Bath and North East Somerset community charity St John’s Foundation has announced its new chair of trustees.
Sandra Forbes is a banking and corporate lawyer with a record in senior leadership positions. As St John’s Foundation draws to the end of its 850th year, the charity say Sandra will bring a fresh perspective that will help guide the charity into the future and through the second half of its current strategy which, alongside almshouse provision and supporting children and families, has a key focus on narrowing the academic attainment gap at the end of Key Stage 2.
Its ‘Best Start in Life’ initiative works closely with local primary schools, early years settings, and partners to provide targeted support that ensures every child under 12 has the opportunity to grow up healthy, happy, and well-educated.
A spokesperson for the St John’s Foundation: “Forbes brings an impressive track record, including 18 years as a partner at the national law firm Burges Salmon LLP. Over the past decade, she has held senior leadership roles as Group General Counsel and Company Secretary at National Express Group plc (now Mobico Group PLC) and Rotork plc. Forbes currently serves as a Board Director at Bath’s Holburne Museum and previously dedicated eight years as a Governor at the University of the West of England, where she also served as Deputy Chair of Governors. Having lived in Bath for over 25 years, Forbes has developed a profound understanding of the challenges facing our communities and the inequalities that persist across the region.”
Sandra Forbes says: “I feel privileged to become chair of a charity with such a long and rich history, yet one that remains firmly focused on supporting its community both now and into the future. As we celebrate our 850th anniversary, we aim to build on the successes of the past five years and expand our vital support to all of St John’s beneficiaries across the region. I look forward to playing my part in this next stage of the journey and contributing to its continued success.”
The charity supports older adults in the community with almshouse accommodation and outreach services and is working to foster an age-friendly community, in collaboration with organisations such as Age UK. Another key strand of work is to support individuals and families that have reached a point of crisis through the organisation’s Crisis Programme.
Catharine Brown, interim CEO at St John’s Foundation, says: “We are delighted to welcome Sandra as the charity’s new Chair of Trustees. She brings not only a wealth of professional experience but also a forward-thinking perspective. This will be invaluable to the charity as we push forward with our important work to support all our beneficiaries, whilst also nurturing the people, partners and culture at St John’s.”