in Investment Banking in London and Singapore.
He has been part of the Barnes community since 2000. He has three sons, the youngest of which is still at school in Barnes.
James joins the Grant Making Committee bringing his local knowledge and enthusiasm for improving the well being of the Barnes community.
Matthew Purser
Nominated by Churches Together in Barnes
For 30 years, Matthew has been representing global corporations and institutions in a multitude of locations across Europe, Asia and the USA. His specialisation is the use of real estate, a physical environment, to support growth and development of multinational operations. Applying his extensive commercial property knowledge to our portfolio of buildings helps maximise their benefit to those we support in the community, simultaneously protecting the value of these important assets to the Fund. Matthew and his family have lived in Barnes for more than 20 years, and he has served as trustee of the Barnes Community Association.
Charlotte Nickels
Nominated by RCVS
Charlotte is a data scientist working in financial services. Obsessed with human data, she specialises in transaction and customer data challenges to help banks personalise their relationships with customers at scale. For the fund, Charlotte will be focusing on public datasets to understand the needs of residents. She is a lifelong Barnes resident having grown up in and attended school in the area. After a stint away at university, she has returned to Barnes where she can be found playing hockey with her husband or feeding the ducks at the pond with her baby boy.
Cllr Marjory Millum
Nominated by LBRUT
Marjory has a wide range of experience academically and professionally. Currently one of three Councillors for the Barnes Ward, she aims to ensure effective and accessible communication between the Fund and the Council. She is determined to protect and promote the many communities which makes Barnes such a special place to live and work in. A keen horse rider she also currently teaches Pilates and is a specialist Back4Good practitioner. A recently retired lawyer her career encompassed both private and in-house legal practice. In private practice she dealt with complex family matters. Latterly she headed up the commercialisation of Research & Enterprise Services at a leading University
Will van de Pette
Investment Committee Member
Will is a Portfolio Manager and Investment Strategist working in the City of London. He has experience working in and with multicultural environments, developing relationships that function well and are inclusive. He has a special interest in mental health and well-being. He serves on the Grant Making and Investment Committees.