Meet the Team
The Friends for Life team is made up of a small number of staff, and a Board of Trustees. Together we look after our growing team of volunteers. If you would like to join us, please get in touch.
Kathryn Hughes - Fundraising Lead
Kathryn has been leading our fund-raising work for several years. She’s recently returned from maternity leave and an integral part of our team.
Michael Ridley - Chairman
Michael has lived with his family in Bedford for more than 20 years. He brings with him 27 years of experience within the civil service, most recently at the Department for Education where his policy responsibilities included governance within the further education sector.
Mike Elliott - Treasurer
Mike became the Honorary Treasurer for Friends for Life over a decade ago. He keeps a very close eye on the charity’s finances and makes sure we adhere to all the rules and requirements of a registered charity.
Lisa Lindfield - Trustee
Lisa has lived in Bedford since 2020. Running her business in the document storage industry for 23 years Lisa has always had a passion for helping others and during covid she worked for a care company looking after the elderly in their homes. Lisa has been a Befriender since 2023
Pauline Carter - Volunteer Lead & Trainer
Pauline trains and leads our growing team of volunteers. She has extensive experience in nursing, social care and the chartable sector.
If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer, Pauline would love to hear from you.
Alison Flashman - Administrator
Alison works part-time to support our small staff team and our board across all of their activities.
Keyur Bhatt - Trustee
Keyur changed profession just over ten years ago after having the opportunity to run a Care business. He has since been primarily involved in the Social Care sector. His knowledge from the frontline is vital to us.
Gillian Basnett - Manager
Gillie joined the team in July this year as general manager. She has a long career in nursing, working at a senior level. She recently returned from living in France for several years where she ran a gite and small holding.
Nafiz Hasnat - Trustee
Nafiz brings over two decades experience in banking and corporate finance in both the UK and Bangladesh.
Beth Parkinson - Activity Lead
Beth was originally a registered nurse before working overseas in an international school marketing department, on various communications contracts, and finally establishing a small business in Uganda! She enjoys rowing and long family dog walks in the countryside.
Helen Wheatley - Trustee
Helen has over 25 years of experience in Human Resources and has been a charity trustee for a number of charities. She also volunteers with Labrador rescue, at vaccination centres during covid, with sewing for the NHS during covid, and previous hosted children from the Chernobyl disaster zone. Helen oversees governance for Friends For Life, with the support of other trustees and the charity Manager.
Steve Bennett - Trustee
Steve brings more than 40 years of experience in sales and marketing. Having founded several businesses in the past. Steve has also worked with a number of charities, helping to increase awareness, income and support.
Sally Davies - Trustee
Sally is the Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Sue Ryder and has been with the Charity since 2018. Sally has over 16 years of experience in managerial positions in Health & Social Care. Before her Health & Social Care passion was established, Sally has previously worked within Business and Finance roles for Barclays Bank and The Woolwich Building Society.
