Amy Wheelton Amy Wheelton - Trustee Expand Amy joined RAD as a trustee in 2020. Amy is a working farmer, born and raised in rural South Derbyshire. In May of 2019 Amy became a Councillor with South Derbyshire District Council. As both a farmer and District Councillor she provides a voice for the local farming community and actively champions both environmental protection schemes and continuing investment in new and sustainable technologies such as ground source heat pumps and photo voltaic panels. She is passionate about protecting the rural way of life and am never happier than when she's working on the land or walking with her dogs among trees, crops and open countryside.
Angela Montacute Angela Montacute - Trustee and Vice Chair Expand Angela joined RAD as a Trustee in 2020 and was elected Vice Chair in 2021. Until the end of January 2020 she worked as a Chief Operating Officer in Paris, France for one of Europe's biggest vehicle leasing and fleet management companies. Having returned to the UK she and her family moved to Melbourne in Derbyshire. Married, with two daughters both at University, she has a rescue dog, Skye, and they both enjoy long country walks.
Fiona Brookes Fiona Brookes - Trustee Expand For the past 22 years Fiona has worked as a management consultant in the not-for-profit sector, specialisiing in organisational development and strategy, business process improvement, data protection compliance, specification and selection of IT systems, and project management. Derbyshire is a special place for Fiona. Her father was 6 years old when he was evacuated from Birmingham to Ticknell. Thirty-five years after leaving home to go to university in London, she recently moved back and now lives in Wirksworth with her husband and her dog. She much looks forward to contributing to RAD to help bring about positive change helping people in Derbyshire.
John Haynes John Haynes - Trustee and Treasurer Expand John joined the RAD Board in July 2008 and has been Treasurer since December 2013. He worked as a senior manager in the NHS for over 30 years. John has been involved in the voluntary sector in Derbyshire for over 20 years. He is currently on the Board of South Derbyshire CVS and a member of the Grants Committee of Foundation Derbyshire. He is also active in a number of organisations in his village, Cromford. When not otherwise engaged, he plays bridge quite a lot! John is very generous with his time, attending meetings and working with our Finance Manager to help make sure RAD complies with relevant legislation and regulations relating to our accounts.
Julie Hirst Julie Hirst - Trustee Expand Julie joined as a trustee in July 2008 having previously been a trustee of Bakewell and Eyam Community Transport and High Peak Citizens Advice Bureau. Julie has retired from her ‘day’ job is public health, working for the NHS for 24 years before transferring to Derbyshire County Council in 2013. Julie’s work focused on addressing the social factors that impact on people’s health, such as poverty, poor housing and access to services for rural residents. In this role Julie has worked with local GPs and Citizens Advice to place regular Citizens Advice sessions in 99 GP surgeries in Derbyshire. She is also involved in the Feeding Derbyshire programme which aims to direct surplus food to families struggling to make ends meet. Julie’s continues to work as a Tutor with the Open University, teaching Public Health to undergraduate students. In her spare time she keeps on running (more slowly these days) and is working with other volunteers to establish a Parkrun in Bakewell.
Philip Coates Philip Coates - Trustee Expand Phil joined RAD as a Trustee in 2020. He grew up on a family farm in Derbyshire, enjoying farm life meeting local people. This resulted in joining an agricultural company, selling animal feed around Derbyshire and beyond. During this time he met hundreds of farmers all over the county and became friends with many. Sadly, BSE disease hit the industry in 1998 which resulted in redundancy for Phil. He retrained and joined a corporate insurance company before setting up his own business in 2012 providing insurance to businesses and individuals. Phil enjoys being in the countryside and his hobby is dry stone walling. He is a member of the Derbyshire Dry Stone Walling Association.
Richard Walsh Richard Walsh - Trustee Expand Richard has been a Trustee of RAD since December 2014 when he was elected on a very snowy day in Buxton at our AGM. Richard is a member of our Oil Buying Scheme and worked on the development of the scheme to its current 'online' status. He started his career as a chemist and bacteriologist in the water industry before moving into lecturing about 10 years ago. He is currently a lecturer at the University of Derby teaching Business. He as also taught Chemistry and Health Studies at the University - very adaptable. Richard is interested in railways, obviously still a kid at heart, and he is a Director of a company that hires out railway locomotives. He lives in Homesford near Whatstandwell and is a Parish Councillor on Crich Parish Council, along with our Chair Valerie Broom who lives in Crich.
Roger Bennett Roger Bennett - Trustee Expand Roger joined RAD as a Trustee in March 2022. He has lived in Matlock since 2003 with his partner and has a busy career in children’s social work. He retired in 2020. He volunteered for FareShare Midlands in 2020, working as a driver’s assistant delivering surplus food to schools, community centres and food banks. This experience has shown him the depth of food insecurity and poverty in significant parts of Derbyshire. Towards the end of 2020 he became a trustee for FareShare Midlands. lead trustee for safeguarding and chair the safeguarding sub committee of that organisation. Most of the work relates to vulnerable adults who volunteer within the organisation.
Simon Taylor - Chair Simon Taylor - Trustee and Chair Expand Simon is currently Chair of the RAD Board having joined as a Trustee in June 2014. He has a varied background in manufacturing, mining and building materials in four different countries, but is now settled in north Derbyshire with his family. He confesses that becoming a Trustee of a rural charity he felt like a fish out of water, having had a suburban childhood and city-based working life until his mid-40s. This hasn't stopped him embracing the rurality of Derbyshire so that outside work Simon is most likely found clad in some man-made fibre cycling and running (up hill and down dale) and swimming in any pool, river, lake or sea he can find (not much sea in Derbyshire however). Simon is a patron and member of the jury at the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival (ShAFF). Simon brings a great deal of business experience to the RAD Board table. He was elected Vice-Chair in 2016 and has been involved in helping to shape the oil buying scheme and work with staff and other trustees with strategic and sustainable planning ideas. He says, "I am very pleased to have the chance to support the RAD team to tackle rural disadvantage throughout Derbyshire."
Valerie Broom Valerie Broom - Trustee Expand Valerie became a Trustee in March 2008. She was Chair from October 2014 until 2019 when she stepped down due to her health. However, she continues as a Trustee. Valerie says, "Personally, being a trustee is very rewarding, largely because of the people involved with RAD. The staff are committed, enthusiastic and compassionate and do excellent work to support Derbyshire people from all walks of life." With most of her professional life spent working in trade unions, Valerie is committed to helping people and fighting for what she believes is right.She is keen to address rural disadvantage and do what she can to help make a difference. She is a Parish Councillor for Crich and also sits on the Board of the Derbyshire Health Trust. She lives in Crich with her husband and Poppy the cat and enjoys travelling (although covid has put a temporary stop to that) and yoga.
William Tudor Jones William Tudor Jones - Trustee Expand William joined RAD as a trustee in March 2022. He lives in Grindlow near Great Hucklow in the Derbyshire Dales. He has worked in the NHS in Derbyshire for over 35 years in a variety of roles. For the last 20 years he has been working at director level ending his career as Chief Operating Officer and deputy chief executive of the Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust. He was formerly a trustee of Helen’s Trust, a role he undertook for 5 years. He is also a director of Hucklow.net, a community interest company which provides internet services in the local area of Great Hucklow and Abney. Living in a rural part of the Derbyshire Dales and Peak Park he interested in preserving and supporting the rural economy, beauty and developing local infrastructure. He is a member of the dry stone walling association and spends his spare time maintaining their very small holding looking after sheep and ponies. He has wide experience of business planning, financial management, strategy development, estate and capital planning, partnership working and operational management.