Our Team
Meet our Fantastic Staff:
Laura Whittle
Retail, Events and Funds Manager
Fathimah Reeshafna Laffir
Accounts Manager
Paul Woods
Supervisor
Dr Christina Hill-Williams DL
Christina has had extensive experience in the charitable sector, including being CEO of two national charities, and has spent many years working in healthcare as a Mental Health Manager and as an NHS Foundation Trust Governor.
A Deputy Lieutenant of Berkshire since 2005, she also served as High Sherriff in 2009/10. She has been with the Friends since 2011, having previously been our Chairman.
She is committed to volunteering across Berkshire, working with charities such as the Berkshire Gardens Trust and the Society for the Protection of Ascot and its Environs – serving as President for both. She enjoys walking, reading, music, travel, and classic cars.
Our Honorary Vice-Presidents:
Robert Astor
Lady Durant
Colin Maclean OBE
Prof Ann Sheen OBE
CEO of the Royal Berkshire Hospital Foundation Trust – Steve McManus
Mayor of Reading – Councillor Rachel Eden
Our Board of Trustees:
Richard Dolinski
Chairman
Richard has enjoyed a long career in education specialising in complex behaviours and comorbid conditions.
In parallel to teaching, Richard co-founded a publishing house and art dealership. In retirement, he developed a project to help young artists and worked as a hospice volunteer.
In addition, he has served as an NHS Foundation Trust Governor, Town and Borough Councillor leading on Adult Services, Health and Wellbeing.
Today, Richard is a Patient Representative in Orthotics at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. Richard is married and together with his wife enjoy the company of their children and grandchildren.
Charlotte Haitham Taylor
Vice-Chairman
Charlotte Haitham Taylor is the Chair of Arts4Wokingham. Charlotte started her career in the art industry at Sotheby’s auctioneers and the prominent London dealer Richard Green.
A Fine Art Painting graduate, Charlotte is a successful professional artist, whose landscape and abstract works are widely sold and collected. She also collects modern and contemporary art and photography.
Charlotte is the former Leader of Wokingham Borough Council. During her 11 years at the Council Charlotte’s roles included the £120 million regeneration scheme of Wokingham Town Centre.
Charlotte was a Director of the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership from 2017 to 2021 and is currently the Vice-Chair of the League of Friends for The Royal Berkshire Hospital.
Carollanne Lindley
Manager
Carrollanne is an attorney, specialising in intellectual property and a partner at a London firm.
She has been involved, either as a trustee or a volunteer for charities in the fields of drug addiction, HIV, homelessness, and sexual offending, and sits on the IASG for the City of London police.
She is currently involved in assisting a charity set up to carry out a series of high focus concerts for NHS workers.
She enjoys fast motorcycles, creating mosaic, archaeology, yoga, and, when available, international travel.
She is married and lives a few miles outside Reading, in the surrounding countryside.
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Malcolm Richards
Malcolm Richards has lived in Wokingham for many years and has been both a Borough and Town councillor for several years, including being Mayor of Wokingham Borough during 2020-21.
His interests lie in many different aspects of Community, including Health, Education, Equality of Opportunity, Family, and the quality of everyday life.
Malcolm’s career was based on IT and business consultancy, plus the delivery of education, training and support services in various areas of commerce and industry, both within the UK and abroad.
Juliet Sherratt
Juliet is originally from Merseyside and has a background in teaching in primary schools and working for Reading Council’s Education for Children Out of School service.
She was previously a governor at a local infant school, and worked for 12 years for a Pupil Referral Unit in Wokingham, teaching children of all ages who were unable to attend school.
During the pandemic of 2020, Juliet set up Woodley Lunch Bunch to provide lunches and activities in the school holidays to children who would have received free school meals if they were in school.
Juliet also takes an interest in politics and activism, enjoys music gigs, theatre, comedy and pub quizzes.
Rebecca Ward
Rebecca is originally from West Yorkshire. She moved to West Berkshire after spending 4 years in Durham completing a degree in Geophysics.
Whilst studying, she held several voluntary roles and especially enjoyed involvement in several charity fashion shows which raised impressive sums of money for several charities.
Most likely to be found playing, she has also enjoyed coaching ‘Flyerz’ hockey. This is an England hockey initiative which provides specialised sessions for children with physical and/or learning disabilities.
Rebecca’s other interests include spending time with friends and family, watching sports, reading and the environment. The latter being her chosen profession, and main role as a Friends trustee.
Ellis Wiggins
Ellis has a background in PR and communications, working in local government, the tech sector, the development industry and election campaigns.
He has been a school governor for more than five years, including serving as the lead governor for finance for a federation of primary schools in Reading.
A political anorak, he enjoys reading, drawing and watching rugby, Formula One and American Football.
He is married and lives in Wokingham.
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Clive Williams
Clive is a retired solicitor, who was once the County Secretary and Solicitor of the former Berkshire County Council and Clerk of the Thames Valley Police Authority.
He has always been involved in voluntary work - he blames his mother who brought him up to believe that you must always put more back into society than you take out! In his time he has been a Trustee of more than 20 Trusts, covering health, youth, education, and the elderly.
He was awarded an OBE in 1998 for services to the community. His first wife died young of ovarian cancer and he has a son and daughter from that marriage. His second wife, Christina, is President of the Friends.
He is interested in sport and writes local history books.
Josie Wragg
Josie Wragg has a broad and varied career of over 30 years in local government. She strongly and firmly believes in the value of the citizen and public service being the best it can be.
Latterly she has been a Director of Environment , Director of Customer and Localities and a Chief Executive in unitary authorities. Formerly she has worked on building frameworks for corporate strategy, partnership and has worked in front line operational services including housing and community safety.
She has worked closely with colleagues in the voluntary sector, different parts of the health service, the Police, businesses amongst others.
She has recently established her own consultancy offering her expertise and experience to the public and voluntary sector.
Let's Make A Change
Here are some ways you can donate:
In Person
Friends of Berkshire Hospitals
London Road, Reading
RG1 5AN
Scan our QR Code
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