Left to right: Mark Williams (Treasurer and Company Secretary), Dr John Evers, Carol O'Brien, Tim Guy, Dr Tamsyn Anderson, Sally-Jane Coode, Jonathon Croggon, Olivia Miller, Katy Hutchinson, Katharine Viscountess Falmouth (President), Michael Galsworthy CVO CBE DL (Honorary President), Dr Barbara Vann (Chair), Gay Coley, Jenny Taylor, Aldyth Hambly-Staite

President

Katharine, Viscountess Falmouth

Katharine, Viscountess Falmouth who, along with her husband, Viscount Falmouth, runs the Tregothnan Estate near Truro, joined us as President on 13 November 2023.

Katharine has great experience of charitable work, particularly related to many aspects of health and wellbeing. She worked hard with Cornwall Foundation NHS Trust to raise £500,000 towards the Level 4 provision for mental health (Sowenna) for children and young people. She has also been involved in Promoting Effective Parenting – an organisation which no longer exists; Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW) and the Cornwall Women’s Centre.

Once a year the Tregothan Estate also hosts a charity open garden, regularly raising in excess of £50,000 for their chosen charity. Past recipients of which have been Cancer Research UK, St Petrocs, and i-Sight Cornwall.

Katharine will be supported in her new role by our former President, Michael Galsworthy CVO CBE DL who now becomes our Honorary President.

We are delighted that Katharine has joined the Charity and we are very much looking forward to working with her as our new President.

Honorary President

Michael Galsworthy CVO CBE DL

Born in Truro in 1944 and has spent the majority of his working life in Cornwall, but with extensive periods also in America, Italy, France and Germany. He was a member of the Prince’s Council (Duchy of Cornwall) from 1984-2003, High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1994 and Vice Lord Lieutenant from 2002 to 2014. He was also the chairman of the public/private sector initiative of In Pursuit of Excellence for the promotion of business enterprise and commerce in Cornwall 1994-2000.

For a three year period until 1993 he was chairman of the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust taking it into Trust status for the first time.

He has been a Trustee of the DHC from 24 September 2001 to 25 November 2009

He was chairman from 3 November 2003 to 23 November 2009

He became President on 1 November 2014, and Honorary President on 13 November 2023.

The Duchy Health Charity’s Board of Trustees meets four times a year.

Board members

Dr Barbara Vann DL (Chair)
Mark Williams (Treasurer and Company Secretary)
Gaynor Coley (Chair of Grant Committee)
Dr John Evers
Katy Hutchinson
Dr Tamsyn Anderson
Prof Tony Woolf
Olivia Miller
Jenny Taylor
Tracey Roose
Lucy Walsh
Simon Burnett

The Board has two sub-committees:

The Finance Committee

(Chair: Mark Williams) meets annually and oversees the charity’s finances and the investment of funds on the stock market.

The Grant Committee

(Chair: Gaynor Coley) meets quarterly and receives all applications for grants. It can make decisions on donations up to £30,000, and in the case of applications for larger sums, the Grant Committee makes recommendations to the Board.

The Charity’s Finances

The Duchy Health Charity became a grant making body in 1989. The charity’s funds derive from the sale of the original Duchy Hospital in Truro. That capital sum was invested and produces an annual net income of approximately £200,000 which is used to further the charity’s objectives, which includes grant distribution to support other charities, helping to support and promote the health and wellbeing of the people in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

The charity’s investments are held with M&G and are overseen by the Finance Committee, which includes a number of trustees with a finance background.

Our Investment Policy is monitored by the Finance Committee and our our annual accounts are audited by a local firm of accountants and comply with The Statement of Recommended Accounting Practice for Charities. They are available to view on the Companies House and Charity Commission websites.

Our Trustees

Dr Barbara Vann – Chair

Having been a Headteacher for 23 years, Chair of Cornwall Partnership Foundation (NHS) Trust for five years and a Trustee and Chair of the Duchy Health Charity, Barbara has developed a passion for inter-collaborative working between professionals: primarily educationalists, social care and health professionals. This is based upon belief and experience that indicates that more can be achieved together for the benefit of communities and individuals with this approach.

She holds degrees at Masters and PhD levels which focused on accountability and collaborative working in education, and was awarded an Honorary Degree by the University of Exeter (Hon.DSc) in 2018 for services to the mental health of children and young people.

Initially, as a Headteacher and as Chair of Duchy Health Charity, Barbara has, with the Trustees, led the development and establishment of school-based Integrated Health and Wellbeing Centres across Cornwall.

Mark Williams – Treasurer and Company Secretary; Chair, Finance Committee

Mark became a Trustee in 2014.

He qualified as a chartered accountant in 2002, before specialising in the ‘charity and not for profit’ sector for 20 years.

