Michael loves being chair of The Balsam Centre as he sees the difference it makes to so many people. His job is to make sure that the board of trustees has a clear plan for the charity, and that the services we provide are safe and effective. As chair, Michael sets the annual objectives for the chief executive. He lives in Castle Cary but is frequently in Wincanton. Michael works full-time in the NHS and is a qualified healthcare manager. In his spare time he enjoys walking in the beautiful countryside in our local area with his wife and dog. He was born in Bath and has spent most of his life in Somerset. Michael joined the board in 2019 and became chair the same year, taking over from Tim Carroll.

Frances moved to Somerset 24 years ago, and founded Ashridge Trees, an online tree and plant nursery outside Castle Cary, with her husband Julian. She loves singing and has volunteered for quite a few years now for the Memory Lane Session at The Balsam Centre, running an interactive music workshop for people with Dementia living independently in the community. She is also a trained advocate and independent visitor for children in the care system under the umbrella of Route1 Somerset County Council. She loves being a respite foster carer to a nine-year-old boy who she has mentored since he was seven years old. Frances hopes that being a local employer alongside her work with children and the elderly will make her a useful trustee.

Mike Kelly says it is a privilege to serve on the board of trustees of The Balsam Centre. He has previous trustee experiences with a large military benevolence charity and a smaller military charity, providing support to soldiers in gaining nationally recognised civilian qualifications. With a full military career behind him he hopes to bring his experiences across leadership and management as well as a particular expertise in the governance and risk arena to support the CEO and team in delivering for its beneficiaries. He looks forward to supporting The Balsam Centre vision for people to live happier and healthier lives.

Tom has worked for 20 years in the lighting industry, selling LED lighting and energy monitoring to large corporate clients. He recently made the move into more domestic work and is currently employed by the Centre for Sustainable Energy in Bristol. Here he project manages the installations of insulation and renewables into properties across Somerset and Bristol. In addition he runs his own business offering lighting design and energy consultancy, as well as energy performance certificates. Outside work he is a keen musician, having played guitar for over 30 years. He was previously a registered foster carer and a blood biker with Yeovil Freewheelers.

Neil completed a full first career in the Army, serving with the King's Royal Hussars in Germany and UK. He specialised in project management, equipment acquisition and science and technology support for Defence, and served in a variety of roles up to the rank of Colonel. On leaving the Army in 2013 he found a job with Costain plc working in support of the UK nuclear submarine programme, specifically the new deterrent submarine HMS Dreadnought. During this second career he specialised in programme and project controls, implementing processes and techniques to control the scope, schedule, cost and risk of the programme, as well as developing particular expertise in change control, governance and assurance. He is married with two grown-up daughters and lives with his wife Claire in Pen Selwood.

Emily attended school in Somerset followed by training at the London accountants Binder Hamlyn before moving to Shearson Lehman Brothers investment bank to trade gilts. She finished her city career as a director of First Continental, a futures trading company. Emily’s family moved back to Somerset in 1992 and over the last 30 years she has been fundraising for various school and children’s charities. Emily became a trustee of The Balsam Centre in 2017, where her focus is finance and fundraising. Emily is also a trustee of Hugh Sexey’s Hospital, an almshouse in Bruton, Sexey’s School Bruton charity and Wells Cathedral Preservation Trust.

Helen owns and runs Acorn House Bakery (AHB), a home-based baking business in Wincanton. Before training to be a professional baker, Helen’s previous career was within IT; having worked for The Economist managing their IT support and latterly as a project manager for the GSM Association, both based in London. In addition to running AHB, Helen is a retired magistrate with over 25 years’ experience, sitting on both the North London and Wiltshire benches. Helen has also served as a councillor on Wincanton Town Council. Helen has been a trustee and board member of The Balsam Centre since November 2015.

Since retiring from a career in education and technical training, Sarah has enjoyed working for The Balsam Centre as a Trustee. Her experience of consultancy to various large organisations has enabled her to give advice on occasion to the office team. She is currently a governor of a local school and she volunteers with various charities, both local and global.