Our Board
Wesport is a charity and company limited by guarantee and as such, Trustees are responsible for the overall governance of the charity including:
- Determining the overall direction and development of Wesport through good governance
- Ensuring that Wesport operates in accordance with charitable and company law and in line with its governing documents
- Safeguarding the Trust’s good name, values and reputation
- To act as a guardian of the Trust’s assets, both tangible and intangible
- Holding the Chief Executive accountable for the achievement of the organisation’s objectives
If you would like to learn more about Wesport’s governance or trust board, please email info@wesport.org.uk.
meet our trustees
Guy Buckland - Chair of the Board of Trustees
Guy Buckland is a Senior Manager at law firm RPC, and delivers learning and talent development to senior leaders as well as organisation design to help deliver performance improvements to the business as a whole. After a management career in financial services, Guy has worked in training and development roles since 2001, in both the FS and Legal sector.
Guy is an enthusiastic participant in sport, and has played many different sports, such as football, squash, swimming and cycling, over the years, and knows how many physical, emotional and social benefits that sport can bring to people in all settings. He also enjoys exploring his local neighbourhood on foot, as well as occasionally venturing to London to support his beloved West Ham United.
As a keen amateur cyclist, Guy is also an advocate of active travel, and regularly commutes by bike to work in Bristol from his home in North Somerset. He is keen to see easier and more effective infrastructure in our area, to allow more people to actively travel to school and work.
Tabinda Rashid-Fadel - Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees (Senior Independent Director)
Tabinda is a qualified Clinical Cardiac Physiologist, worked in Bristol and southwest throughout her 30year clinical practice both in acute clinical care and as head of department within a large teaching trust.
Since 2015, Tabinda has worked as an independent consultant supporting commissioners and providers, with strategic and operational assignments. She also supports vulnerable population groups, with health workshops and 1:1 support and coaching for complex health issues.
Tabinda holds a number of voluntary roles, and also supports Bristol Water as their health lead on their customer challenge panel group.
Tabinda enjoys coaching boxing and supports a women’s only boxing group within Bristol, she has been able to use sport to rebuild confidence and positive mental well-being as well as physical health for women.
Tabinda has joined Wesport as she believes in supporting communities to benefit from all aspects of sport, social interaction, mental well- being and good physical health, improving their lifestyles by being more active.
Anna Hall - Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees (Senior Independent Director)
Anna is Corporate Director of Debt advice at the Money and Pensions Service (an arm's-length body of the DWP) and responsible for the commissioning, delivery, strategy and policy of debt advice services across England. Prior to that, she worked for national Citizens Advice for many years in roles focused on advice service delivery, business and partnership development and innovation.
She is passionate about breaking down barriers which stop people accessing support and services that can help people lead the life they want – from sport and movement through to specialist advice.
Anna came late to physical activity, being one of many girls and young women that give up sport in their teens. Feeling an unfit mum, she did couch to 5k, discovered parkrun and this has led to her taking part in many new activities over the last few years and developing a love of weight training. She also has an autistic son who has experienced multiple barriers in taking part in sport.
These things have meant Anna developed a passion for inclusive sport and promoting the benefits of supporting people to get moving, which motivated her to become a Trustee for Wesport.
Sue Dors
Sue has lived in North Somerset all her life. She trained in Birmingham as a PE teacher and taught at Chew Stoke Primary School for a few years. Whilst her children were growing up, she taught primary school, mums, babes, and adult swimming at Churchill Pool.
Sue has been involved in swimming as a volunteer for almost 40 years. She has held various roles within the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) at Club, County, Region and National level on committees and as an official and is currently Chairman of Weston-super-Mare Swimming Club and President of the ASA South West Region. From 2005 until 2013, she chaired the ASA South West Regional Management Board. During this time, the Board supported the work of the ASA’s Regional staff team in their work across the South West with various sporting providers including County Sport Partnerships (CSP’s).
Sue wanted to become a trustee of Wesport as sport has always played a key part in of her life. Over the years, she has found it incredible to watch how sport has developed and widened its remit. She feels it is important that all involved with sport and recreational activity should seek opportunities to work together so that more people of all abilities are able to participate, gain confidence and experience the ‘thrill’ of achieving their goals.
Will Brown
Will has spent most of his career working in and around Sport, taking him to his current role as Chief Executive of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, based out of Bristol. A focus on charitable partnerships, community support and environmental sustainability are key strands of the Gloucestershire Cricket strategy alongside the development and delivery of professional cricket. The Bristol County Ground also serves as one of the leading International sports venues in the South West.
Previously Will has worked with organisations such as Sporting Index, Cricinfo, The Lawn Tennis Association and, prior to joining Gloucestershire Cricket, Betfair where he oversaw a £200m+ UK & Ireland P&L.
Will has a passion for all things sport and firmly believes in the “power of sport” from grass roots through to the professional game and the good that it can and should drive. Will is a lifelong Gloucestershire Cricket and Bath rugby fan and is married with three boisterous boys with a home in Bath.
Simon Russell
Simon is a specialist in communication, engagement and policy. Either working in-house or running the consultancy he founded he has supported very different organisations - including large businesses, a national trade organisation, the governing body for a disability sport, third sector organisations and a leading university.
Married with two adult sons, Simon is keenly interested in current affairs and is a big fan of most sports. An unremarkable playing career is now largely replaced by coaching football and an active involvement in a grassroots club.
Like the other Trustees and the team at Wesport, he is convinced of the positive impact sport and physical activity can have on participants, coaches and on the administrators and volunteers that make it happen. Simon is also a Board Trustee of Sight Support West of England - a charity that works with people living with sight loss so that they can lead active and fulfilled lives.
All Trustee positions at Wesport are voluntary roles, and they are all non-executive and independent*
(*Independent as per the Sport England A Code For Sports Governance definition: “a person is independent if they are free from any close connection to the organisation and if, from the perspective of an objective outsider, they would be viewed as independent. A person may still be deemed to be ‘independent’ even if they are a member of the organisation and/or play the sport. Examples of a ‘close connection’ include:
(A) they are or have within the last four years been actively involved in the organisation’s affairs, e.g. as a representative of a specific interest group within the organisation such as a sporting discipline, a region or a home country;
(B) they are or have within the last four years been an employee of the organisation; or
(C) they have close family ties with any of the organisation’s directors or senior employees”)