He was a Partner at a local firm of chartered accountants until May 2023, acting for a large number of well-known organisations throughout Cornwall.

Gaynor Coley – Chair, Grant Committee

Gay became a Trustee in 2024.

She lives in Wadebridge, is a Deputy Lieutenant for Cornwall, and is passionate about education and doing good through business and social enterprise. She grew up in Wales, studied Economics at University College London, qualified as a teacher and then trained as a Chartered Accountant in the City, moving to KPMG in Cornwall in 1987.

She was appointed the first Director of Finance at the University of Plymouth in 1993, and in 1998 she became one of the Founding Directors at the Eden Project, a charitable trust, leading the funding during start up and delivering the £140m capital build. As Managing Director of the Eden Project for 13 years, she pioneered a programme that attracted over 15m visitors, won UK Visitor Destination of the Year for many years and contributed over £1.5bn to the local economy.

Gay went on to join the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew as Director of Public Programmes and most recently has chaired the Board at the Wave, the award-winning inland surfing destination in Bristol, which opened in 2019.

She has served on many Boards, including Cornwall College, the C&IOS LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership) and the £10m impact investment fund Ignite, at Centrica plc. She is still actively involved in the investment market as a Non-Executive Director and Audit Chair on 4 listed Investment Companies.

Dr John Evers – Grant Committee; Conference and Awards and Intergenerational and Social Prescribing sub-groups

John became a Trustee in 2018, having been a consultant physician in Cornwall for nearly 30 years.

He quickly developed his role as Community Geriatrician and forged close links between GP’s and care for the elderly, in and near, community hospitals.

He was one of the first teaching consultants at the Peninsula Medical School, Truro. He is a founder member of St Mary Singers, the Deputy Choir of Truro Cathedral.

Katy Hutchinson – Grant Committee

Katy became a Trustee in 2022, having qualified as a social worker in 2007.

After a short time working for Children’s Services, Katy joined Stayathome Cornwall and is now the Managing Director of The CHAOS Group.

Katy has worked in both the private and voluntary sectors with wide ranging service user groups and has a passion for developing co-produced solutions.

She works at a strategic level within Cornwall and is often found implementing interventions that have the ability to achieve sustainable solutions, changing outdated and unhelpful cultures in the areas that decisions are being made.

Her vision for the future would be to develop health and social care systems which adopt a holistic approach, working in partnership to achieve what is best for people who are at the centre of the plan.

Prof Tony Woolf – Grant Committee; Conference and Awards sub-group

Tony became a Trustee in 2024 and is a Professor of Rheumatology with a long and varied career in medicine having developed and provided a rheumatology service for people across Cornwall over 35 years, including the development of an osteoporosis service which was granted the title The Duchess of Cornwall Centre for Osteoporosis.

He strongly believes in the importance of evidence-based medicine having been involved in encouraging, supporting and delivering research in the NHS as a researcher, Research and Development Director and Consultant Rheumatologist at RCHT Treliske, and Clinical Director of the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network South West Peninsula.

He has worked not only locally and nationally but across Europe and globally to influence policy and practice to make musculoskeletal health a public health priority through research and leadership and as a founder of the Bone and Joint Decade (transitioned into the Global Alliance for Musculoskeletal Health). Tony was responsible for bringing together patient and professional organisations along with researchers to achieve the objective of making musculoskeletal health a global priority.

Olivia Miller – Grant Committee

Olivia became a Trustee in 2024 and is a Solicitor in the Corporate Team at Stephens Scown.

She qualified in November 2018 after gaining a Law LLB (Hons) from the University of Exeter, a Maîtrise en Droit Master 1 from the Université de Rennes 1 and an MSc in Law and Business from the University of Law, Birmingham before joining Stephens Scown in August 2016.

A member of the Charity Law Association, Olivia specialises in Charity Law and assists charities of all sizes in a number of sectors with matters including governance advice, mergers, incorporations, trustee duties and trading. She also acts for a large number of not-for-profit clients in the third sector and is a recommended lawyer in the Legal 500 for charity law.

Jenny Taylor – Grant Committee

Jenny became a Trustee in 2024, and before moving to Cornwall in 2009 to complete her public health training, she worked in NHS laboratories, the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre and for the Health Protection Agency.

She registered in 2011 as a public health specialist and now works for the UK Health Security Agency as a Consultant in Health Protection where she specialises in zoonoses and emerging infections.

Dr Tamsyn Anderson – Grant Committee

Tamsyn became a Trustee in 2018, and was a GP Partner at Newquay Health Centre between 2003 and 2019. She was then charged with practice commissioning and became the Newquay Local Lead from 2013.

Tamsyn joined the NHS Kernow Governing Body for Newquay and North Cornwall, becoming its Medical Director for one year, and is now Chief Operating Officer for CPFT (Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust).

Her qualifications include MBBS (1996) and MRCGP (2001).

