Distribution committee

The people who make grant decisions

Reactive Grant Aid decisions are made by Greenham Common Trust’s Distribution Committee, which meets regularly. The members of the main Committee are drawn from the local voluntary sector.

The members of the full Distribution Committee are:

DAVID APPLETON
Head of Culture and Youth Services, West Berkshire Council

Although David represents Sport England on the Distribution Committee, his day job is Head of Culture and Youth Services at West Berkshire Council.

Having grown up and worked in North Wales, he moved to Newbury in 1998. He describes his interests as Sport, Sport and Sport but does confess to also enjoying the theatre and music as well as spending time with his family.

CHRIS AUSTIN
Greenham Parish Council

Chris was educated at Park House School and the South Berks (now Newbury) College. After a short spell in the Forestry Commission Chris moved to Newbury Riding School which he ran from 1978. In 1989 Chris was appointed Chairman of the newly formed Commons Again! which was an ad hoc body created to campaign for the return of Greenham Common as a Public Open Space. Chris now Chairs the Crookham and Greenham Commons Association and also the Greenham and Crookham Commons Commission. He is also a Greenham Parish Councillor.

Chris has enjoyed country pursuits all his life, and is one of the graziers on the Common: he can be found checking his cattle most mornings. Chris has performed with Newbury Operatic Society since childhood and is a Committee Member and former Chairman of the Society.

DR PAUL BRYANT
West Berkshire District Councillor for Speen Ward

Paul was born in Weston-Super-Mare in 1938, and spent 6 years at Southampton University studying mathematics. He has recently retired from a career at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, dealing with computers, computer networks and telephone exchanges.

Paul is a past member of Shaw-cum-Donnington parish council and is currently West Berkshire Councillor for the Speen ward, his principle interests being planning and the environment. He is Chairman of the Royal Berkshire Fire and rescue Authority. He is an executive member of the Newbury Society and his other interests are genealogy, gliding and gardening.

GLENN CLARKSON - CHAIRMAN
Newbury & District Arts Association

Glenn Clarkson represents the Newbury and District Arts Association and looks particularly to the interests of the arts on the Distribution Committee. He moved to the Newbury area in 1990 and is a trustee of Oxford Film and Video Makers (OFVM) and Oxford Youth Arts Partnership (OYAP). Recently retired from a career in technical publishing and IT project management in the aerospace and computer industries, he now runs a small Internet services company.

BILLY DRUMMOND
West Berkshire District Councillor for Greenham Ward

“I have lived and worked in Newbury since 1988 and for the last sixteen years I was the Head Chef at Newbury Racecourse. I left there in 2006 and have now started my own company, Elisabeth Rae Catering. I am married with three children.

“I am a member of Greenham Parish Council and I am currently a member of West Berks Council. I am a past member of the executive for public protection and community safety. My principle interest is in doing the best for the residents of Greenham who elected me to serve a second term.”

 

 

Ian Langley
Volunteer Centre West Berkshire

Ian represents the voluntary sector on the distribution committee having been the chair of trustees at the Volunteer Centre West Berkshire between 2003 and 2008 and prior to that chair of trustees for 5 years at 1421 the Youth counselling agency

in Newbury. He is also a governor at Park House School, Newbury and was previously a governor at John Rankin Infant and Junior schools for nine years.

Professionally qualified and registered as a social worker, Ian has spent much of his career working with young people and is currently Head of Hampshire Youth Offending Service, which works to prevent youngsters offending and reoffending.

Ian grew up in South London, hence his diehard support for Crystal Palace FC, but has lived in Newbury since 1974 and is married with two teenage daughters. He is a self confessed sports nut and plays table tennis in the top division of the Newbury and District Table Tennis league for whom he is the Vice Chair and their representative on both the English and Berkshire Table Tennis Associations.

 

Ian replaced Gillian Hall on the Trust's Distribution Committee, representing the Volunteer Centre West Berkshire. Gillian replaced the late Patrick Slater MBE in 2005 and has recently announced her decision to step down from this role. Gillian made a valuable contribution to the important work of the Distribition Committee. She was always committed, enthusiastic and dedicated to ensuring that the Trust's funds were equitably distributed. Greenham Common Trust would like to thank Gillian for her hard work and the time she has given voluntarily to help improve the quality of life for local residents. We wish her all the very best. 

 

HEATHER WHETTER
Natural England

Heather has lived in Hermitage for the past 17 years and is married with two teenage children. She has a degree in Applied Biology. She has worked for Wildlife Trusts and spent the last 25 years working as a Conservation Advisor for the Government Quango: Natural England (and its predecessors) in Essex, Hants, Oxon and Berkshire, doing a range of roles including safeguarding protected sites, species licensing and publicity. Over the past four years she has been involved with access management and is currently advisor for the Access to Nature Grant scheme for the South East region. She has a keen interest in botany, geology and badgers and is on the Committee of the Hermitage Horticultural Society. She belongs to the National Trust and BBOWT. Apart from working on refreshing her local Parish Plan, gardening takes up most of her spare time, especially.

SHEILA ELLISON

Sheila Ellison has lived with her husband Peter on the edge of Crookham Common for 29 years and has been a member of Thatcham Town Council for 13 years, being Mayor in 1995. During that time she has supported the introduction of various community activities with a particular focus on the younger residents of Thatcham. Her own interests include horse riding, sailing, reading and history. She has been married for 46 years and has three children and four grandchildren. The latter live locally and attend local schools.