Our Trustees

Carers in Bedfordshire is managed by a Board of Directors/Trustees. The Board consists of adult carers, a young adult carer, former carers and retired professionals all of whom are volunteers. They come from many diverse backgrounds and bring a wealth of skills, knowledge, understanding and experience.

Anne Grant
Chair
Anne became the Chair of our management committee in early 2011. Anne was a research biochemist in a past life but after marrying and having a family went into teaching. Her husband had a severely disabling stroke over 18 years ago leaving him a quadriplegic without speech and since then she has been involved in all aspects of being a carer. Anne has been a Trustee of Carers in Bedfordshire for several years and she runs our telephone befriending service once a week, phoning carers to see if there are any problems we can help with. Anne also helps run a pudding club for carers in her village and edits her local village magazine.

Gill Barton
Director / Trustee
Gill has been a carer for her husband Ray for 20 years as he suffers from Progressive MS. In the past she has worked in various roles within the departments of wages and accounts. While her children were young Gill worked in the playgroup environment as a parent helper, a group leader and finally become Chair of the Bedford Pre-school Playgroup Association. The role of a carer has always been in her life.   

Margaret Buckingham
Director / Trustee
Margaret has been a Trustee of Carers in Bedfordshire from the very beginning when we were known as The Eve Project. She worked for the inland revenue until her retirement in 1986. Her husband suffered three strokes since1996 and finally passed away in May 2005. Margaret has been a great support to our management committee and is willing to continue offering us her time.

Winifred Douglas
Director / Trustee
Win spent her working life as a state registered nurse and was running Oasis residential home for the elderly until she retired. She now helps care for her daughter who suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2006. Win has much experience in carers issues and has volunteered to join our Board of Directors.

Victor Eltringham
Director / Trustee
Victor recieved his BSc. in Engineering at the University of Durham in 1961. He has worked in steel, oil and glass industries. Victor has worked 35 years as a senior personnel manager. Victor has served as a member of the employment tribunals for 27 years and is currently serving as a custody visitor for Bedfordshire Police Authority. He is married and his wife is a social worker, they have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren.

Pauline Readman
Director / Trustee
Pauline served as the Chair of the management committee from its beginning in 2004 to 2011. Pauline was a nursing assistant at Weller Wing, Bedford Hospital and has latterly been the main carer for her husband who suffered a stroke in 1999. Pauline represents Carers in Bedfordshire at all Carers Partnership Boards and Older Peoples Partnership Boards run by the Bedford Borough Council.

Bethany Kay Miskelly
Director / Trustee
Bethany has first hand experience of being a young adult carer for her mother. She is involved in many aspects of Carers in Bedfordshire and was an original member of the transition committee which helped advise on the commencement of The Hub Young Adult Carers project. Bethany has studied Law, English and Psychology and is currently studying for an AAT qualification in Accountancy. She works part time in a busy customer service centre and understands the importance of handling private and confidential information. Bethany feels she has a lot to offer and can give a young persons perspective and input and believes this opportunity would allow her to learn and develop her skills further but also help other young adult carers.

Jim Rose
Director / Trustee
Before Jim retired he worked in many fields but latterly as a Project Contracts Officer for British Gas. Jim became the main carer for his wife in 2005 after her stroke. Joyce sadly passed away in November 2009 since which time Jim has helped us at cafes and support groups alike.

Tom Vaughan
Director / Trustee
Tom has lived in and around Bedfordshire for most of his life and after his A levels Tom went into the RAF to do his National Service and later he joined Percival Aircraft at Luton Airport to begin a lifelong career in aeronautical and weapon system engineering. Tom retired in 1994 having spent the last few years as a Management Systems Consultant and after his retirement he spent 5 years as a volunteer with Victim Support. Unfortunately his wife had a fall several years ago and suffered a brain haemorrhage. Initially she made a good recovery but over the last three years her health deteriorated rapidly until she became wheelchair dependant. By the time of her death last December Tom had become uncomfortably aware of the mental and physical stress of being a carer and was grateful for the help and support that he received from “Carers in Bedfordshire”. Tom is also Treasurer for Renhold Village Hall and has served a number of years on the parish council as Chairman and now has three grandchildren and two great grand children.

Barry Wootton
Director / Trustee
Barry was born in 1945 in Stoke. He attended the University of Wales where he met his wife, Judy. They have 2 sons. After his degree, Barry qualified as an accountant and then joined DuPont (a US chemical company) with whom he spent most of his business life. He worked in senior managerial/finance roles in a number of UK locations and for over 15 years outside the UK in the US, Australia and Luxembourg. On retirement in 2006 he became a Non Executive Director of the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office and is an auditor to 2 local charities.