YMCA NORFOLK - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Fellow
- Trustee
- Director of Finance, Risk & Compliance for Christians Against Poverty
Angie is the Director of Finance, Risk & Compliance for Christians Against Poverty (CAP), a charity with a mission to tackle the causes of poverty by providing free debt across the UK.
Angie's passion for seeing transformed lives started in 2009 when she was involved in opening the first CAP Debt Centre in Norfolk. She served as a CAP Debt Centre Manager for five years.
Angie is a Fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, with extensive experience of strategic financial management in the public sector.
Chris was born and grew up in Nottingham. During teacher training she met and married Graham, an Officer in RAF. They have moved to many places and Chris has been a primary school teacher, Parish Councillor and Chairman of Governors for a large infant and nursery school. Before ordination as a Self Supporting Minister in 2007 she was a Licensed Lay Minister (Reader) for 9 years across 7 rural parishes..
Pastoral work has always been the focus of ministry and that continued through her work as Chaplain to Norfolk County Council from 2007-2014, before moving to a chaplaincy with the Matthew Project for 3 years. In 2011 Chris was licensed by the Bishop of Norwich as Chaplain to the Norfolk Coroner, then and now, a unique chaplaincy in the UK.
Suicide has become a focus for her ministry with the Coroner and she is a trustee of Hope After Suicide Loss.
Esther is a paediatric junior doctor, she grew up in London and came to study Medicine in Norwich in 2013. She has been working as doctor in Norfolk since 2019, one of her main passions is being an advocate for promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in the NHS. Her drive to see change within this area has led her to reverse-mentoring two chief executives of two hospitals in Norfolk.
Esther has also sat on the regional NHS East of England people board following recommendation from one of the chief executive she mentored and has been the most junior member of this board. She has been a part of Proclaimers Church since 2013, where she has served in various areas including kids church and the youth ministry.
Currently, Esther is part of the leadership team of Proclaimers and leads the students and young adults community with her husband Sam.
Fiona was appointed YMCA Norfolk Chair in 2022, having volunteered as a trustee since 2017. She is committed to supporting the organisation's CEO and Executive Team in delivering an exciting strategy and charitable mission. Fiona is also a Partner at Ashtons Legal, leading their Insolvency and Restructuring legal team across East Anglia.
Francis has been involved with YMCA (Norfolk) for many years as a Committee Member and Trustee and has been a passionate supporter of its development and growth.
A retired accountant, he has had wide experience in financial management and governance through a variety of roles in both local government and the voluntary sector. He is also a past Chair of Governors at Paston Sixth Form College.
He worships at St Helen's Catholic Church in Hoveton which he has attended since it opened in 1959.
Gavin is an Assistant Principal at a secondary school in Norfolk and has worked in secondary education for 14 years. Within his current role, he leads on safeguarding, pastoral care, enrichment and career development for the young people at his school. During his career, he has worked in a number of diverse school environments, but has particularly enjoyed working in schools within challenging contexts. Within the past year, Gavin has taken on the responsibility of becoming a primary school governor at the school his children attend.
After relocating from Birmingham, he has now been living in Norfolk with his wife and 3 young children for 5 years. Throughout this time, he has attended Soul Church and volunteers on the church safety team. As well as this, he has previously taken the role of safeguarding officer at the church, a role he did for 3 years.
Jack is a Chaplain and teacher of Religious Studies at a school in North Norfolk, a role he has held for two years. Within his current role, he is actively involved in the pastoral care of pupils and staff at his school, as well as, leading the spiritual life of the community. As an ordained member of the Church of England Jack has previously led parish church communities and has always enjoyed working with young people in whatever context he has found himself in.
Jack is also a primary school governor at a community school on the North Norfolk coast and is actively involved in promoting Christian Schools' work across Norfolk.
Jack and his wife Amanda have two young children and he is a passionate Norwich City fan.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Director
- Member of the Salvation Army
Jason joined YMCA Norfolk in June 2014 as Business Development Director after a 25-year career in food retail.
He is passionate that young people of all backgrounds can connect with their personal goals and that they are given opportunities to fulfil their potential. Jason's role at YMCA Norfolk is to shape the programme offer for young people we serve and to ensure that there is sufficient income to provide opportunities and the 1 to 1 coaching for the young people that is so vital.
Jason is also an active member of the Salvation Army in Norwich, a bandsman for 28 years and member of the church business committee.
Born in East London in 1951, John has lived in Norfolk since 1982. He has lived in Dereham, Kings Lynn and Gayton over the last 35 years. He married Margaret in 1974 and has 3 children and 5 grandchildren. His leisure pursuits are skiing, running, DIY and gardening - in that order.
