Governance & board of trustees
James Robinson
Chair of Trustees - Daneford Trust
James is a social worker in east London. A former story-teller working in primary schools, James volunteered through the Daneford Trust at the Youth Exchange Centre, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in 2001/2 and also at a primary school near Pretoria, South Africa. Not only has James supported the Trust’s work since then but he completed the London Marathon in 2018 to raise £2300 towards the work. James has served as a trustee of the Daneford Trust since 2016.
In Uganda, James has been part of an international mental health link between professionals in East London and Uganda’s Butabika National Referral Hospital.
James has a daughter aged 9 and is interested in travel, cinema and current affairs.
Mike Wardle
Vice Chair
Mike became a trustee in 2017. He is the Director of Shadwell Basin Outdoor Activity Centre in Tower Hamlets, a charity devoted to delivering high quality inexpensive outdoor adventure activities & education for young people. It uses outdoor activities as a vehicle for social progress & individual development, training & employment.
Mike is also a qualified Teacher and has taught in Botswana, as well.
Wendy Bisiker
Trustee
Wendy has been involved with the Daneford Trust since the early eighties when she led a youth exchange called The Lewisham Jamaica link, with two Lewisham and two Kingston, Jamaica schools. For ten years Wendy ran a very successful exchange programme between Deptford Green School in Lewisham and St Kizito SS Bugalobi school in Kampala, Uganda. More recently Deptford Green volunteers have worked in the St Kizito community on short term Daneford Trust placements. Wendy has forty years of secondary school teaching experience and began her teaching career as a VSO in Northern Nigeria. She is a retired assistant headteacher and English teacher and became a trustee in 2015.
Edward Clayton
Trustee
Ed is currently a social worker in Lincoln. He is the longest serving trustee of the Daneford Trust at this time.
During his many years in London, Ed worked at Centre Point and Hackney Caribbean Elderly Organisation. Ed volunteered at the Liberty Lodge Boys Home in St Vincent & the Grenadines in 1999 And then again at the Swift Boys Home in Highgate, Jamaica 2003. Ed gained his MA at the University of the West Indies in 2006
Ed has run the London Marathon and Hackney Half Marathon in support of the Trust and has been a trustee since 2007.
Ayodele Bandele
Trustee
Ayodele Bandele is a former student of Bow School in Tower Hamlets. He had previously volunteered via European voluntary service in Arvidsjaur, Sweden for 4 months in 2008 and came upon the Daneford Trust as he was on the lookout for an international volunteering organisation.
Ayodele volunteered at the Daneford Trust from July 2010 and went to St Vincent and the Grenadines for 9 months between June 2011 and January 2012. His time was spent on placement as well as opening many future projects while there. Ayodele continued ever since as active supporter of the trust’s work since that time and he has been a trustee since 2018.
Akilah Higgins
Trustee
Akilah Higgins became a trustee for the Daneford Trust in September 2019. She currently works as a study support assistant for young adults with disabilities. Last year she embarked on a trip to St Vincent and the Grenadines going to an island called union island. She supported kids with a learning difficulty such as challenging behaviours, autism, dyslexia or dyspraxia.
Tony Stevens
Founder/Secretary
Tony Stevens is a former secondary teacher at Daneford Boys School in Tower Hamlets, 1972-91. He has coordinated staff/student exchanges between Daneford school and schools in Botswana,Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. He was a governor at the school for six years from 1994.
He founded the Daneford Trust in 1981, with former MP, the late Ian Mikardo as founding Chair of Trustees and the late Rt Revd Trevor Huddleston as founding Patron. He is also Chair of Trustees of Hackney Caribbean Elderly Organisation and a Trustee of Friends of Street Children, Bangladesh. 2020 will see Tony’s 50th year of working with young people, particularly in the London boroughs and overseas.
Tony is currently the only paid worker, the trust will be recruiting early in 2020 for a project & marketing worker.
Henry Chin
Trustee
Henry has a robust background in the tech sector in London and a remarkable 9-year tenure as a submarine engineer in the Royal Navy, Henry brings a wealth of knowledge and diverse experience to our organisation.
Henry’s passion for service extends beyond borders. He took part in an Overseas Volunteer Placement with the Daneford Trust in 2009-2010, journeying to Guyana. There, he employed his tech expertise to support the IT departments in local schools.
When he’s not working or volunteering, you can find Henry indulging his love for cycling, capturing moments through videography, or tickling the ivories as a keyboardist in his band.
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