Roger Bright CB

Roger worked for the Crown Estate from 1999 to 2011, firstly as Director of Finance and Administration and, from 2001, as Chief Executive and a member of the Board. Prior to these responsibilities, he has worked for the FSA, the Personal Investment Authority, the Housing Corporation, and as a senior civil servant in the Department of the Environment.

Since retiring in 2011, Roger has been in much demand and has served on the Boards of the Council of the City University, The Royal Parks, and London First and as a member of the London Finance Commission. He is currently the Chair of the West and North West Cambridge Estates Board, the Chair of Private Rented Sector Operations Ltd and a Member of the Council of the Royal Veterinary College.

A graduate in Modern and Medieval Languages from Trinity Hall, Cambridge University, Roger lives with his family near Hook.

Judith Rich OBE

Judith has worked in the charity sector for over 40 years. She initiated and built up Cards for Good Causes. She also ran the National Fundraising Convention for its first five years and her other public appointments include serving as a member of the Charity Commission’s first External Monitoring Working Group. Judith now specialises in governance and trustee advice, as well as working widely with statutory and voluntary bodies throughout the sector. She is currently Vice President of Diabetes UK, Fellow of the Institute of Fundraising, and Chair of Charity Appointments. Locally, Judith is also a Trustee for the City of Winchester Trust and Honorary Secretary on the National Trust Winchester Association. In London she is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians and Honorary Secretary of Board Street Ward Club. In 1993 Judith was awarded an OBE for her work in the charity sector, in 2006 the annual Individual Lifetime Award of the Third Sector and the Services to Humanity Award from the International Red Cross. Judith sits on the Audit & Risk Committee and Governance & Staff Committee.

Peter Gubb

Peter qualified as a Chartered Surveyor after graduating from Reading University in 1976, and for nearly 30 years headed a national commercial property investment and development business. Until recently he chaired the Newbury and Thatcham Hospital Building Trust and was heavily involved with the formation and running of Greenham Common Trust in Newbury, where he was also a school governor for 11 years.  Peter is married to Ali and they moved to Winchester in 2014.  They have three adult sons and he is a keen golfer and fisherman.

Dr Mervyn Suffield

Mervyn is a retired General Practioner and an elderly care specialist in Southampton. Mervyn and his wife Clare live in Winchester and are active members of a large local church. He has been involved in founding a number of care companies including Trinity Care PLC and Karis Group, which developed several care villages, domiciliary care agencies and housing for people with learning disabilities. Karis also developed a Hotel in Sierra Leone and is involved with several social care projects. These are currently being run by Mervyn’s daughter in the UK and son in Sierra Leone. He has also been involved with a number of national Health Care Charities.

Richard Corden

Richard has lived in and around Winchester since 1996. He was a civil servant in Whitehall for 25 years, working first at the Charity Commission, the regulator of charities. Latterly he worked on reform of the laws applying to charities and the way they are regulated, on the Government’s policies on the funding of charities, and on relations between the Government and the charitable and wider not-for-profit sector. After Whitehall, he was Director of Southampton Hospital Charity. He was a trustee of the Civil Service Benevolent Fund and of CTN, a charity set up to help small charities improve the quality of their governance. He sits on the Governance Committee at St John’s.

Martin Willey

Martin is retired but is still active as an independent strategic regeneration, management and partnership adviser. He has led many ventures through his work, such as the London Thames Gateway Social Infrastructure Framework. He was also the Chief Planning Officer at Harrogate Borough Council, the Managing Director of Beazer Projects (which created the Bridgewater Hall scheme in Manchester) and chaired the NHS London Healthy Urban Development Partnership Unit (HUDU). In 2005, he created the South West Housing Initiative, promoting more affordable housing in the region. He was the non-executive director of many bodies, notably Wells Cathedral Stonemasons as well as a communications company. He has acted as Chair for many Planning School Partnership Boards, currently Sheffield Hallum and The Chinese University Hong Kong, while also serving as an examiner and occasional lecturer. He has been a Trustee of the Community Self Build Association, helping ex-servicemen get into work and has been the Chair of charities as diverse as Children of Chernobyl and Carriage Driving for the Disabled.   Martin recently retired as the longest serving governor at The Bristol Academy. In his spare time, he is interested in rugby, art and antiques and has been married to Philippa for 48 years. They have 4 married children and, so far, 10 grandchildren!

The Ven. Richard Brand

Richard is a Church of England priest who has served in parishes in King’s Lynn, Croydon, Christchurch (New Zealand), Hambledon and Market Harborough, where he was also Chair of the Trustees of Launde Abbey (the retreat house for Leicester and Peterborough dioceses).

He is currently Archdeacon of Winchester, covering the northern part of the Winchester Diocese.

Richard has a BA and MA in Theology from Durham University. He lives in Winchester and enjoys spending his time with his wife, three children and two dogs.

