Management of the charity

Our Trustees.

 In charity law, members of the Executive Committee are known as "trustees".

The aim and responsibility of every trustee is to ensure that Age UK Milton Keynes operates in a manner which enables it to fulfil the objectives given in the constitution in as effective a manner as possible.  The committee has overall legal responsibility for the work and finances of the organisation, employs the staff and manages volunteers.  Our trustees are unpaid volunteers.

At the Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday 31st January 2024 the following people were appointed as members of the Board of Trustees:

Jan McMeekin - Chairman

After gaining help for my mother from Age UK Milton Keynes, I noticed on the website that Trustees were required. As I was approaching the end of my work career –( I had been in Sales and Marketing for medical device companies for over 30 years), I knew that I wanted to use my skills in the voluntary sector to ‘give something back’. Age UK MK seemed like a very worthy organisation to start with.

I have been a Trustee now for over six years, since 2017 and have found it fascinating to understand how a charity works – quite different in some ways to the corporate world that I was used to.  However, this difference, although it is marked, is also not so far from how a large corporation works – we have income, we have expenditure and ultimately, we need to have sufficient income in order to keep our services going – exactly the same criteria!

What do I personally bring to Age UK Milton Keynes? Having extensive experience of working at a high level in a large corporation allows me to see patterns, problems and find solutions quickly – something that I prided myself on when I was working; being able to understand and compile spreadsheets and graphs etc is a useful skill when reviewing financial information.

Becoming part of an organisation such as Age UK MK has been at times challenging, particularly during the Covid era but also very rewarding – and I urge all my friends to consider such a role when moving into the next phase of their life.

Maria Lang - Vice Chair

I have been a Trustee with Age UK MK for just over two years, just after retiring from a senior executive role with an international medical company.  I have a Mediterranean heritage, I am wife, mother (1 son who lives in Australia with wife and children) and grandmother of two fabulous grandchildren.

My 30+ years of working life centred itself in the Human Resource arena, mainly with medical companies, starting as member of an HR team.  Eventually after many years of exams, CIPD awards including Fellowship status, building competence, expertise and resilience, I was leading HR teams both in the UK and across Europe, ensuring not just HR good practice but also commercial and fiscal stability working across senior executive teams and driving employee engagement and good practice.

I was introduced to Age UK MK  through another trustee.  I wanted to offer help and support to an organisation that was caring for others and help that organisation grow from strength to strength.  For me, HR is about creating a strong conduit between the employee and the organisation and foster a partnership to the benefit of both, always focusing on the future opportunity for stability and growth, and sound commercial practice.  It is about protecting and guiding both parties in the employment relationship.  I have always thought that HR is absolutely the best discipline in a commercial organisation, and still hold that belief in my twilight years.

In my free time I enjoy travelling, walking, gardening - though not very good at it - and generally doing fun things with friends and family.

I love to laugh – my motto is: “A laugh a day keeps a doctor away!

John Goodman

My grandfather was born in the village of Simpson, one of thirteen, and most of the resulting families remained in the area so I have lots of local cousins and relations. As a result, I was able to see, first hand, how Age Concern (as it was called at that time) helped the older members of my family by giving advice, helping to complete forms, gardening, doing odd jobs and arranging lunch clubs.

As a Bletchley boy, I have watched Milton Keynes develop, and so too I have seen how Age Concern became Age UK Milton Keynes and changed and adapted to meet the growing and more complex needs of the older population.

I took early retirement when my employer relocated and I was soon contacted by the then Chief Executive, who suggested I should become a trustee, so I didn’t spend all my time sitting in the garden.

I was initially unsure how my engineering and construction background would be of use to the charity but on meeting my fellow trustees I realised we all came from different backgrounds and all had something to offer. The strength of the trustees is not only due to the specialist skills we all bring to the charity but to our unique backgrounds and life experiences.

I have been a trustee for a number of years and have enjoyed working with the other trustees, staff and volunteers. It has been rewarding to work with these dedicated and committed people knowing that we are making a difference and helping the ever-growing Milton Keynes population.

Chris Kingsford

I became a Trustee at Age UK MK nearly a year ago back in 2022 because I want to make a difference to peoples' lives in later life and felt that I could give time and energy to the charity.

