Meet the people at the heart of the Blue Lamp Trust 

TRUSTEES & DIRECTORS

Our Trustees and Directors are unpaid local people who volunteer their time and expertise to oversee the Trust and Blue Lamp Trust (Services) Ltd. With backgrounds in local government, emergency services, private enterprise and charity, their breadth and depth of experience ensures the Trust stays true to its values and purpose.

Interested in joining our board of Trustees? Click to see our current vacancies

HM Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire, Nigel Atkinson Esq.

Trust Patron

More about Nigel

Nigel Atkinson has been HM Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire since 2014 and is HM The King’s personal representative in the county.

He is responsible for the organisation of all official Royal visits to Hampshire and on the day of an engagement he escorts the Royal visitor. The Lord-Lieutenant also carries out other duties in the county, such as the presentation of National Honours and The King’s Awards for Enterprise and Voluntary Service.

The Lord-Lieutenant is involved with numerous charitable organisations around the county and is Patron or President of a number including the Blue Lamp Trust.

HM Lord-Lieutenant of Isle of Wight, Susie Sheldon

Vice Patron
More about Susie

Susie Sheldon has been Lord-Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight since 2019.

She had a career as an Accountant with KPMG and then set up her own accountancy practice specialising in small businesses with a particular emphasis on insurance. She now runs a number of small businesses in the rural sector.

She has been a Trustee of many charities including the Hampshire and IOW Air Ambulance, Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy and the Jubilee Sailing Trust. Her voluntary support to organisations on the Isle of Wight has concentrated on Education and Youth. She has been a member of advisory bodies such as the Local Access Forum and Harbour Advisory Committee and has run a rural education programme.

Her experience as High Sheriff of the Isle of Wight in 2011, subsequently as a Deputy Lieutenant and now Lord -Lieutenant gives her a wide ranging knowledge of the wider community on the Isle of Wight.

Lindsay Fox MBE DL

Trust President
The Blue Lamp Trust

More about Lindsay

Lindsay Fox has served as Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire and previously as High Sheriff and Deputy Lieutenant. Additionally, she was a magistrate for over 30 years and worked for the Citizen’s Advice Bureau.

Lindsay was awarded an MBE for services to charity in the Queen’s 2013 Birthday Honours. This award was the result of work across a variety of voluntary organisations, both nationally and locally, including the Bobby Trust, now part of the Blue Lamp Trust, which she founded in 1998.

Graeme Hobbs

Chairman of the Trustees
The Blue Lamp Trust

More about Graeme

Until July 2015, Graeme was the Chairman of Motorola Solutions UK Ltd, the Country Manager for Motorola Solutions UK, the Government Affairs lead and regional director for Europe and Africa. This role included building relationships with key Government bodies, ensuring appropriate country and fiducial management and enabling business opportunities across the region.

Graeme has been active in supporting the telecommunications industry for many years and served on the techUK board, the Electronic Systems Council, the CBI’s president’s committee and co-chaired the CEO Group of the Parliamentary ICT forum.

Graeme is now the executive Chair of the Smith Institute which specialises in industrial mathematics and system engineering to enable organisations to make strategic decisions rapidly and with certainty.  This is in addition to his role as the Chair of the Blue Lamp Trust.

Graeme is a fellow of both the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Institution of Engineering Technology.

He was a trustee of the Institution of Engineering Technology and recently completed his tenure as a lay member of Council and Chair of the Audit Committee at the University of Southampton. 

Fiona Dunger

Trustee & Board Appointed Director & Chair of Blue Lamp Trust (Services) LtdLst

More about Fiona

Fiona spent 22 years practicing as a solicitor with IBM United Kingdom Limited, where she gained varied experience working in many aspects of IBM’s business both in the UK and in Paris.

As Senior Employment Counsel for IBM UK she spent her last 15 years there specializing in employment law. In 2009 Fiona left to spend more time with her family whilst her three sons were still in education. Fiona was a Governor at a Hampshire prep school for 10 years. She was Chair of the Finance Committee for 4 years and for the last 3 years, she was Chair of Governors.

