About

I have overseen and facilitated the merger of two large housing associations, Hanover and Anchor. These two associations are concerned with the wellbeing of the older person and provide social housing and care homes. Before the merger I chaired the shadow board. The merger has been driven by the need to save money and also to build to build more social houses.

As a trustee and chair of the directors of MIC limited, I established an ethical hotel, namely The Wesley, Euston, London. The hotel is owned by the Methodist church and is a social enterprise which donates all its profits to educational charities especially international students. It is the first ethical hotel in the U.K. putting great emphasis upon sourcing food locally, the management of waste and investment in staff. The Wesley has been replicated in the Wesley Camden which opens in 2022.

As trustee and Chair of the Ammerdown centre in Somerset, I have redefined the mission statement to have a “social heart and a commercial head”. The social heart of Ammerdown is its commitment to peace, reconciliation, interfaith dialogue and tackling hate crime. To this end I was able to obtain grant funding to appoint an interfaith co-ordinator. Ammerdown is now established and recognised as centre of reconciliation and has a national profile.

As chair of the property development committee for the Methodist Church of Great Britain, I oversee creative projects for the future of many church buildings. The Methodist Church owns around 5000 properties. Many are being remodelled for the future. To this end I have pioneered Church buildings as hotels including Community Spaces, and provision for Post office and internet cafes.

I have been involved in a good deal of charitable work including co –founding the Nottinghamshire Hospice which is a very thriving concern. I founded St Andrew’s House for the young mentally ill which was a pioneering piece of work based on co-production. I co-chaired the Patient liaison group for the British Medical Association and presently sit on the Lay committee for the Royal College of Anaesthetists. In this role I have a special responsibility for the Faculty of Pain Medicine. I am on the Board of the Rafiki Trust which supports orphans in Kenya, raise monies for the Zambian Open Community Schools Project and Chair the Ammerdown Centre in Somerset which promotes peace and reconciliation and is involved in ground breaking issues between the major faiths of the world. Trustee of the Rose Castle foundation in Carlisle. Chair of the property development committee of the Methodist Church.

As former board member of Transport Focus, I have a passion for the railway network and presently serve as a judge for ACORP (community rail awards).

Facilitating the setting up of the Methodist Ecumenical office in Rome in consultation with the World Methodist Council, the European Methodist council and the British Conference culminating in a private audience with Pope Francis.

My role over six years until recently as the Prime Minister's Rural Advocate. This has given me a special opportunity to help shape and influence the policy agenda at the highest levels, and a national platform in support of England's rural areas, on issues of real importance to very many people, businesses and communities. I have travelled widely around England

As chair of the Commission for Rural Communities, I established a credible, well known and focussed organisation. The two roles - as Rural Advocate and Chair - allowed me to raise the profile of Rural Communities within Government and across the political parties. I produced some important reports including the State of the Countryside, the 'Burgess Report' on the future of the rural economy, the Upland Community Report and reports on young people and rural isolation.

Initiation and leadership, in the 1990's, of the Methodist Church's rapprochement with the Church of England, culminating in the Covenant between them signed in 2003 in the presence of HM The Queen. The initial driver that led to this historic event was the close working relationship between myself and the then Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope

My Lambeth Doctor of Divinity in 2003, for my ecumenical contribution and for services of ‘national church importance'

My role as a Church Leader in helping to secure debt cancellation for Malawi. I personally took a Treasury Minister to meet the President of Malawi to seal HMG's support for, indeed leadership of, the international community's positive approach to this and its implementation by the IMF and the World Bank

Again, in my role as a Church Leader, working with the then Metropolitan Police Commissioner (Lord Stevens) to establish compensation for the Lawrence family after the death of their son, Stephen and to address the aftermath of that sad episode

Acting as a confidential go-between among political leaders in Northern Ireland in the period leading to the Good Friday Agreement of 1999

I was appointed Chair of Hanover Housing Association in 2014. This was a national provider for housing for older people with estates all over England. It’s main office was in Staines with offices also in St Neots, Cirencester and a London office.

Housing Associations went through a difficult time as rents were pegged and it was difficult to develop . I helped to facilitate a merger with Anchor which was completed in November 2018. Anchor Hanover has around 18000 estates nationwide, employs around 11000 people and has a turnover of around 700 million. The estates include over 400 care homes.

This is a dynamic organisation and my term of office came to an end in 2020.

In 2014 I was appointed as a lay member for the Royal College of Anaesthetists. The idea of lay members is to provide a patient perspective. I served on the Faculty of Pain Medicine. I was also involved in peer reviews of departments of Anaesthesia in hospitals.

For the last three years I have served in the International committee of the Association of Anaesthetists for Great Britain and Ireland. This is an interesting committee and makes grants to Anaesthetists to spend time in poor countries.