Our Trustees

Our trustees come from a range of backgrounds and bring a wealth of knowledge to our board. What they have in common, is a desire to ensure Pepper's- A Safe Place continues to support the mental health of our communities.


Their roles include overseeing our centres, supporting our team of volunteers and staff, setting our strategic direction and monitoring our impact.


You can read more about them below.

Colin McKenzie

Chairman

I have lived in Rutland for 25 years, a relocation with my employer from working in London brought me and my young family to this lovely area.

Now retired after a career in Banking and Financial Services for over 35 years. I initially worked for a US Banking Financial Services business then to various major UK Banking Groups and for my final 4 years at a privately owned pension trustee and investment platform provider. In addition to that experience I am a qualified Project Manager.


In previous volunteer roles I have served as a member of a school PTA, as a School Governor and with the Scout Association as a Leader for a local group.

I became Chair of the Trustees in September 2023 and am looking forward to working with the team to help move Pepper’s into its next stage providing our facilities in Rutland and Melton Mowbray.

Judith Gilboy

Trustee

Judith Gilboy founded Peppers-A safe place in September 2018. She chairs its Trustee board. She has more than 30 years of experience of dealing with the UK’s complex and often chaotic mental health provision on behalf of a close family member. Her career has been spent in the not-for-profit sector, including spells running a specialist national charity, as a national officer of one of the UK’s largest volunteer organisations and in consultancy.

Margaret Miles

Trustee

Margaret Miles has lived in Rutland for 23 years. Most of her working life has been spent as a secondary school Mathematics teacher. During this time she helped students to raise funds to support those in need either locally or in overseas schools.

Margaret was High Sheriff of Rutland 2019- 20 , where she focussed on meeting local charities and supporting them where possible; she met Pepper’s and has subsequently become a Trustee.

David Wood

Trustee

David Wood has lived in Rutland for 37 years. After a career in retail and banking - latterly as Chairman of Melton Mowbray Building Society - he is currently Chairman of Rutland Agricultural Society. He is involved in a number of charitable trusts - notably the Foundation for Conductive Education which operates the Centre for Movement Disorders in Birmingham. He was High Sheriff of Rutland in 2021-2 which is when he became involved in supporting Pepper's.

Sue Watts

Trustee

Sue returned to live in Rutland in 2018, having worked as an Occupational Therapist in the NHS for 20 years. She was involved as a volunteer in the early years of Pepper's- A Safe Place and currently supports people living with disabilities and chronic illness in their local community.

Lynne Jones

Trustee

Lynne Jones has lived in Rutland for 21 years, previously an active member of the Parent Association.

She is on the Steering Committee for Women in Philanthropy which aims to support three small charities every year in the Leicestershire and Rutland area. Currently she volunteers weekly at Pepper's in Melton Mowbray.

Richard White

Trustee

Richard joined Pepper's- A Safe Place as a Director/Trustee in September 2019. He has worked as an independent management consultant for the last 30 years. Working primarily within the financial services industry he has helped organisations to deliver their objectives through buying and merging with other companies and where they have had other challenges which needed to be overcome.

His children were all educated at some points in their educational career in Oakham; Richard has lived in Rutland for over 12 years.

Richard is keen on supporting Pepper's objectives and helping the charity meet its objectives and aims.

Lynn Chaplar

Trustee

I am 55 years old. I have been married to Adrian for 33 years and we have two grown up children and two Jack Russell Terriers.

I am a retired Registered General Nurse and Midwife. I retired on Ill health grounds 10 years ago.

My hobbies include gardening, paper crafting and card making, Pilates and socialising with friends and family.

I have been volunteering at Peppers for over a year now and enjoy it very much supporting the local community. I believe very much in the ethos behind Peppers . I look forward to supporting peppers as a trustee.

I was asked to consider joining as a trustee due to my local knowledge of Melton, my previous experience of mental health, my volunteering with Melton Peppers and my background in health care.

Danielle Garrity

Trustee