Fiona has experience of governance strategy and structure, and is trained in safer recruitment and various aspects of good governance practice. Fiona lives in Hampshire with her husband

Alongside being a Trustee of the Blue Lamp Trust Fiona is also an independent director of Blue Lamp Trust (Services) Ltd

Sarah Le May

Trustee
The Blue Lamp Trust

More about Sarah

Sarah grew up and, apart from breaks when working overseas, has lived in Hampshire all her life. In her professional life, Sarah has been a chartered accountant and also worked as a tax lawyer in London, Southampton and New York.

Sarah was a Magistrate for more than 10 years, sitting in both the Criminal and Family courts. She also worked for 6 years for the Citizens Advice Bureau, has spent many years on the Board of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Youth Clubs charity and is now Chair of the appeal for Maggies Cancer Care charity for their proposed centre at Southampton General Hospital. She is also a Parish Councilor in her village of Upham.

Carole Lawrence

Trustee & International HR Director for Motorola Solutions 

More about Carole

Carole join the Board of Trustees in April 2025, bringing a wealth of experience. With over 30 years in Human Resources, she is a Chartered MCIPD and currently serves as the International HR Director for Motorola Solutions. In this role, she leads a team across multiple countries. Her career spans various business sectors, from Life Assurance to Telecommunications, at companies of all sizes. Her experience has been predominantly focused in the UK so Carole is highly skilled in UK Employment matters. Having lived in the Basingstoke area for 40 years, she also has a strong local connection

Ian McCullagh

Trustee & Board appointed Chair of the Risk & Audit Sub-Committee

More about Ian

Ian worked for Motorola Solutions for over 25 years, most recently as Vice President and Finance Director for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Ian has lived and worked in Ireland Germany and the US over the years before moving to settle in Hampshire over 12 years ago. Ian lives with his family in Winchester.

Nick Hayward

Trustee
The Blue Lamp Trust

More about Nick

Nick owned and ran the Seaview Hotel, Seaview for 25 years. During this time the business won a number of awards including the Meridian Television Business Excellence Award, the national UK Award for Business Excellence and the Queens Award for Sustainable Development.

Since retiring in 2005 Nick and his wife Nicky, along with another island couple, set up a charity called Building Schools for Africa. Over the past ten years they have built over 90 schools, along with medical centre’s and technical colleges, in Cameroon, West Africa. By paying all their own expenses in the UK and their travel costs when visiting the schools, every penny donated goes to the projects. Which has enabled them to raise over £2 million from worldwide donations.

In addition, Nick was a Trustee of the Isle of Wight Youth Trust, a counselling service for troubled youngsters, for 8 years until 2012.

Nick was High Sheriff of the Isle of Wight 2012/2013 and during his term he started the island Mock Trials Competition with all the secondary schools, which he still runs today.

In 2013 he was asked by Lord Nash to set up and chair a project integrating business into education. He now runs this in conjunction with the IW Chamber of Commerce and the LEP.

He is also President of Age UK Isle of Wight.

Fergus Mayne

Trustee & Head of Sales for Motorola SolutionsThe Blue Lamp Trust

More about Fergus

Fergus has been in the telecommunication industry for over 20 years and is currently the UK & I Country Manager and Head of Sales for Motorola Solutions. He leads a team responsible for looking after the Blue Light, MOD and non-blue light organisations with mission critical communications, video & analytics and leading edge command & control solutions.

Previously to this he worked for BT as the Sales Director for Central Government and Health, managing a range of customers from the NHS to HMRC to the Maritime & Coast Guard Agency.

Fergus spent the first 10 years of his career in the British Army.

Rachel Windebank

Trustee & Operations Director for Stop Domestic AbuseThe Blue Lamp Trust

More about Rachel

Rachel is the Operations Director and Deputy CEO at Stop Domestic Abuse and has been with the organisation since 2011. She began her career in frontline service delivery, gaining hands-on experience supporting those affected by domestic abuse. Over the years, she has progressed through several leadership roles, overseeing both operational and strategic aspects of service delivery. Her work has included securing and mobilising new commissioned contracts to ensure services address the needs of vulnerable communities.

Rachel holds professional qualifications, including the Level 7 Executive Leadership Programme. Her experience spans leadership, HR, change management, and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) advocacy. She draws on her extensive background to support governance, ensure compliance, and contribute to the organisation’s growth and sustainability.