A retired Chartered Accountant, he has worked in financial management and accounting roles in a variety of industries since leaving the accountancy profession in 1976.
His roles have included work for newspapers (The Times and Sunday Times), public transport (National Bus), engineering packaging (Finance Director of Decorative Sleeves in Kings Lynn), hospitality (operating guest house business until 2015 and #1 of 38 In King's Lynn on TripAdvisor!). He has also been a Trustee of Letton Hall, a Christian Conference Centre near Dereham and a Trustee of King's Lynn Debt Centre (CAP).
He worships at King's Lynn Evangelical Church and is Deputy chair of Gayton Parish Council
John is passionate about the mission and ethos of YMCA Norfolk and keen to break down the barriers that vulnerable young people and families face surrounding access to housing, education and employment opportunities.
He has a wealth of experience within Norfolk's third sector - having previously worked as the Head of Services and Quality at the Matthew Project, leading their work with young people and veterans affected by substance misuse.
John also previously served as a trustee for YMCA Norfolk between 2015 - 2018, where he took on the role of governance lead for safeguarding.
Nicola qualified as an Infant school teacher in 1993 and has taught in Norfolk schools ever since. Early in her career, she became interested in early years education taking further professional qualifications at the UEA, strengthening her knowledge of this age group.
She is currently Assistant Head and Nursery teacher at Hethersett Woodside Primary and Nursery School, a job that she is very passionate about and finds incredibly rewarding. She leads the Early Years from 2-5 years, specialising in SEND, Safeguarding, Communication and Language and family liaison alongside her Nursery teaching.
She leads a team of Early Years practitioners as well as working alongside health visitors, speech and language therapists and social care teams in order to support children and their families, recognising that early intervention and service co-ordination is key to achieving positive outcomes for young people. She is married with two children, aged 17 and 20 and is a member of Chapel Field Road Methodist church in Norwich. In her spare time, she likes walking in the countryside, gardening, baking and playing oboe in Norwich City Concert Band.
Raymond became a trustee in 2019 and serves on the Finance and Resources Committee. Until recently, he spent his working life in IT with 12 years at the University of East Anglia with 6 of those years looking after information compliance, policy and security. He passionate about the value of service and helping others.
He has lived in Norwich City Centre for 24 years, supports the Salvation Army Soup Run and attends St George Tombland and St George Colegate churches with his wife who was recently appointed Assistant Curate.
He is currently employed by Norwich Cathedral as a verger.
Richard was Chair of YMCA Norfolk from 2008-2017 and re-joined the board in 2021.
He has recently retired as a solicitor after 33 years and now is a civil and commercial mediator on a part time basis as well as fulfilling a number of voluntary roles including as a part time student studying for a GDip in theology, a trustee of the Kings Lynn Foodbank and of the Crowns Trust .
He is also an elder of Hope Evangelical Church in Snettisham near Dersingham where he lives with his wife Sheena and preaches regularly there and in other chapels across the county
Many years ago (in the 1990s) he was also Chair of what was Kings Lynn YMCA and is keen to support and encourage YMCA work in the west of the county
Rob has been a pizza chef, a shoe seller, an ambulance driver, a blood biker, a teacher and an international project director for the one of the world's largest private engineering and construction companies, based in San-Fransisco. In that 20 year career he managed teams from engineering, procurement, construction, HR, accounting, project controls, contract management and more. He's very much an all rounder. He also spent 4 months as a hostage in Baghdad.
Rob has had a portfolio of voluntary roles in Norfolk, the UK and overseas. He has two grown up daughters and enjoys keeping fit and travel.
Job Titles:
- Corporate Services Director
Samuel Joined the executive team in 2020 as our finance director, having previously worked as a finance manager for Thermaglow LTD and as an accountant for Larking Gowen.
Working as part of the Executive Team, Samuel plays an active role in the charity's management and strategic leadership and supports the overall decision making process. He has specific responsibilities in the areas of finance, performance and business improvement as the charity pursues its commitment to transform lives in challenging times.
Job Titles:
- Early Years and Communities Director
Suzy joined the executive team in January 2023 as our Early Years and Communities Director having previously worked for some of the largest childcare organisations in the country.
Suzy believes that having the voice of young people central to decision making and in shaping the services we offer is of critical importance to ensure that children and young people acquire the social and emotional foundations to function with empowerment and resilience.
Suzy is also school Governor holding at her local primary and secondary schools.