Under the Settlement’s Constitution, Trustees are elected by Settlement Members at Annual General Meeting. Trustees must also be Settlement Members. The Trustees form the Committee which is responsible for the governance and administration of the Settlement.
The Constitution provides a minimum of three and a maximum of twelve Trustees. Trustees must have the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to carry out their duties. There is no maximum period for which a Trustee can serve, or upper age limit.
The Settlement Manager is an ex-officio trustee.
To contact the Trustees, please email [email protected]
Our Trustees are:
Hilary Kemp
Date of First Appointment: 27 August 2020
Positions Held: Chair, Member of Publicity and Membership Sub Committee
Hilary moved to Letchworth in 2003 and has involved herself with a variety of community and cultural activities, including chairing the annual Letchworth Festival. Until 2023 she was a Product Director working on Big Data for Social Good, using data to tackle global humanitarian challenges. She is currently the Head of Digital Transformation at a UK charity, based in Cambridge, whose purpose is to monitor the state of nature around the globe.
Stephen Charles
Date of First Appointment: 24 November 2020
Positions Held: Vice Chair, Member of Property and Publicity and Membership Sub Committees
Stephen has lived in North Hertfordshire for over 30 years. He has been actively involved with the Settlement Players since 2010, and is currently their Chair. He is an analytical scientist, and worked with GSK, predominately on respiratory medicines.
Alan Higbey
Date of First Appointment: 27 August 2020
Positions Held: Treasurer, Member of Finance and Resources and Fundraising and Volunteers Sub Committees
Alan moved to Letchworth over 30 years ago, and now lives in Stotfold. He had a 36-year career with Lloyds Bank, most recently as a senior manager looking after large corporate customers. After retiring early, he worked for an ex-customer helping him with his finances. He is also currently the Treasurer for the Settlement Players and another local charity.
Marian Adams
Date of First Appointment: 27 August 2020
Positions Held: Secretary, Member of Finance and Resources Sub Committee
Marian has lived in Letchworth for 40 years. She worked for the Church of England for 25 years, most recently as Head of Accounting Services for the National Church Institutions. She then became the Finance Director for the UK office of an international healthcare charity where she was also responsible for governance, HR and IT. She retired in 2016. She has also been a local school governor for 30 years.
Katherine Alcock
Date of First Appointment: 27 August 2020
Positions Held: Member of Programmes and Publicity and Membership Sub Committees
Katie has lived in Letchworth since she was 11 years old. She is a qualified London Blue Badge Guide, a City of Westminster Guide and a historian. She is also a professional actor and a member of the Settlement Players. She runs the occasional course for the Settlement.
Marine Boulter
Date of First Appointment: 22 November 2022
Positions Held: Member of Programmes Sub Committee
Originally from France, Marine moved to England 25 years ago. Although she has taught at primary school level in after school clubs, she has mostly been involved in adult education. She is a French tutor at the Settlement.
Nigel Carrick
Date of First Appointment: 27 August 2020
Positions Held: Member of Property and Fundraising and Volunteers Sub Committees
Nigel is a long-term resident of Letchworth. He was previously an architect, a volunteer abroad for 2 years and a community development officer in Buckinghamshire. He is also a ceramicist. Nigel has been associated with the Settlement since 2000 and was instrumental in setting up the Save Our Settlement Appeal after the Settlement closed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Colin Connelly
Date of First Appointment: 21 November 2023
Positions Held: Member of Property Sub Committee
Colin is a long-term resident of Letchworth. He was a structural and civil engineer, and was an early implementer of Computer Aided Design in construction.
Collette Hoefkens
Date of First Appointment: 21 November 2023
Positions Held: Member of Fundraising and Volunteers Sub Committee
Colette has lived in Hertfordshire since she was a child. She has been a professional artist for over 30 years. She established Norton Way Gallery in 2007. She exhibits her work there and in the Wren Gallery in Burford. She works with, and represents, over 30 artists from across the UK and Europe. She has been teaching for over 20 years and started the life drawing classes at the Settlement in 2004.
Natalie Maguire
Date of First Appointment: 27 August 2020
Positions Held: Member of Programmes Sub Committee
For most of her career Natalie taught English to, and organised courses for, adults and 16-19 year olds in two London colleges of further education. When she retired she moved to Hitchin and discovered the Settlement.