Rachel joined the board of Trustees in April 2025

 

Neil Odin

Trustee & Chief Officer Hampshire & IoW Fire & Rescue Services

More about Neil

Neil joined Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service in March 2012 having previously worked at West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service since the start of his career in 1991. He became Chief Fire Officer of both Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Services in January 2018.

Neil received his Masters Degree in Business Administration from Southampton University in 2009 and is a member of the Institute of Directors.

The Blue Lamp Trust welcomed Neil as a Trustee in January 2018.

Mark Busby

Board Appointed Director of Blue Lamp Trust (Services) LtdThe Blue Lamp Trust

More about Mark

Mark was appointed as a director of Blue Lamp Trust (Services) Ltd in September 2024. 

He is currently Commercial Director at Hendy Group and brings with him a wealth of experience from the commercial sector.

In his role on the Operations Board at Hendy he is experienced in managing the businesses through significant scaling; managing the change and challenges that rapid growth and acquisition can present.

Mark is also a trustee of the Hendy Foundation, playing an active role in ensuring that their charitable fundraising is awarded to those local causes that are so worthy of our support.

Keith Durward

Trusteee Blue Lamp Trust

More about Keith

Keith started his career in the British Army before leaving to train as a chartered accountant with KPMG.

Keith specialised in advisory work for a range of corporate and private equity clients before taking on several management roles.

Keith has worked in Germany, Turkey and in his last executive role was KPMG’s Chief Operating Officer for the Europe, Middle East and Africa Region.

Keith lives in Hampshire, and in April 2025 joined our board of Trustees. 

He also holds a number of Trustee/Non-Executive roles. 

OUR TEAM

Our dedicated team of staff work hard to keep the Blue Lamp Trust running. With a range of backgrounds and skills, we share a common goal: to make sure that the Bobby Scheme can help as many people as possible. To achieve this we also manage our commercial operation effectively by running a customer centric training organisation and taxi driver assessment business.

Emma Burt

Chief Executive Officer

More about Emma

Emma was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Trust in March 2025, having been an integral part of the organisation for over a decade. Throughout her tenure, she has held a variety of roles across both the charity and business functions of the Trust, gaining extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of its operations.

Before joining the Trust, Emma built a strong foundation working in supply chain, purchasing, business administration, and health and safety.

Tara Bradford

Financial Controller

More about Tara

Tara has joined the Blue Lamp Trust as Financial Controller in April 2024 after being the financial contractor to the Trust for over 9 years.

She is fully ACCA qualified and started her training at PWC before moving into management accounting at companies such as Volvo CE.

Alix Shaw

Commerical Manager

More about Alix

Alix joined The Blue Lamp Trust in November 2016 bringing with her a wealth of administration experience including organising events and training courses.

Alix has progressed in her role and now holds the position of Commercial Manager, leading a the Training and Assessments team and responsible for income generation through our trading subsidiary Blue Lamp Trust (Services) Ltd. 

Katie Evans

Finance Administrator

More about Katie

Katie joined the Trust in April 2024 as Finance Administrator.

She has 28 years’ experience working within finance for a variety of companies in sectors including pharmaceuticals, haulage and engineering.

Joanna Page

Bobby Scheme Admin Assistant

More about Joanna

Joanna joined the Blue Lamp Trust in August 2022 as part of the Bobby Scheme admin team. She comes to us with 10 years’ experience in administration and customer service.

Natalie Ford

Bobby Scheme Admin Assistant

More about Natalie

Natalie joined the Blue Lamp Trust in August 2024 following a 3-year contract working for the home office in Asylum and Protection.  Prior to this she worked for 16 years in retail banking working in customer facing roles delivering excellent customer.

Natalie works part time and brings a variety of skills and experience to her role and the team.

Natalie is a mum to one and carer for her grandmother who has dementia.

Liz Kirkham

Driver Training Lead

More about Liz Kirkham

As Driver Training Lead Liz manages customer training requirements.

Liz started at the Blue Lamp Trust in July 2023 working within the Training and Assessment Team as an Assessment Administrator.

She has over 25 years of experience in administration, including 6 years working in education settings. Prior to this Liz has worked within government departments helping members of the public complete the census and other government surveys.

