About VAST-
Trustees

Neil Dawson
Neil has been a trustee of Voluntary Action since 1998, and has been the Chair since 2006. A committed socialist, believing in the usefulness of real partnership working, having worked in the private, voluntary, co-operative and state sectors, foster carer for 17 years and still a governor at three different level schools. Neil has also served as an elected City Councillor for 11 years, until 2007. Enjoys most sports, walking, reading and has a keen interest in science. Neil is very passionate about Port Vale Football Club.

Mark Barnish
Mark is a Chartered Accountant. Until April 2009 he was a partner in the top seven accounting firm, Baker Tilly, having formerly been a Partner with KPMG. He’s been the Honorary Treasurer of VAST since 1990. Mark has active community involvement including being a Council Member of the North Staffs Chamber of Commerce up until April 2009 and is a founder trustee of the Staffordshire Community Foundation and a trustee of The Dudson Centre.

John Beech
John has been a Trustee of VAST since 1992. An active member of the Stoke community, John is passionate about the VCS. He has also served as an elected Council member in the past. He has been a voluntary worker at Disability Solutions for 20 years and also serves on their Management Committee, and is currently their Chairman. John has also in the past served as the Chair of the North Staff's Race Equality Council and stepped down after completing a three year term.

John Webbe
John is the Regeneration Manager for the Staffordshire region working for local housing & regeneration organisation Midland Heart. Working from the Duncalf Street office in Burslem, he is heavily involved in the overall regeneration of the Burslem & Middleport area alongside partners from the North Staffs Regeneration Partnership and Renew North Staffs. He has been a Trustee with Voluntary Action since 2001.

Thurayah Cahil
Thurayya has been a board member since March 2007. She is the Chief Executive of UAACO, which she developed from a concept into a thriving organisation. An active member of the African and Caribbean communities in Stoke, she has been instrumental in developing many BME initiatives in health, social care, education and business development. Thurayya has an academic background and serves on many boards, locally, regionally and nationally. She is also active in non BME organisations in order to promote BME issues and to represent their interests.

Liz Watson
Liz has a senior management background in health and the voluntary sector. She has worked in Stoke-on-Trent for nine years in various general management and consultant roles in and for the NHS. She was interim Chief Executive of VAST in 2006. Liz is currently a Director of Change Through Partnership (UK) Ltd, and specialises in setting up social enterprises in health and social care.

Judith Robinson
Judith is the Aimhigher Co-ordinator for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent as well as Head of Community Development at Staffordshire University, working with partners in the VCS and public sector on community learning and regeneration initiatives. Judith has previously served as an elected staff governor of Staffordshire University and as a trustee of the New Vic Theatre. She has been an active volunteer within the VCS for a number of years, including as a Volunteer Community Youth Offender Panel member with Staffordshire Youth Offending Team. Judith has been a board member since March 2007.

Chris Lawley
Chris is Senior Development Officer for the Federation of Stadium Communities (FSC),
a national charity which works to support communities living near sports stadia. Working from the FSC’s office in the Enterprise Centre at Port Vale FC, he has worked across the UK for the past 8 years developing partnerships with Sports Stadia, Local Authorities, Health and Third Sector Agencies to create projects which use the power of sport and the resources of stadia to help address Health, Education, Employment and Training inequalities in neighbouring communities. For the past two years Chris has been developing a range of intergenerational projects designed to break down barriers, challenge stereotypical preconceptions and build relationships between generations by sharing memories, experiences and learning through a common interest sport.

Danny Flynn (resigned November 2008)
Danny has been a trustee since 2006. He is currently the Chief Executive of the North Staffordshire YMCA and has spent most of the last 25 years working in the VCS. His interests include organisation and community development. Danny is also the current Chair of the Voluntary Sector Chief Officers Group and is an elected VCS representative on the Economic Partnership of the Stoke LSP. He also works at a national and regional strategic level in the YMCA movement.

Mark Forrestor (resigned April 2009)
Mark has been active in the voluntary sector for over thirty years, as a volunteer, a trustee and a paid employee. He has worked as the Chief Officer for a National Voluntary Youth Organisation. Mark was the Development Officer at VAST and then its Chief Executive for sixteen years. Since September 2004 he has been the Manager of the Staffordshire Moorlands Local Strategic Partnership: closely involved in the development of the Compact and its implementation.
He is an advocate for the sector and passionate about empowering communities.

Trish Rhead (resigned February 2009)
Trish held senior positions in both public and voluntary sectors over the years. Her last position was Chief Officer of Savana.