Youth Action Wiltshire Committee

Jane James

Jane James is Managing Director of Home from Hospital Ltd, which is an established market leader in domiciliary care, and medico legal consulting.  The company has offices both in London and Wiltshire.

Jane has been a member of Joint Action Wiltshire for the past three years and is currently chairperson.

Jane and her family have lived in Chippenham for over 10 years, having previously lived in London.  As a family they are totally committed to supporting both their local and wider community.

The James family very much enjoy eventing and most of their spare time is occupied with horses.

James Layton

James has been a leading personality for YAW for ten years. He joined as a Director and Trustee in 2001 and became Chair in 2005. His passion and enthusiasm for the work has convinced many other people to support the charity financially or help as volunteers. Many of these people remain key individuals today. As Chair, he led the charity for five years, steered it through a merger with Community First in 2008 and gave up much of his time to negotiate a new relationship for the new merged charity. He is one of our leading fundraisers and thousands of young people and club leaders have benefitted form his fundraising efforts.

Piers Dibben

Piers runs a Calne based business which works predominantly with Councils around the UK to deliver amenity services to the local community.  His previous experience has ranged from trading futures on the old futures exchange through to rare breed pig production.   

He has come to Community First from Youth Action Wiltshire, where he was chiefly involved with the fundraising. He is now Chair of the Marketing and Fundraising Committee.

Alan Fox

In his youth Alan was a member of a dynamic youth club in Surrey, and became a King’s Scout. Later he held warrants as a Scouter in the R.A.F., at University and in South Lambeth, London. He went on to teach in a residential rural centre for London children where part of his duties was to run a variety of indoor and outdoor evening activities. He continued his residential experience in a special school in Herefordshire where he co-ordinated sport as well as the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.  In his final teaching post, in a psychiatric hospital, he encouraged his staff to take the young people out of the hospital for a variety of activities such as, camping, visits to football matches, Christmas lights in London and youth hostelling.  He believes that young people of all abilities should be educated both in and out of the classroom and so led a camping party to Paris as well as and day and longer geographical field trips to a variety of areas in the U.K.  In retirement he was the first chairman of ASGYPH (Advice and Support for the Young People of Holt) and currently chairs the Broughton Gifford and Holt Youthwork Project.  He is a trustee of Community First, Planned Environment Therapy Trust, Fairfield Farm College and chairs the Peredur Trust.

Tom McCaw LVO

Tom is Chair of the Board of Trustees. He is married to Carol and they have two grown up children: Kirsty is a teacher and Chris a mechanical engineer.

In 1988 he was appointed as Land Steward for the Duchy of Cornwall responsible for the properties in Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. He was closely involved in setting up the Poundbury development at Dorchester. He retired in 2008.

Tom’s interests have always been particularly related to the countryside, be it encouraging farmers to own or rent their own holdings or providing opportunities for young people: Affordable homes and rural businesses, so they do not have to move into town, together with the school, shop, pub and village hall that are so important  to all communities.

Tom is a Rotarian, Trustee of the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust (Chair the Reserves Committee), and an active member of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA). He enjoys gardening and the countryside and, when he has the time, a game of golf.

Simon Bonham

Married with 2 grown up children, lives at Manton, Nr Marlborough. Qualified as a chartered surveyor and recently retired as a partner of Carter Jonas, heading up the Marlborough office. Also was the Crown Estate's managing Agent for their Wiltshire Estates.

Mrs Sarah Troughton DL

(President of Community First)

I was previously President of Youth Action Wiltshire before it merged with Community First and it gave me great pleasure to see the 2 charities joining up and sharing skills and resources. I am a trustee on the Community Foundation for Wiltshire and Swindon and chair the Swindon Grants committee which gives out funds to projects in the Borough of Swindon. I am involved in Chelsea Physic Garden in London which  is a delightful small oasis of calm in a noisy city, and  with 'physic' being the old name for the healing arts , the garden is full of medicinal and curative plants. For relaxation I enjoy painting, visits from my grandchildren and walking on the Downs and along the Ridgeway.

David Boydell

David is the longest standing former Trustee and Committee member and has seen the charity change and grow. With a background in accountancy, he now represents Youth Action Wiltshire on the finance Committee, ensuring the work for young people is represented. Through his contacts and his own commitment he has helped to raise thousands of pounds for young peoples services and given up many hours to support the work that we do.

Ginnie Keen

Ginnie Keen M B E. has been involved with Y A W for more than 8 years and is one of our principle fundraisers having raised thousands of pounds for YAW.  She is passionate about YAW and all it does and has always been involved with 'the young', whether previously raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital, and the NSPCC, and instructing and raising funds for Riding for the Disabled.  She has been involved with the horse world, all her life, having competed herself, point to point and eventing, has been the District Commissioner to the Duke of Beaufort Hunt Pony Club for 10 years, followed by Chairman and Team Manager of the British Pony Eventing Team. With her husband, David she has lived for 35 years in Wiltshire, and has two grown up children and 5 grand children.

William Wyldbore-Smith

William has been involved for a number of years and as a practicing solicitor has brought invaluable legal expertise to support the work. He is a key supporter of our fundraising events and was recently instrumental in establish our endowment fund with the Community Foundation.