Cllr Kelsie Learney

Counsellor Kelsie Learney is a Cabinet Member for Housing and Asset Management, based at Winchester City Council. 

Kelsie has been appointed to many local charitable organisations, including Winchester Churches Night Shelter, Trinity Winchester, Hampshire Homechoice Board, Street Reach, and the Director of Winchester Housing Trust. 

Chris Day

Chris moved to Winchester in 2018 having ‘semi-retired’ from a career in finance. Working initially in financial markets and investment banking in the City of London, he then moved into industry with Grand Metropolitan plc, specialising in corporate treasury and financial risk management before becoming a national finance director in the Netherlands and subsequently Germany with Diageo plc. Returning to the UK in 2005 Chris joined the BBC as Group Financial Controller before moving to Post Office Ltd as Chief Financial Officer and Board member in 2011.

Chris is married to Simone and they have two adult children. He enjoys exploring Winchester and its surrounding countryside, walking his dog and endeavouring to improve his golf handicap.

Chris chairs the Audit, Risk and Finance Committee at St. John’s and also sits on the Staff and Governance Committee.

Bruce Moore

Bruce Moore joined the charity in 2020 as a Trustee. He is the Chief Executive of charity Housing 21 and has been in this role since 2013. Bruce is dedicated to improving the provision of housing and care services for older people.

Bruce has a wealth of experience and was previously the Chief Executive for Hanover Housing Group, Chief Executive of Wolverhampton Homes, and Deputy Chief Executive of Anchor Trust.

In addition to his work, Bruce has served as a Board Member for a number of housing associations and other charities. 

In 2017, he completed a PhD. His PhD studies considered the differences in attitudes and expectation of the governance role of boards of housing associations. Bruce is currently studying for a further PhD on the priorities and preferences of residents of Retirement Housing and Extra Care.

Bruce’s early career was as an in-house lawyer and he is a qualified solicitor. In his spare time, he is a keen runner and supporter of Bath Rugby.

Linda Bonnin

Linda joined the charity in 2020 and is a member of our growing Board of Trustees. She is the current Head of Land and New Business Development for Vivid Homes and has been at the company since 2018.

Linda has an extensive professional background in the housing sector. Prior to her current role, she was the Development Director for Spectrum Housing Group, the Land Manager of Bellway, and the Regional Head of Development for Sovereign Housing Association. Additionally, Linda was the Development Project Manager at Hyde Housing Association and the Production Manager at Ashford Overload Services.

She has a BSc in Construction from Southampton Solent University. 

Suzie Simmons

Suzie is the current Head of Corporate and Regional Fundraising for Naomi House Children’s Hospice  and joined St John’s Winchester as a Trustee in 2020.

She has a strong background in fundraising, and started her career in the field as the Fundraising Events Co-ordinator at Sparks. Additionally, Suzie was the former Fundraising Manager of Trinity Hospice, Head of Fundraising of Wessex Heartbeat, and the Fundraising Officer progressing to the Head of Fundraising at the Southampton Hospital Charity. 

Outside of work, Suzie has been a volunteer Trustee at Explore Charity, the Committee Secretary of the Institute of Fundraising (Central South), and is a current Trustee of Badger Farm Preschool.

She lives in Winchester and is married with two young children.  Suzie is a great lover of the outdoors and particularly enjoys cold water/wild swimming and scuba diving.

Clive Cook

Clive joined St John’s in December 2013. He  is a  former partner of global law firm Baker & McKenzie where he enjoyed a 33 year career working in the city of London and emerging markets. As the Managing Partner of three of the firm’s offices  in South East Asia, Clive was based in Singapore for four years. Before that he was a Corporate/Commercial Partner and member of the managing board of Baker’s London office having responsibility for the firm’s finances. He and his wife, Desiree, have four children and during his spare time Clive enjoys photography, hill walking, yoga and following his favourite football team. Clive is a Rotarian and keen volunteer and has worked in the past with the Samaritans and Crisis at Christmas.

Sarah Weekes

Sarah joined the charity in  November 2016. With over 25  years’ experience within Health and Social Care Sarah is  passionate  about providing the highest standard of care and support for residents. She has worked as a Registered Manager, Regional Manager and a National Care Coordinator inspecting and directly managing several care services across the country. Before joining St John’s, Sarah worked with not-for-profit organisations, West Sussex Social Services and home care providers.  Sarah also has experience working with various services providing extra care housing, specialist housing and care in the community. In 2014 Sarah  graduated from Chichester University with a Masters degree in Leadership and Management  within Health and Social Care. Sarah currently lives in Chichester with her husband Michael and has two adult children, Kelly and Stuart. She is a passionate supporter of charities and has raised money for her local hospice by completing long walks and the London Marathon. As a Vegan Sarah understands the importance of looking after your health and wellbeing including nutrition and exercise.  Sarah spends her free time walking with her dog Jessie along the south coast.

