Our Trustees
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Matthew Adam
Matthew is the Chair of the Board of Trustees.
Matthew is an Organisational Consultant and Systemic Family Psychotherapist with over 25 years of experience working directly with children, young people and families. He has been a Trustee at Save the Family since 2016 and is currently the Safeguarding Lead on the Board of Trustees.
John Church
Following a successful food industry career, John specialised in Strategic Business Planning and Marketing which saw the development of Group Tyre, where John would become Chair. John also held NED roles at Western Cheshire PCT (Chair), Mid Cheshire Hospitals (Dep Chair), and St Bridget’s Trust, where he is now Chair. John served as Chair of Save the Family until Sept 2023 when he stepped down to take on the role of Treasurer and Dep Chair.
Nigel Bruce
Nigel is a retired Chartered Surveyor and, for many years, a partner in a firm located in Chester. Nigel specialised in commercial property and had involvement with a number of local and national companies. Nigel was Chairman of the local Chamber of Commerce and also sat on various local authority committees representing business interests in Chester and North Wales. Nigel is also a long time member of Chester Business Club.
Lindsay Tanner
Lindsay has been a qualified social worker since 1997, working in both the voluntary and statutory sector, within both children’s services and adult social care. She has experience herself as CEO of a charity in Yorkshire leading growth and improved service delivery. She is passionate for person-centred support for children and families, empowering them to make changes that work for them, and bring long-term confidence and well-being.
Duncan Boffey
Duncan is a Chartered Management Accountant and an accomplished Finance / Operations Director with over 16 years’ experience at director level across the travel, and registered provider sectors. He has previous charity sector experience having been Treasurer of a Flintshire based charity, that provides leisure and recreational activities to special needs children and young people.
Claire O’Donnell
A nurse by training, Claire concluded her career providing Public Health advice NHS England to embed evidence-based practice into hospital services.
She has delivered parenting courses in a variety community settings for 25yrs. Having been regularly outmanoeuvred by her own, now adult children, she empathises with the challenges of parenting as well as its joys.
Joanne Byrne
Joanne is deeply passionate about working with children, young people, and families. Throughout her career, she has dedicated herself to making a positive impact in their lives.
She believes in the power of partnership and collaboration to drive meaningful change. Whether leading major change programs or working directly with stakeholders, Joanne’s goal is always to support and uplift the communities she serves.
Louise Holmes
Louise is an experienced Solicitor specialising in Wills, Trusts and Estates with a background in both law and business. Holding a business degree alongside her legal experience, she brings a practical and strategic approach to her work. She is proud to support an organisation that makes a real difference in helping families achieve their true potential.
Luke Squires
Luke Squires brings a wealth of leadership experience from senior roles at Sykes Holiday Cottages, Virgin Holidays, and Virgin Atlantic, with a strong focus on customer operations, technology, and process improvement.
As a parent of three neurodiverse, adopted children, Luke also has personal experience navigating the social care system, offering a unique perspective that blends corporate insight with lived experience. His passion for giving back and supporting families in need drives his commitment to being a trustee with Save the Family.
Tracy McGinn
Currently a Deputy CEO for a Wirral based charity, Tracy has experience of both the charity and education sectors. Prior to her current role she spent many years in further education both as a lecturer and a member of the leadership team. With a degree in Childhood Studies, Tracy is passionate about ensuring that children get the best start in life and that families get the support and guidance that they need to thrive.
Become a Trustee
For over 40 years, Save the Family has provided caring residential support and practical help to homeless and vulnerable families. On the outskirts of Chester, our site consists of 26 self-contained family homes. We directly benefit 65-95 service users each year on-site and in the community. We seek to keep families together and help them create a positive future. Families benefit from consistent targeted trauma informed support from our Children and Family Mentors team to address complex and often intergenerational challenges.
As a Trustee you must be committed to the aims of Save the Family and to helping vulnerable homeless families to overcome their problems and restore their lives. Board Meetings are usually held six times a year at our premises near Chester, and a trustee who is a member of a subcommittee of the Board will also attend meetings of the subcommittee, usually held about two weeks before each board meeting.
Our trustees come from a variety of backgrounds but with skills and experience in our key work with families or in the governance and administration of the charity. Current and recent trustees have included child psychiatrists, child psychologists, social workers, marketing and PR experts, accountants, lawyers, chartered surveyors and HR professionals.
Save the Family has a small professional team, and the role of trustees is to offer support and advice, and to work collaboratively. Trustees have where appropriate used their professional skills, for instance in management training and in helping to devise and run parenting courses. Equally we would welcome trustees with lived experience of homelessness.
For an informal discussion, please contact Tracy White, Chief Executive Officer on
01244 333 836
Information packs can be downloaded here