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.

John has lived in Somerset since 1995 and was a founder member of The Balsam Centre (Wincanton Community Venture). Post-school, John worked on farms and attended agricultural college before studying for a degree in economics, in which he also lectured. John has an MA in sociology from London, which he taught at Metropolitan University. After an early retirement he took a degree in fine art practice from Middlesex and has since worked in this area. He takes a special interest in Conkers Nursery.

Paul is a retired army officer. The Balsam Centre is his second tour as a trustee treasurer of a major charity. He has many interests - church, helping children with their reading, bridge, walking and cooking to keep him occupied in his retirement.

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.

After qualification and practice as a solicitor, David had 10 years as an insurance broker at Lloyds specialising in export finance. From this experience, he was recruited to set up Trade Finance and become a corporate banker at ABN AMRO Bank in London for 19 years including the takeover by RBS. In 2010, he moved into digital transformation IT business strategy with Hewlett Packard and successor companies for 10 years before retirement. He now lives in Rimpton and is engaged in various charity work, student mentoring and gardening.

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.

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.