Our trustees | The Pear Tree Fund

Introducing our trustees

Say hello to The Pear Tree Fund's trustees!

Rachel Booth

Rachel Booth became a trustee in early 2013 after retiring following a career as a City lawyer, during which she specialised in commercial property development and investment. She brings vital legal knowledge to the charity, and played an important role in helping purchase the land for the Pear Tree Centre.

“After I retired, I wanted to get more involved in local charity and the community, and felt that working for this wonderful charity was perfect,” she said. “I am totally enthusiastic about the Pear Tree Fund’s objectives and feel there is a great need for this work in the community.

“We receive wonderful local support, along with lovely volunteers and a group of trustees who all work together so well.”

Jane Edwards

Former district nursing sister Jane is a founder member of our charity, who joined forces with Nikki Sawkins to set up HCNCF in 1989 after recognising a gap in provision for people who wished to die at home.

She said: “I really look forward to the opening of the Pear Tree Centre, which will fill the void patients and their families can feel when they are first diagnosed with a life-changing illness.

“As well as allowing us to offer services to people living in the very rural area around Halesworth, the centre will act as a listening hub and provide information for all manner of conditions. We hope this will empower patients and their families to make their own informed decisions about their futures while feeling supported along the way.”

Ted Edwards

Ted is a qualified accountant who spent his career fulfilling a variety of senior positions in commerce, including financial director and group financial controller.

He joined our committee in 2011 and became a trustee in 2012, and offers financial expertise and advice to boost our fundraising.

“I’m proud of everything the charity has achieved towards improving healthcare provision in Halesworth, and of the progress we are making towards the new Pear Tree Centre,” said Ted.

Barbara Kell

Barbara is another of our very first members, who helped Jane and Nikki set up the charity while working as a practice nurse at Cutlers Hill Surgery. She brought with her extensive healthcare experience after fulfilling in a wide variety of different roles, including as a staff nurse, sister and midwife. The last eight years of her career were spent working in general practice as a specialist nurse supporting patients with life-changing illnesses.

“I am proud of the fact that we have kept our charity going for the last 30 years and very grateful for the amazing support we have had from local people over that time,” said Barbara. “We are a unique charity and our statistics have shown that 90% of our patients who wished to were able to die at home with our help and support.

“I enjoy being able to support patients and their families who want to die at home and – more importantly – being able to give them that choice in the first place.”

Richard Kell

Richard was asked to join our charity as chairman in 1999 after seeing the valuable contribution it made to the lives of local people through his work as a Halesworth GP. He spent 18 years as chair before retiring from the role in 2017.

“I really enjoy helping to provide a very special service for people in a remote rural area who wish to end their lives at home in peace and comfort and with good quality care,” said Richard, who qualified as a doctor in 1979 and moved to Halesworth as a GP trainee in 1986.

“The charity is so well supported by the local community; it is also a very unusual charity which has excelled for 30 years and has contributed towards the provision of good integrated care so that more than 90% of local people are able to die in the place of their choice.

“The charity’s trustees are really enthusiastic, hard-working, talented and friendly, and a pleasure to work with.”

Frances Lloyd

Frances began her career as a nurse, spending 25 years as a sister in the NHS. She became an event organiser in 1991 and, over the next 15 years, went on to run the Hebridean and Vivat Trust, both of which brought historic buildings back into use.

After retiring from full-time work, Frances raised capital funds for projects for The Sea Cadets, Kenyan Orphan Project and The Mission to Seafarers. She was asked to join the trustees in 2012 as a result of her experience as a fundraiser.

“As my first career was in nursing, the ethos and work of The Pear Tree Fund takes me back to my roots,” said Frances. “I really enjoy working with my fellow trustees to deliver such a valuable service to vulnerable people in the rural community, as we know it brings great comfort to both individuals and their families.”

Kevin Maclusky - Chairman

Kevin joined us as chairman in April 2018. A GP based at Cutlers Hill Surgery, he has had a long involvement with the charity and seen first-hand the valuable work it does to support patients and carers.

“The charity represents everything that is good about the Halesworth area and sees local people helping each other with very practical support,” said Kevin, who worked in Hertfordshire before moving to Suffolk in 2000. “It also supports our stretched primary health care services.”

Dinah Morley

Dinah joined The Pear Tree Fund in 2017 and brought with her experience of teaching, social services and health, having worked in education, children and youth services, community care and the voluntary sector, both locally and nationally.

She currently teaches twice a year as an honorary senior visiting lecturer at City University, is a fellow of the Dartington Social Policy Unit and vice chair of People in Harmony, a small national charity supporting mixed race people.

“I enjoy the friendship of the other trustees and the involvement in local life that the charity has given me,” said Dinah. “It is good to be working with an organisation which is so important to people at their time of greatest need. I will be very pleased when we are able to provide a more comprehensive service via the Pear Tree Centre.”

Nikki Sawkins

A trained nurse and midwife, Nikki spent 28 years as a district nursing sister at Cutlers Hill Surgery before moving to the national Gold Standards Framework team for five years, where she worked as nurse lead and contributed to strategic developments in end-of-life care and dementia across the country.

Nikki is a founder member of our charity. Although she has now retired from full time work in the NHS, she continues to spend one day a week as a supportive care lead nurse in the Louise Hamilton Centre at James Paget Hospital. She also supports local and national developments in healthcare, and played an instrumental role in helping to establish the Halesworth Dementia Carers’ Fund.

“It is so heart-warming to hear that the care and support the charity gives to local families makes a difference to people’s lives at a time they most need it,” said Nikki. “I am very proud of what the charity has achieved over the years and excited about the future with the Pear Tree Centre being able to offer help and support to the wider community.”