GRCC Trustees

Charles is from Dorset farming stock, but has been living in Gloucestershire with his family for 34 years.

Charles is a qualified chartered surveyor with over 44 years’ professional experience in property management, mainly in the public sector.  For many years he was Head of Property for Gloucestershire County Council, and among a range of responsibilities managed its 8,500 acre County Farms Estate.  More recently, he was Head of Property for Cardiff City Council.  Charles has also undertaken a major piece of consultancy work for the Welsh Government reviewing the future direction for the County Farms Service across Wales.

Charles is a keen walker, enjoys amateur dramatics, and many sports, now though in a watching brief capacity.

In Highnam, where he lives, Charles was for a number of years Chairman of the Village’s Community Centre Complex; established an allotment association; and set up a thriving youth football club.  He is also a Parish Councillor with responsibility for planning matters.

Charles has been a GRCC Trustee since 2014 and became Chair of the GRCC Board of Trustees in 2016.

Sally works full-time for Adult Education in Gloucestershire, which is part of Gloucestershire County Council, as a Learning Co-ordinator.  She has worked in Further Education and Adult and Community Education for 30 years.

Sally's role, until recently, has involved setting up community learning classes across The Cotswolds and Tewkesbury.  Partnership working in local communities is central to her work and Sally now manages the Community Learning Partnerships countywide as well as being based in The Gloucester Pods (Children and Families Team, Social Care) to signpost and support parents into learning, volunteering and work.

Sally has been a GRCC Trustee since 2014 and has lived in Gloucestershire all her life.  She is married to a farmer who farms on a family farm at Elmstone Hardwicke.  Sally has a strong personal and professional interest in rural life, access to services and social inclusion in rural areas.

As part of the Countywide Tackling Mental Health Stigma group, Sally is on a sub group promoting this work to farmers, others involved in agriculture and vets.  This has led to a successful promotion at the Countywide Young Farmer's Rally, being invited to take part on a discussion in the NFU Tent at Three Counties Show around mental health, and also visiting various Young Farmer's Clubs to promote tackling mental health stigma with a presentation at Club meetings.

Roger brings with him experience of community engagement, planning and rural affairs with particular interest in flood management and protection and conservation.

Born near Cirencester in 1947, he grew up on his father’s County Council Farm and has remained in Gloucestershire for his entire life. He attended Cirencester Grammar School and then Hartpury College.

He spent three and a half years as Assistant Manager on each of two large estates around Cirencester before moving to Frampton on Severn to manage Frampton Court Estate. After 7 years of managing that Estate, he gained the tenancy of Yew Tree Farm, Longney which he still occupies. He now farms 1400 ha. (3500 acres) of the Severn Vale for himself and five other landowners.

During his farming career, Roger has spent time serving on boards and committees including Hartpury College and the Royal Agricultural College, Gloucestershire Farm Management Association, Gloucestershire Root Fruit and Grain Society, and is current chairman of Longney and Epney Parish Council, Pinching Memorial Trust, Gloucester Severn Estuary Stakeholders and the Severn Vale Guardians.

I have lived in Gloucestershire for almost thirty years and in a large part of that I have been involved in local communities, firstly as a member of Tetbury Town Council and a member of Cotswold District Council and latterly as a County Councillor. At the District Council I am the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities my main vision in these responsibilities is to provide an ongoing supply of housing in the district, but more importantly to build a good number of affordable homes for those people who cannot afford to purchase as well as young people who wish to get on the first rung of the housing ladder.

I have also been a committee member of the Gloucester Association of Parish and Town Councils for some years and am currently their Chair although I will be stepping down in September. The prime objective for this organisation is to increase the standards of our local councils to provide an all-round level of service to their communities so that they can grow and prosper for the benefit of residents.

My belief is that no community can afford to stand still in order to develop and prosper and there are many ways that this development can be encouraged. Currently there is a need for selected small housing developments of affordable homes in rural areas in which local Housing Associations and Community Housing Trusts should be allowed to develop as their prime activities are small developments to match the needs of local communities.

As a County Councillor I am fully involved in an important project to support people to remain living independently for as long as ever possible in their own communities. This is a county wide project hosted by voluntary and community enterprises in each of our six districts. I am pleased that GRCC are leading in two Districts, Cheltenham and Cotswolds using their expertise to build networks of like-minded organisations in order to increase community awareness by being better connected at a local level in order to exchange information regarding the services that are available to bind communities together. This project is currently developing 33 new projects to support local communities.

I am pleased to have an opportunity to become a Trustee of GRCC so that I can further use my knowledge and skills in the development of positive communities in Gloucestershire.

Born in Manchester to a family of Scottish diaspora, raised and educated in Cornwall, Duncan moved to Gloucestershire in 1968 to develop his career.

Over the ensuing 40 years, Duncan, who became a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing in 1981, held a number of senior roles in Marketing Communications, Public Relations, Marketing Support and Sales Promotion with Gloucestershire's world-renowned, multi-national based aerospace and engineering organisations, Dowty and Smiths, which latterly became part of GE Aviation.

This included over 20 years at a corporate level, managing the strategic development of marketing communications, planning, budgeting and implementation of major exhibitions and events, visual and cultural identity programmes, advertising, media relations, corporate and marketing literature and local community relations.

In the broader UK Aerospace and Electronics Industries, Duncan maintained an advisory role at National Trade Association level and, ultimately, he held the chairmanship of the UK Aerospace trade association's Communications Advisory Group.

Retiring from corporate life in 2009, Duncan brought his skills and experience into local community activities.  Initially leading a successful road safety campaign, Duncan became a Parish Councillor for Coberley, where he lives, and subsequently, Chair.  His keen interest in community and road safety has led to him becoming Chair of the Cirencester Rural North Neighbourhood Co-ordination Group, which brings residents of 14 parishes together to work with the Local Policing Team, Councillors, Local Authorities and Village Agents to improve the safety and well-being of our communities - both in terms of reducing crime and anti-social behaviour and improving safety on our roads.

Through these activities, Duncan began his relationship with GRCC, bringing his experience in road safety campaigning to GRCC events and to the CARS working group.

Duncan is also a member of the Coberley Parochial Church Council and was Foundation Governor of Coberley C of E Primary School, where he still maintains a close involvement through 'Open The Book', Bible story sessions.

Duncan maintains a keen focus on fitness.  He is an avid walker, taking to the Cotswold Hills every day with his dogs, regularly attends the gym and manages his winter fuel supply by logging.  He is an ardent rugby supporter and competes in the Gloucestershire light sporting rifle competitions.