 

Christine Giles

Assessments Administrator

More about Christine

Prior to joining the Blue Lamp Trust’s Training & Assessments Administration team in May 2017 Christine worked in administration positions for over 35 years. She has worked for both commercial organisations and the NHS providing support to customers, staff and patients.

Mia Stanley

Training Administrator

More about Mia

Mia joined the team in August 2022 to administer Taxi Driver training courses and support the Taxi admin team. She has gained experience working with customers in both an admin and retail environment.

Mark

Senior Safety Technician

More about Mark

Mark joined our team of Bobby Scheme Fitters in the summer of 2012. He has worked in the north of the county and is now visiting clients in the Southampton and New Forest area. Before joining the Blue Lamp Trust he worked in property maintenance and has experience in carpentry and building works.

Pete

Safety Technician

More about Pete

Peter joined the Bobby Scheme with 21 years’ of experience as a retained Fire Fighter. During this time he also ran his own property maintenance business. More recently he has been working for Hampshire Fire and Rescue as a Community Safety Officer. Peter visits Bobby Scheme clients across the North of Hampshire.

Kevin

Safety Technician

More about Kevin

Kevin became a Bobby Fitter in February 2016 following 30 years of service with Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service. His time as a Fire Officer in various capacities has provided him with numerous skills and attributes which he is now using to assist Bobby Scheme clients in the Portsmouth area.

Gary

Safety Technician

More about Gary

Gary joins the Trust as a Bobby Fitter following 35 years with Surrey Police, predominantly in detective and investigation roles.

The last 10 years of his service was directly involved in Public Protection seeking justice for vulnerable people.

After retiring from the police, and as a passionate DIY enthusiast, Gary spent two years as the site manager at a primary school and also as a customer advisor in a busy DIY superstore.

Michael

Safety Technician

More about Michael

Mick joined the Bobby Scheme having completed 30 years’ service with Hampshire Constabulary, predominantly as a Detective.  More recently Mick has been working at a large independent school, carrying out maintenance and managing the facilities and estate team.

Mick visits clients in mid and North Hampshire

Lois

Safety Technician

More about Lois

Lois has 16 years experience working with older and more vulnerable people in the community while working for a variety of charities.

Most recently she has help to support and develop men’s sheds and provided digital support to older people. 

She is passionate about helping people feel safe and secure in their own homes and is based on the Isle of Wight. 

Warwick

Cyber Bobby Advisor

More about Warwick

Warwick is an independent business consultant specialising in IT in the telecommunications industry.

Previously he worked for IBM as Vice President leading the telecommunications consulting business across Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Warwick was also a PwC partner where he was an early advocate of mobile applications including the benefit that they can make to our daily lives, setting up a centre for the development of new and innovative technologies.

His passion for all things mobile resulted in Warwick leading the development of an IT system to deliver mobile banking for the unbanked in Kenya and South Africa. This platform now supports over 50m customers.

Warwick’s ambition and focus now is to apply his industry, management and IT knowledge to drive social and environmental change.

David

Cyber Bobby Advisor

More about David

David worked in technology and business change where he held senior roles in both blue-chip consulting organisations and senior management roles in industry.

His last role before retirement was as the Global VP of Business Change projects for a commodities price reporting industry.

David is delighted to be helping the local community stay safe online by giving them advice and guidance on IT security and how to avoid being affected by cyber crime.

Simon

Cyber Bobby Advisor

More about Simon

Simon is an ex-Army officer who has had a career focussed on security, from working for the world’s largest banknote printer De La Rue to spending over 20 years at BT, where personal cyber security protection is a high focus and internal compliance training is critical. He has worked with all the key cyber security suppliers in a sales and partnership role aimed at bringing together corporate solutions.

Now retired Simon is keen to share his experience with the community.

Phil

Cyber Bobby Advisor

More about Phil

Phil retired from BAE Systems in 2018 after a career in designing complex computer and electronic systems.

Phil is a Trustee of his local community village hall and is responsible for the audio/visual equipment used at events. Phil also volunteers helping members of his local community by delivering computer classes and offering help with their home computers, tablets and smartphones.

As a charity, the Bobby Scheme relies on donations to fund our work. Please consider helping us to help the vulnerable and elderly.

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