Age Cymru Board of Trustees

Dr Bernadette Fuge – Chair

Bernadette was born and educated in Flintshire, and is a graduate of Welsh National School of Medicine. With her background in medicine Bernadette has had many high profile roles - Principal Medical Officer for the Welsh Office; Medical Director NHS Wales for National Assembly of Wales; seconded to the Department of Health in Whitehall to lead the implementation of the Healthcare Commission for England and Wales; and Principal Medical Officer for the National Assembly of Wales. Bernadette retired from the Assembly in 2005 and became a member trustee of Age Concern Cymru, Board member of the Pfizer UK Foundation and UK Breast Cancer Trials.

Christopher Ward - Deputy Chair

Christopher has had a wide-ranging career in the private, public and voluntary sectors, in the UK and overseas. From 2002 to 2009 he was the Chief Executive of the Wales Management Council - a government-funded body promoting the importance of good leadership and management.  In the 90s he set up a company to administer European Structural Fund programmes in Wales, and prior to that a company providing counselling and support to small and start-up companies in London, in each case taking over work that had been previously handled by government departments.  Prior to this Christopher worked in the book publishing industry for 20 years, holding senior management positions in the UK and overseas. 
He is now a speaker and writer with a particular interest in helping individuals find meaning in their work and employers to make work more meaningful.

Nigel Towns – Treasurer

Nigel is a self-employed consultant in the field of executive coaching / mentoring, team building and specialist projects.  A Chartered Public Accountant, Nigel’s 40 year career in the public sector spanned both the NHS and local government, including board level posts as Finance Director and Chief Executive.

Professor Dame June Clark

June Clark qualified as a nurse at University College Hospital, London after obtaining an honours degree in Classics at London University. She then qualified as a health visitor, and remained in community nursing as a practitioner, manager, researcher, teacher, and political advocate for nearly 40 years. She has also been heavily involved at an international level.  Her current interests and expertise are primarily in health policy; services for older people; and health informatics. She has been a Non-Executive Director of Carmarthenshire NHS Trust, and was a member of the Royal Commission on Long-Term Care; and a member of the Welsh National Service Framework for Older People implementation group. June is currently a member of the Bevan Commission, which has been established to provide a source of independent advice on the development of health services in Wales reviewing health services in Wales.  June lives in Swansea. 

Alison Huggins

Alison studied at Queen Mary College and the College of Law, London before returning to her native South Wales to qualify as a solicitor. She has recently moved to Howells Solicitors where she has special responsibility for services for older clients. She is one of a very small number of solicitors in Wales recognised by the Legal Services Commission as an expert in Community Care law (relating to provision of services to the elderly and disabled). She has written a number of journal articles on topics relating to payment for care and financial abuse of older people.  Alison was previously a trustee of Age Concern Cymru before being appointed to the Board of Age Cymru.

Mike Ponton

Mike began working for the NHS in Cardiff in 1962. He has had a wide and varied career in and around the NHS both in England and Wales. His jobs have included spells as a Hospital Manager, a Health Authority Chief Executive and a Senior Civil Servant. In recent years, his focus has been on health policy which has involved work across the UK and Europe. In 2009 Mike retired as Director of the Welsh NHS Confederation where he represented and supported Local Health Boards and NHS Trusts on all health policy and management issues in the political, professional and public arenas in Wales and beyond.  He now works as a Senior Fellow with the Welsh Institute of Health and Social Care at the University of Glamorgan.  Mike lives in Carmarthenshire.

Hilary Wiseman

Hilary Wiseman currently runs her own consultancy business specialising in diversity, leadership and personal development. She was until June 2005, Head of Diversity for HSBC Bank. She is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development; and a graduate of the University of Portsmouth. Hilary is a trustee of TAEN (The Age and Employment Network) and an associate of the Employers Forum on Age. Hilary is a Trustee of, and will represent, Age UK on the Age Cymru board.
Hilary lives in Southampton

Meirion Hughes

Meirion is a former Director of Social Services and Acting Chief Executive in Denbighshire with over 30 years of service within local government.  Following his retirement in 2002 he became Chair of the Denbighshire Local Health Board where he remained until 2007. He also served as Chair of the Welsh NHS Confederation, and Trustee of the UK wide NHS Confederation.  More recently he was a member of the Welsh Assembly Review of Vulnerable Children in 2006; chaired the Project Board to establish the Hywel Dda NHS Trust in South West Wales in 2008; and a member of the Independent Review Panel of Continuing Health Care which reported to Welsh Assembly Government Ministers in May 2009.  Meirion, whose first language is Welsh, lives in Prestatyn, Denbighshire.

David Vokes

David qualified as a Solicitor in 1972.  In 1989 he was responsible for establishing links with a group of large regional law firms that would ultimately go on to become Eversheds.  He retired in 2004. His Public/Voluntary Sector appointments have included Director of Chapter Arts Centre, Chairman of the South Glamorgan Compact; he was a former member of Arts & Business in Wales and a member of the Arts Council of Wales. He is currently a trustee of the St David’s Hall & New Theatre Trust now (Arts Active), a Governor of Atlantic College, a Trustee of the National Museum in Wales and a member of the development committee at the Leonard Cheshire home in Radyr. He lives in Cardiff.

Pam Dodd

Pam has a special interest in fundraising.  Although her career began as a research laboratory technician she developed an interest in the third sector when fundraising for local schools and projects within the community. In 1994 as Director of Fundraising and Marketing at Tŷ Hafan – Children’s hospice in Wales, she was instrumental in the growth and development of the organisation. In her present role as Wales National Director at the Institute of Fundraising Cymru her work takes her Wales wide ensuring there is support and good practice available for fundraising organisations and charities. Pam has spoken on various fundraising issues at conferences and events and is continuing to learn Welsh which she has learnt as an adult.

Emlyn Lloyd

Emlyn was born and educated in the Swansea Valley.  After graduating from Swansea University, Emlyn worked for several years at the Unilever Food Research Laboratory in Bedfordshire.  He then lectured at Bradford University until retirement.  Once back in Wales he became a member of the Environmental Agency's Regional Fisheries, Ecology and Recreational Advisory Committee.  Besides being a Trustee for Age Cymru, Emlyn contributes to the Welsh Senate for Older People and also serves as General Secretary for the National Old Age Pensioners Association for Wales.  To keep his hand in concerning biology, Emlyn is a member of the Neath Port Talbot Biodiversity Forum.

Lyn James

Lyn lives in Chepstow and he is a Chartered Public Accountant.  He recently retired after some 46 years, full time and part time service in local government around the Severnside area. Lyn’s former posts include Treasurer of South Wales Police Authority, County Treasurer of Mid Glamorgan County Council, Deputy County Treasurer of Avon County Council in Bristol and Deputy Chief Executive of Bridgend Unitary Authority.  For some years he was a Council Member of the Accountancy Institute, Chair of the Local Government Policy Committee and a participant in national local government funding groups. Lyn is currently Treasurer and a Trustee of Age Cymru Gwent. Photography and travel are his passions and he is kept increasingly busy with his four grandchildren.