Our Trustees

As a registered Charity our Board of Trustees have ultimate responsibility for running the organisation. The Trustees are voted onto the Board and we seek to have people with relevant skills needed to run the organisation such as personnel and accountancy but also those who represent the communities that we work with.

Ian Pears – Chair

REPRESENTATIVE MEMBER – HCB Group Solicitors

Ian qualified as a solicitor in 1986 and moved to Northampton in 1987.  He became a partner in a local firm of solicitors in 2005.  He specialises in personal injury claims and has a particular interest in inquest work.

Helen Reay – Vice Chair

Helen qualified as a solicitor in 1990 after serving a five-year commission in the Women’s Royal Naval Service. The majority of her legal work has been in the area of social welfare law, first in law centres, for a short period in private practice, and finally at Community Law Service between 2007 and 2016. Helen specialised in housing, acting for defendants in possession, eviction, anti-social behaviour and homelessness cases.

Helen semi-retired in 2016, but continued working with CLS part-time as one of the duty possession advisers at local County Courts and also worked as a clerk to school governing boards on a part time basis.

Helen has been involved with CLS in one form or another since 1991and served several terms on the management committee, including two periods as Chair.

Stephen Hibbert – Treasurer

Chesterfield born Stephen has spent most of his life in Northampton and working in the legal profession. Proud father of two and owner of a very loyal Patterdale, he has been a local councillor for 11 years, has led the housing portfolio and has a particular interest in homelessness and rough sleeping and all of the consequences to health and wellbeing. Stephen loves music and golf, when the weather let’s him!

Morcea Walker

Morcea Walker MBE, Vice Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, is a retired teacher and Education Advisor. She is a Governor of a local school and a trustee of a number of organisations including Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust, Northamptonshire Black History Association, Street Pastors and Healthwatch. She works, in a volunteering role within the community where she is able to give advice and support as appropriate, She has a passion to celebrate and value the diverse communities that make up the County of Northamptonshire

Cllr Sally Beardsworth

Sally is a local councillor (West Northamptonshire Council). She sits on a number of Council Committees. Sally is a retired Marie Curie nurse and also previously sat on Northamptonshire County Council’s adoption panel.  She is also sits on the panel of two local grant giving organizations – The Thomas White Foundation which gives educational grants to young people from Northampton and Kingsthorpe Manor, and Town Trust which gives grants to people from Kingsthorpe and surrounding areas.

Keith Moffitt

Keith spent the majority of his career as an international marketing director in the food industry where he travelled widely. For the past 4 years he has been an associate lecturer in business studies at the local University.

Pauline Woodhouse 

Northampton born; Pauline has spent the majority of her life living and working in and around Northamptonshire. Pauline is a LLB Law Graduate and have spent the last 8+ years working in the Restorative Justice Practice field, employed as the Northamptonshire Court Based RJ Project Manager, Bedfordshire, and Leicestershire RJ Service Delivery Manager. Pauline and currently works as a Practice Delivery Manager.

Pauline is a proud Northamptontonian who has also always engaged meaningfully with voluntary work across the different business sectors, organisations and community groups providing support services to and on behalf of local people including at CLS.

Previous Project / Leadership Management involvement includes serving as the East Midlands YMCA Regional Representative, sitting at, and engaged with work at National level as a member of YMCA England Board of Trustees and sitting as a Member of the Northamptonshire Healthwatch Board whilst working as NBA & BME SRP Community Development Officer.

Current voluntary work involvement as a Co-Chair of West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) Women's Forum, a Co-Chair of WNC Diverse Communities Forum and serving a second term as one of the Independent Co-Opted Members of the Northamptonshire Police Fire and Crime Panel Members.