Our Trustees
Our trustees & volunteers make us who we are!
Our trustees are responsible for setting the direction of the community hub, supporting the team and for overall governance.
They come from a variety of backgrounds and each bring their unique contribution.
Find out more about each of them below.
Catherine Braun
Catherine lives in Wotton-under-Edge and supported Wotton Area Mutual Aid, the forerunner to the Keepers.
She is a Green Councillor, representing Wotton, North Nibley and Stinchcombe and is Deputy Leader of Stroud District Council.
From the local and district perspective, Catherine is keen to support the development of community resilience through community-led hubs, linking to the local councils and other organisations.
Alan Hemingway
Through his career, Alan worked in the manufacturing sector for companies large and small. His most recent experience was for over twenty years with an international office furniture manufacturer as Commercial Manager working with major clients on financial and legal issues. Since retiring, he has focussed on the voluntary sector, chairing Citizens Advice in South Gloucester and a team setting up a community owned village convenience shop. His interests are his family, including four grand-children but he still has time for singing and performing in murder mysteries.
Laura Britton-Griffiths
Having always had a passion for communication, Laura studied languages at University. Specialising in Spanish, Laura spent a year living and teaching in Chile. She went on to qualify as an interpreter in Spanish and French and now works as a civil servant.
”I moved to Wotton in 2019 with my wife and kitten, Milo. When the pandemic hit, I became an administrator for Wotton Area Mutual Aid. Doing this enabled me to get to know more people in the town, help the community, and has given me the opportunity to become a Trustee of the Community Hub.
I am excited to see the Hub develop and grow from strength to strength.”
David Graham
David had a long career in corporate life in marketing and commercial management with companies ranging from Sainsbury’s and Heinz, to Whitbread and Water Direct.
His first involvement in community support in Wotton-u-Edge and its surrounding villages was through WAMA during the first Covid lock-down. With his wife, Catherine, he carried out the weekly WAMA food bank shop and delivery box packing.
“It was great to be getting out and about over those months, whilst also feeling you were helping people.“
From there, the creation of The Keepers has led David to be involved in a wider and wider range of initiatives. Culminating in becoming a trustee in Autumn 2022.
He’s married with two grown up daughters who now live in London.
Paul Rumley
Paul has been a solicitor for over 24 years, and has lived in the local area for nearly 23 years.
In addition to his professional skills of project management, attention to detail, governance/regulation and analysis, Paul has 3 years’ experience of chairing a national Board of trustees – the Society of Clinical Injury Lawyers – of a volunteer professional organisation, including extensive work in the political arena.
Paul also has extensive business experience of managing personnel, commercial decision-making and business development.
Paul was appointed to the Board of Trustees of The Keepers in December 2022, with responsibility for being the link for the new satellite hub Keepers in Kingswood (the KiK) on whose management committee he also sits.
Kate Hearn
Kate is a retired administrator with a background in legal and NHS settings.
She has three grown-up children.
Having been involved as an administrator with WAMA, Kate was keen to support the development of The Keepers as the new community hub for Wotton.
Her other interests include beekeeping in and around Wotton, cooking and singing.
Shaenna Loughnane
Shaenna is our Chair of Trustees. She has been involved in international development and the UK-based voluntary sector for the past 17 years.
Before working in the voluntary sector she ran her own large healthcare business for 15 years.
Shaenna completed an MSc in Charity Management, and now runs her own charity consultancy, she is a Trustee in another international organisation, is a volunteer mentor with The Cranfield Trust, and is an Advisor for the Remote and Rural Faculty at The Royal College of Surgeons.
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