Our Trustees

We are privileged to be joined by people who bring a wide range of skills and experiences from business, charity, and our local communities. Together they help drive our work and ensure we make the greatest difference we possibly can.

“I have worked across the world in the energy industry my whole working life, and yet I am still taken aback by the collective impact, the sheer numbers of people we work with, and the difference we are able to make…what makes the Trust special is its close relationships of trust and respect – with people and with their community”

John Chaplin, Chair

John Chaplin – Chair

Born in Guildford, John gained a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College and then a MSc in Petroleum Engineering. John started work for Mobil in the North Sea and then lived and worked around the world in a variety of assignments returning to the UK to become Chairman of Esso UK.

After 37 years with ExxonMobil he retired and now pursues his interests of travel, hill walking, flying and volunteering.

Richard Whittington DL – Vice Chair

He has lived in Surrey for over 30 years and is involved with the community in a number of areas including chairing the Charities and Communities Focus Group of the Surrey Lieutenancy, being chairman of the High Sheriff Youth Awards and vice chairman of the Gordon Foundation. Richard is also a Vice-President of the Community Foundation of Surrey.

Paul Downes – Treasurer

Paul is a Chartered Accountant who spent 30 years working in banking and private equity. He has lived in Surrey for over 50 years.  Paul is also currently the Treasurer of the Horsell Common Preservation Society and also Honorary Treasurer of the Community Foundation for Surrey.

Phil Osborne

Phil began his career with the London Borough of Camden before moving to Surrey County Council in 1987. He held a variety of posts in the fields of children’s and adult social care before moving into the role of Head of Early Years and Childcare in 2002. In this role, Phil oversaw the introduction of universal access to early education, significant growth in the availability of childcare places, and the establishment of a network of Sure Start Children’s Centres across the county.

Before retiring, Phil was a part-time Children’s Social Worker with Hampshire County Council.

Natalie Payne

Kari Pridden

Kari worked for 5 years with the NHS as a Speech and Language Therapist. Since then, she has been supporting the Stanwell Family Centre (run by the Surrey Care Trust), working together with the staff and providing individual and group ’communication’ sessions for children and their parents/carers.

Kari has also worked as a Portage Home Visitor (an organisation that works with families where there is a pre-school child with special needs). Prior to this, Kari spent 15 years as Director of Personnel and Administration of Granherne Ltd, an engineering consultancy in the oil and gas industry.

Julie Richardson

Julie is the HR Lead at Southwark Diocesan Board of Education, supporting 106 schools and leading on HR for the Board itself and prior to this was Director of HR at The Howard Partnership Trust, after she was Head of Education HR at Babcock 4s.

Ron Searle

Ron has been a member of the corporation of East Surrey College and Governor of the Earlswood Federation of schools since 2006 and is currently Chair of Governors of Reigate Valley College. He has been a member of the Secondary Phase Council since 2008 and its Chair for the past three years, in which role he is a member of the Surrey Safeguarding Children Board, the SEND Governance Board, The Children and Young People’s Partnership Board, the 14-19 Partnership Board, the MASH Strategic Board and the School Improvement Partnership Board. He has also sat on the Surrey Alternative Learning Programme Board, Improvement Board and Schools Forum.

In August 2018, Ron retired from the role of Headteacher at the Warwick School, Redhill (now The Carrington), but will continues to be involved in alternative education and maintaining his role with Reigate Valley College.

Dr Naomi Winstone

Naomi is Professor of Educational Psychology and Director of the Surrey Institute of Education at the University of Surrey in Guildford. Naomi is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a National Teaching Fellow. Naomi’s research focuses on the factors that influence engagement with learning opportunities, and the ways in which feedback information is processed and implemented.

Naomi previously worked as a Volunteer Mentor for the Surrey Care Trust, working with teenagers in the Waverley area.

Viv Winter-Stuart

Graduating with an arts degree from London University, Vivienne then spent the next 30 years working in the IT industry. Having run the gamut of pretty much every role software development and implementation can offer, her last position before electing to retire early in the spring of 2017, was as an international senior projects director, working mainly across continental Europe and the Middle East.

Vivienne is now keen to use the skills she acquired during her career to benefit the voluntary sector. As well as being a trustee, Viv is also a Volunteer Mentor crew member on our Swingbridge Community Boats.