I volunteer with the Chair Jan McMeekin at Stowe Landscape Gardens every month, working as a gardener, which I have done since 2015 and listening to her talking about the charity I felt I could help and contribute.

 When I looked at my family, I realised that my parents and siblings were and are people who want to help others - my father was awarded the MBE for services to SSAFA, ably supported by my mother and both my siblings volunteer for charities.

I am still in full time employment and in my role; I cover the UK for the largest independent textile provider to the hospitality sector and find working as a Trustee adds value to my daily life and gives balance to my priorities.

I recently set myself the challenge of walking half of the West Highland Way carrying my rucksack and wild camping with a couple of friends and was delighted to be able to raise nearly £3,000 for Age UK MK which I know will help with our great cause.

Whilst I live in Northampton, I hail from the north-west, where I have played football for one of the oldest amateur clubs in the UK for 53 years - nowadays it's all a bit of a slower pace! I am a past president of the club and am very proud to be part of it.

I have 2 grown up children and two grandchildren and like every doting Dad, to me they are the best of people!  

Gary Baxter

I currently work in the Integrated Retirement Community sector where I have been managing a medium sized private retirement community for the last seven years. Previous to that I worked for a number of years within the social care sector.

Through my full time role I have become increasingly aware of the needs of older people and the range of support and advice that is offered by Age UK Milton Keynes to counter some of those needs. I was surprised to discover that Age UK Milton Keynes was in fact a charity in it's own right and NOT funded by the national organisation. Working as I do for a Not-For-Profit company; I understand the challenges that come from trying to fund smaller organisations. It was this recognition of the challenges that initially lead me to apply for the role of a trustee in 2022.

I very much hope that my experience within business and social care will in some small way contribute to the board of trustees and the management of Age UK Milton Keynes. I have already met a number of staff at all levels and have been impressed by the passion and commitment shown through-out the organisation

Vasco Fernandes

I have been a Trustee of AgeUKMK since early 2024 and am enjoying it immensely. 

I believe that with my clinical  and medical background, I will bring added value to this most impressive and worthwhile organisation. Together, we all can further improve on "Adding Life to Years and Years to Life".

I am a retired Milton Keynes NHS retired Consultant Physician, having also been a General Medical Practitioner.

Throughout my working career ( and since retirement) I have endeavoured to help all communities and people, but especially disadvantaged ones.

I have maintained my keen interest in the health and well-being of older people. As part of that , I continue to research the latest evidence to improve  healthspan ( ie improving longevity and quality of life). I use that knowledge to undertake (hopefully, as demonstrated by positive feedback) ) very practical, interactive talks and discussions to a wide range of audiences to try and help meet this aim. 

My hobbies include table tennis, bridge and walking. 

Sue Graham BEM

Janet Deeley

I have grown up and lived in Fenny Stratford for well over sixty years. I am proud to call myself a second generation ‘Fenny girl’. I am community minded and have been a school governor at my local school for fifteen years. I also volunteer in Bletchley library one morning a week.

My first involvement with Age UKMK was when I volunteered in their Bletchley shop on a Saturday as I was still working full time. When I retired a friend who was a trustee said he had just the job for me in my new life - to become a trustee. This was over six years ago and I have enjoyed the role immensely. I am particularly interested in the retail side and try to visit the shops and Kiln Farm on a regular basis. I also work in retail when needed and enjoy the buzz of working with other volunteers. During my time with Age UKMK we have had challenges to face but have worked through them. I find the role rewarding and feel proud to be part of a charity which works tirelessly to support older people of Milton Keynes.

My background was in the world of education and I taught for over thirty years, the last nine as Head of a Nursery and Infant School. After leaving teaching I worked for eleven years as Library Manager at a large secondary school. In these roles I was responsible for managing teams of people and running budgets.  I feel these skills have been transferable to my role as a trustee.

My interests include gardening, knitting, sewing, walking and playing mahjong.

We welcome enquiries from people interested in volunteering as a trustee.  We would love to hear from you if you have expertise in the fields of social care care or medicine.  Please get in touch on 01908 550700.

annual reports