Our Trustees.

CHAIRMAN

Oli started as a volunteer driver in 2015, became a Trustee in 2018 and elected Chairman in July 2019. Initially he assisted David Da Cunha with fundraising and preparations for the new building.

Oli got into his stride when the pandemic hit and NFBB had to move out of the United Reformed Church in Lymington at short notice. He organised new premises and the whole Food Bank moved in one day to the community centre! Several weeks later the entire operations moved again to our current premises. During the first lock-down the Trustees met every day to deal with the extraordinary demand, limited volunteer availability and the challenges related to the constantly evolving rules around social distancing.

Oli has lived in and around Lymington since 1987. He lives with his wife Sophie, who is also a keen Food Bank volunteer, on the outskirts of Beaulieu. Oli worked in head hunting for 35 years, a few years in banking and at the start of his career he spent 5.5 years in the British Army. Oli said: “I consider myself to be one of the luckiest people in Lymington and wider area, because I am involved with this marvellous organisation and working alongside such inspirational and good people.”

DEPUTY CHAIRMAN

David was introduced to NFBB in 2015 by Anthony Kirke, then NFBB Treasurer, who invited him to become a volunteer driver. By 2016 the Trustees needed to relocate the then operation behind Lymington URC, so David was invited to take charge of this project. He became a Trustee in 2017 with specific responsibility to find, acquire and build out a site suitable for a new building to meet the long term needs of the charity.

David shared: "It has been my privilege to have managed the transition to our new purpose-built building. I am incredibly grateful for the support of our Local Authorities and our many friends and supporters in the community whose financial support made this possible and secured this vital resource for the long-term benefit of our community."

David has lived with his wife and family in the New Forest since 1987. He is a keen sailor and tennis player and still works as a partner in a renewable energy business.

TREASURER

Charles first became involved in the NFBB as a driver when the Food Bank was located behind the United Reformed Church on Lymington High Street. He became a Trustee in 2020 after the move to the current premises and really stepped up during the pandemic when we saw a huge increase in the number of families and individuals requiring support. Charles is our Treasurer, which means he reviews and protects our financial status and sets out our financial strategy. He also supports NFBB with fundraising and regularly delivers food parcels.

Charles shared: " For me the "can do - will do” attitude of the charity is inspirational and the volunteer community that supports us is exceptional. I hope that one day food banks may be consigned to history!"

Charles has lived in the New Forest most of his life. He spent his working life involved in small IT companies. In his retirement Charles enjoys sailing and playing tennis.

SECRETARY

Nellie started volunteering at NFBB in November 2020. Packing, office, deliveries, website, social media, operations – you name it and Nellie has got involved. Nellie joined as a Trustee and Secretary in July 2022. About NFBB she said: “It is very rewarding to make such a direct and positive impact on the lives of people in crisis. I also really enjoy the banter and sense of camaraderie among the volunteers.”

Nellie was born and raised in the Netherlands. She lived and worked in Belgium, Spain, London and then in Singapore for 23 years before settling in the New Forest in 2019. Nellie runs two small businesses and sits as a Magistrate on the Southampton adult criminal bench. She is married to a Brit from Brockenhurst and mum to two university students.

TRUSTEE

Sarah started volunteering by packing food parcels in 2021. In 2022 Sarah stepped up to help with fundraising. Since then she has been filling in forms and submitting applications to secure additional funding. Sarah was invited to become Trustee in early 2024.

Sarah has lived in Lymington since 1997, except for a short period living in Bristol. Her children grew up in the town and went to school locally. Sarah has had a working life in the public sector, both in local and central government.

Since stopping full time work Sarah has got involved in local issues. About the Food Bank she said: “ I enjoy so many things about volunteering at the Food Bank: it’s a good way to help people who are struggling, the other volunteers are fun to work with and there is always a buzz about the place. Getting involved in fundraising has demonstrated the incredible generosity of our local community.”

TRUSTEE

Doug started with NFBB in October 2020 packing, stacking and sorting fruit and veg. Before long he started delivering food parcels assisted by Maddie, his wife of 46 years. After his appointment as a Trustee in 2021, Doug was heavily involved with the team that organized the new chiller room and more recently he took on the task of selecting and ordering our new refrigerated transit van.

Every Tuesday Doug helps with the Ashley Food Larder. Additionally, he is on the van driving team for our Supermarket collections and does parcel deliveries to clients when time allows. Doug shared: “I always enjoy whatever needs doing at NFBB because you are guaranteed that all the volunteers contribute in a positive and fun way with good humour and smiles all round.”

Doug retired a few years ago after he sold his business. In addition to volunteering at the Food Bank, he is also an Independent volunteer, helping vulnerable young people. Doug enjoys hanging out with their three dogs, cooking and travel. Outside of his family, his other passion is Luton Town F.C. of which he is a Vice President.

TRUSTEE

Lynn moved to Milford on Sea from Malaysia at the end 2019. At the start of the first Covid lockdown her husband started working from home, so with a car sitting on the drive doing nothing Lynn started delivering parcels for the NFBB. Lynn has both a professional and a volunteer background in various charities and was amazed to find that the Food Bank operated on a paper-based hand-written system. She quickly found a kindred spirit in Hilary and, in collaboration with Trustees and experienced volunteers, they transformed the entire operation. By implementing a Customer Relationship System, the Food Bank was suddenly able to scale up more quickly which was timely due to the increased demand during Covid lockdowns. Lynn supported the volunteers and the day-to-day operations through the pandemic.

Lynn became a trustee in October 2020 and although she has now stepped back from managing the day-to-day operations, she still helps at the Food Bank in the office and is very much involved. Lynn shared: “I am constantly amazed by the incredible support from our local community and by the sheer number of over 200 keen volunteers. This sense that we are all pulling together and making a real difference in the lives of those in-need is incredibly special.” In her spare time Lynn enjoys travelling and cycling.

TRUSTEE

Sue started volunteering at NFBB in November 2020. As she couldn’t get a slot packing, she started in the office. She now assists Hilary with the day-to-day operations. Among Sue’s responsibilities is purchasing for NFBB ensuring that the shelves are well stocked. For the last 2 years Sue has co-ordinated the shopping and packing of the Christmas parcels.

During her career Sue had a variety of administrative and management roles in both large and small organisations. Before retiring in early 2020 she was a self-employed HR consultant.

Sue became a Trustee in July 2023. What she enjoys about the Basics Bank is being part of a friendly, fun-loving team of amazing volunteers who give their time to help those in need. Sue says: “It is a very rewarding volunteering role, but one I wish I didn’t have to do! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Food Banks were not needed … “

Sue lives in Lymington with her partner Peter, most days you will find her swimming in the sea, even in the winter! Apart from swimming Sue enjoys cooking, sewing, yoga and being on the water.

OPERATIONS

Hilary answered a call for assistance with Salesforce on our New Forest Basics Bank Facebook in June 2020. She set up the Salesforce system that we now use for managing our food parcels which went live on 1st September 2020. Hilary ended up being in the food bank every day for the first few months while everyone was trained and became very familiar with its operations. In October 2020 Hilary was invited to become a Trustee.

Hilary was born in South Africa and spent several years living in Kenya as a child. She moved to London after university and her working life was spent in Information Technology. Hilary shared: “ I love volunteering at the Basics Bank! Not only does NFBB make a real difference for some people but it also allows me to spend time with the other wonderful volunteers in such a friendly and positive environment.”