Nellie Redmond

Nellie  joined St John’s in 2016. She is a chartered accountant who specialises in the not-for-profit sector. Before joining St John’s Nellie spent seven years as a Senior Audit Manager in London working with several large national charities and then, during a break to have children, she was the Honorary Treasurer for a local agricultural society which organises one of the largest agricultural shows in the UK. Nellie and her husband Steve have two young children, and in her spare time she enjoys horse-riding, camping and cooking. She also supports other charities, and is still a volunteer for the agricultural society, and a Trustee for a charity supporting victims of crime.

Andy Ross

Andy  joined the charity in 2012 and is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of our four sites of almshouse accommodation, the nursing home and the charity’s commercial property portfolio.  Andy has been working mainly within the construction industry for the past 35 years.  He served as an apprentice carpenter and joiner, gradually  working his way up through into senior management roles. Andy is experienced in many aspects of building maintenance and refurbishment, as well as new-build projects for various local authorities and private clients. His hobbies include gardening and looking after his family.

Siân Duxbury

Siân is a Chartered Surveyor; she joined St John’s Winchester in November 2016 and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the charity’s investment property portfolio, the income from which directly supports the care the charity provides to its residents. Siân was a property manager working in London for a number of years both for and on behalf of several pension funds, before taking a career break to raise her family. During this break Siân volunteered for a number of local charities taking on a variety of committee positions and was actively involved in organising a number of fundraising events. Siân lives in Winchester with her husband John, twins and family dog. In her spare time Siân enjoys spending quality time with her family, walking the dog, skiing, gardening and playing tennis.

Rebecca Hynard-Hicks

Beccy has spent the majority of her working life in health and social care; a large part of this was spent at Devenish House Nursing Home which was formerly owned by the Charity. She worked at Devenish House in a senior role alongside being an assessor for care staff, completing NVQ levels 2 and 3.

She has always been passionate about providing high quality, safe, person-centered care and the values and vision of St John’s.

Beccy lives in Swanmore with her husband, three boys and dog. She loves family walks, trips and adventures, and potting around in the garden.

Marie Johnson-Hall

 Marie joined the St John’s Hand in Hand service in October 2018, providing befriending, signposting and advice to older people in Winchester.

She has had an experienced career working in the voluntary and health care sector, both in care and community-based settings. This has been in the form of wellbeing services, a social enterprise, guidance and advice service, and a learning disability residential home. Marie has a passion for working in roles that focus on supporting people to achieve personal goals and aspirations. 

In her spare time, Marie enjoys running, walking with her dog, and sunny days on the road riding her motorbike.

Alison Dobell

Alison spent most of her childhood in Surrey and, following a few years work in a boy’s prep school, also in Surrey, she felt a call to ordination. Alison’s selection and training saw her spend a year in the Midlands working in a parish, followed by two years in Manchester, first in a parish and the second year as a hospital chaplain. Her training was completed at Westcott House in Cambridge. She was ordained at Southwark Cathedral in 1995; she served as a curate for four years in Upper Norwood and then became vicar of St Barnabas, Mitcham for eight years. It was during this time that Alison met and married her husband and following the birth of their son she returned to her husband’s home city of Southampton. The term her son started school coincided with the position of chaplain to St John’s Winchester becoming available. Alison has been chaplain for nearly six years. She says: “I very much enjoy my varied role, from leading worship in chapel and at our dementia home; to sick visiting and Lent groups. The residents have a wealth of experience and stories to tell and zest to still live their lives to the full within their capabilities.” The place of the chapel at St John’s There has always been a chapel associated with St John’s since its beginning in the tenth century. The chapel has stood on its present site since 1428 and continues to play a central role in the life of the charity today. Worship is offered twice a week where the needs of the residents and charity are prayed for. Chapel also offers opportunities to nurture and grow in the faith including Advent and Lent groups and termly meetings of the Christian Fellowship. Inevitably a significant number of funerals take place in the chapel and an annual service to remember the departed takes place in November. Fellowship is also an important part of chapel life; every service and event always concludes with tea and coffee, cakes and biscuits, and a chance to catch up on the news. Charitable giving is also important to us. Every Harvest, Advent and Lent we make a collection of goods for Winchester Churches Night Shelter, the Trinity Centre or the Basics Bank. We also make financial contributions to Christian Aid, WaterAid and several local, national and international charities as part of annual charitable giving. Though chapel is primarily for residents of the Almshouses, ex-members of staff and other local people worship with us, and we are very grateful for all that they bring to the life of the chapel. The City Centre Branch of the Mothers’ Union, mostly comprising residents, also meets on our premises. So that our lovely building can be seen by others, during the summer residents open the chapel for visitors once a week. Chapel is steeped in centuries of prayer and worship and this gives the building a feeling of peace and holiness which is enhanced by the witness and worship of the current attenders.