Simon Burnett – Finance Committee

Simon became a Trustee in 2024. He began his career in the City of London in 1999 working on the equities trading floor at Goldman Sachs. He went on to work on the open outcry trading floor in Amsterdam before returning to London as a senior equity dealer at State Street Global Advisers. In his final few years in the City, Simon worked as a director at the international equities broker ITG, before relocating to Cornwall in 2011 with his wife and four children.

Simon transferred his expertise to the private client arena joining Charles Stanley and latterly Walker Crips Investment Management, before setting up an independent branch in Truro with Raymond James. Simon is responsible for constructing and managing portfolios for private clients and their families, companies, charities and trusts throughout the UK and abroad.

Simon is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investments. He holds a degree in Economics and a Master’s Degree in International Securities, Investment and Banking from the ICMA Centre at the Henley Business School.

Lucy Walsh – Grant Committee

Lucy became a Trustee in 2024.

After initially studying for a degree in Sport Science and working with elite athletes, her interest turned to the important role of exercise, movement, and the natural environment on health and wellbeing. This led to further study and social science research training that ignited a love of public health – a field she has worked in for over 15 years.

Lucy’s current role, as a Public Health Specialist, is focused on pregnancy, babies, children, and young people. Her work spans both mental and physical health and is underpinned by a ‘think family’ approach.

She champions the role of prevention and early intervention, to empower and enable individuals and communities of all ages to live happy and healthy lives. Key to this is actively addressing inequities and imbalances of power that lead to disparities in health, development and opportunities.

She is also interested in innovative, fun, and creative methods that ensure the voices and experiences of all babies, children, and young people are heard, understood, and truly embedded in strategies and service design.

Tracey Roose – Grant Committee

Tracey became a Trustee in 2024. She is a qualified and experienced facilitator, executive coach, and mentor with a background in policy development and behavioural change.

Tracey has spent several years in various senior and advisory roles at the Department of Health and NHS organisations focusing on policy, integration and transformation and was the Director of the HOPE Network, a consortium of European providers raising standards and innovation in services for older people.

Moving to Cornwall and taking on the Chief Executive role at Age UK Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has provided a unique and privileged opportunity for engagement at a local level. Supporting 600 paid staff and volunteers and over 55,000 people a year, the charity works with older people, carers and communities, researchers and public services to map, connect, empower and support people to live the lives they want: including testing digital tools for social connectivity, day activities, physical and mental well-being, practical help in the home and garden, transport, advocacy and befriending.

Tracey is a member of the Advisory Committee for the European Centre of Human Health in Cornwall, was the Chair of the University of Exeter Smartline Programme, and is an advisory group member for the UKRI Innovate UK Healthy Ageing Challenge and the NIHR.

She is delighted to be part of the Duchy Health Charity having worked on several programmes with Trustees over the years.

Aldyth Hambly-Staite – Associate - Grant Committee and Intergenerational and Social Prescribing sub-group

Aldyth became a Trustee in 2015. She has lived in Cornwall for 40 years, initially as a GP’s wife, later working for the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, Treliske, and then as a District Nursing Sister in Cornwall.

Her Masters Degree is in Healthcare/Professional Education, with research into the needs of carers of the terminally ill at home. She worked at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London.

She founded an innovative local Palliative Care Clinic which won an international nursing multidisciplinary award in 2005. Realising the benefits to patients, she trained as one of the first independent Nurse Prescribers in the South West.

Aldyth helps to raise funds for various Cornish charities and for three years was Chairman of the Cornwall Branch of the NSPCC.

Carol O’Brien – Associate - Intergenerational and Social Prescribing sub-group

Carol became a Trustee in 2001, having studied physiotherapy at Liverpool University. Carol practiced in the Midlands before moving to Cornwall in 1974, where she worked at the City Hospital, Truro, and the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, Treliske.

In 1979 she moved to English China Clays (ECC), looking after a workforce of 8,500 with a high incidence of back pain. She furthered her education by studying ergonomics and health and safety, becoming national Chair of Physiotherapy in Occupational Health for nine years.

When ECC’s Medical Department closed in early 1993, Carol moved to the Lemon Street GP Practice, Truro, to work in Primary Care until she retired in 2010.

Helen Newton – Administrator

Helen joined the Trust as Administrator in April 2022, having spent the previous two years at Healthwatch Cornwall and prior to that, 9 years in various administrative, community support and project co-ordination roles at Cornwall Council.

She grew up in Cheshire, later moving to Nottingham, where she worked at Boots Head Office in different communications and operational roles and also spent some time working for the British Heart Foundation in Northampton.

She relocated to Cornwall in 2009 and supports the Trustees in delivering the charity’s mission, ensuring good governance and compliance in everything we do.

Helen is the ‘go to’ person for all enquiries into the Charity.