Cheshire's best kept secret...

I am the Managing Director of Forrester (Sales) Ltd, based in Kingsley, Cheshire.  

Our company is still family run and was established by my father in 1970.  We are a cooked chicken manufacturer, supplying large supermarket chains; the company now cooks over 70 tonnes of chicken daily and turns over approximately £80 million per annum.  I am extremely lucky to have a very talented, loyal management team, most of whom have been with us during our rapid expansion over the last 15 years.  As Vice Chair of the board of Trustees at Changing Lives Together, I am passionate about supporting the charity with the skills I have gained in business, particularly around people management and finance.

I am also currently a School Governor at Hartford High and at Cransley School, a former Chair of Tarporley Parish Council, and act as chair for a local tennis organisation.

I have a background in production and mining with an emphasis on health and safety at work until my retirement. I also spent 29 years as a Town and Borough councillor for the Wharton and Gravel wards in Winsford for Vale Royal and latterly for Cheshire West and Chester Council, where I was a member of the Cabinet until my second retirement.

Through my varied roles over my working life, I bring experience to the Charity which I hope will enrich the way in which we operate and look after people.

My hobbies include course fishing and following my football team, Manchester City (70 years).

I am the MD and owner of office supplies company, Office Essentials. I moved to Northwich in 1986 and became involved in local football, eventually becoming a Trustee of Witton Albion Juniors FC where I helped them gain charitable status. I have been Chair of the Winsford 1-5 Business Improvement District for over 10 years and was Chair of Voluntary Action Vale Royal leading them into the merger to form Changing Lives Together.

Being part of the team at CLT is really important to me, I believe in supporting the local community and helping people in need.

I am most proud of my family, wife, Liz and two grown-up children and in my spare time I have completed 12 Iron Man triathlons around the world.

I joined Changing Lives Together as a Trustee after the new CEO had been in post for  6 months. I bring over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry.

I am regional chair of the Royal Geographical Society with Institute of British Geographers. I run popup cooking with the support of CWAC and West Cheshire Foodbank. My website Recipe Exchange supports Feeding Britain and foodbanks with low cost meal ideas. I support Cheshire Connect with food based projects.

My family home is in Cheshire. I’m passionate that the earth’s resources are utilised to the best of our abilities. I was pleased to be asked to be a trustee and look forward to supporting Changing Lives Together as the charity fine tunes its identity and strives to be the best and deliver on projects in a timely manner as well as see the innovative flair of the charity to reducing emissions and landfill

I joined Changing Lives Together initially as a volunteer at the Very Green Grocery before becoming a Trustee of the organisation, where I am responsible for ensuring our compliance and governance is carried out. Professionally, I have worked for a large consultancy for 20 years and am currently in the risk management section.

​

From the first encounter with the charity, I was impressed by the empathetic nature of the people who work here, their passion to help others is exemplified in every aspect of the different parts of the organisation.  I’m proud to be part of the team and hope that I can bring my experience and enthusiasm to the role of trustee, whilst making a difference along the way.  

​

I’m married and live in Mobberley, Cheshire and, being ex-cabin crew, I enjoy watching the planes whilst walking the dogs on the country lanes.

I was born in Portsmouth and after school studied Mechanical Engineering at Cardiff University. Initially, I  worked in telecommunications on a team designing the first push button telephones. From there i joined the Royal Navy as a Helicopter pilot and  left the Navy after 16 years and requalified as an airline pilot flying Boeing 757s and 767s from Manchester. I retired from flying 14 years ago and in retirement i've been involved in many voluntary roles both locally and nationally.  Me and my family live around Mid-Cheshire where i enjoy model making when i'm not in the garden where i grow a lot of fruit and vegetables and keep a few chickens.

I'm excited to be a part of Changing Lives Together as a Trustee bringing my skills to help the organisation grow throughout Cheshire. I am sure the organisation can grow from strength to strength and have a positive impact on the lives of many in need around Cheshire.

I'm really excited to be part of the fantastic team at CLT as a Trustee, I was really inspired to learn about all of the many, great things the organisation is doing to make the most positive difference to peoples' lives, empowering and supporting the communities it serves. This is a vital role in our local communities and I'm honoured to be able to advocate for CLT and to bring my skills, experience and ideas to help the organisation as it continues to grow from strength to strength. I'm passionate about wellbeing, mental health and development, so these will be key areas of interest for me, in looking at how we can build upon the existing support available to people

​

As an experienced Coach and Wellbeing/Leadership and Organisation Development Specialist, i'm passionate about enabling people and organisations to improve their overall wellbeing, leadership and effectiveness. My career began in HR over 20 years ago and  have since worked across a breadth of industries and sectors, including two market leading consultancy firms before moving into running my own business full time.