Trustees

The Trustees are drawn from various backgrounds, but are a combination of people who are professionally familiar with the needs of young people, and know the voluntary and community sector, together with legal and financial advisors who give guidance on the management of the Trust's funds.

Rev John Robert Munro (Chair)

Minister at Stockbridge Parish Church, Edinburgh and Fairmilehead Parish Church, Edinburgh. Educated at Glasgow University, The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and New College, University of Edinburgh. John has been involved with the charity since 1988.


Fiona Wilson (Vice Chair)

Fiona Wilson trained as an Occupational Therapist working across several specialties. Fiona has a background both working in acute hospitals and in health and social care, and is currently Joint Director in the East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership. She has a strong interest in supporting the outcomes for young people and is keen to use her experience to support the work of The Ponton Trust.

Fiona Watson

Shulah Allan

Shulah has been a trustee since 2003 and is retired from a working life in the third sector in Edinburgh, latterly as the Director of EVOC. Since becoming retired Shulah has been a director or trustee of a number of public and third sector organisations and trusts, most of them operating locally. She is very aware and supportive of the impact that a grant from The Ponton Trust has had, and continues to have, on projects and services benefitting children, young people and families throughout Lothian.

Shulah Allan

Ian Boardman

Ian was Director of LAYC (Lothian Association of Youth Clubs) for over 30 years and as a result has significant commitment to, and experience in, youth and children’s work across Edinburgh and beyond. Now retired, Ian continues to be involved in a range of voluntary work in his local community in Leith. Ian also shares a passion for the national football team and is a card-carrying member of the Tartan Army which produces as much pain as gains.

Ian Boardman

Hina Hirani

Hina is a qualified architect with 30 years of experience in sustainable design, community-led planning, and placemaking. She has won three major design awards and has presented her work at local, national, and international conferences.

Driven by her passion for making a positive impact in disadvantaged communities, Hina has dedicated much of her time to charitable work and strategic partnerships. Her extensive experience in the voluntary sector ranges from helping individuals tackle mental health and well-being issues to serving on boards at a strategic level to identify fundable programs. Drawing insights from Church of Scotland communities, Hina currently works as a Creative Placemaking & Urban Design Officer at Angus Council to help make a positive difference in our local places. She has a particular interest in creating safe spaces and places for young people and children, particularly teenage girls within our society. Working with various local, national, and international organizations, Hina supports initiatives spanning health, education, social, and environmental causes for children, young people, and families.

Her expertise in community-led planning and collaboration with stakeholders from all sectors make her a valuable addition to any charitable organization, including The Ponton Trust.

Hina Hirani

Lynsey Kerr

Lynsey is a Partner in the Private Client team at Lindsays Solicitors in Edinburgh dealing with Wills, Powers of Attorney, Trusts (including Charitable Trusts) and the Administration of Estates. Lynsey is also a Governor of a local Edinburgh Hospice and a Trustee of another trust providing grants for people over the age of 60 in Scotland.

Lynsey Kerr

Penny Richardson

Penny Richardson has extensive leadership and   managerial experience, paid and voluntary, at local, regional, Scottish and UK levels in theatre and community arts, (Traverse Theatre, Theatre Workshop Edinburgh) health and social care (Edinburgh & Lothian Council on Alcohol and Living Well North Edinburgh), public health and consumer rights, (Scottish Association of Health Councils), combatting health inequalities, (Chair of the Public Health Alliance Scotland and the Scottish Association for Mental Health “Why women?” Campaign.)  She was a founder member of the Cervical Smear Campaign in the 1980s and 1990s.

She is the former Chair of Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council, one of Scotland’s largest and most highly regarded Councils of Voluntary Service and was the first voluntary sector chair of the Edinburgh Compact Partnership, itself the first in Scotland.

She has been in the vanguard of developing service user involvement and played a key role in the support and development of the first ever Patients’ Council in Scotland at Bangour Village Psychiatric Hospital, West Lothian.

She has been a Patient Representative with the South East Scotland Cancer Network and a member of the NHS Lothian Co-Design Group for the new  Edinburgh Cancer Centre. Since February 2020, she has been a person affected by cancer member of the Scottish Government/Macmillan Cancer Support Transforming Cancer Care Executive Group.

She has also been a purchase ledger clerkess, a secretary, an adult education worker, a nanny, and a cleaner. And in the 1980’s she was one of the 3 million unemployed people in the UK.

Penny is now retired.

Penny Richardson

Toby Ross

Toby Ross is a Partner in Baillie Gifford & Co, an investment management firm which he joined in 2006. Toby joined the Trust as a Trustee in 2020, and helps to oversee the Trust’s investment portfolio.

Toby Ross

Jim Verth

 

 

Secretary

David Reith

David was a Partner at Lindsays Solicitors in Edinburgh for a number of years. An experienced charity lawyer David provided advice to a wide range of Scottish-based charities on such matters as governance, management and legal issues.

Now retired, David continues to serve as a Trustee on a number of Scottish charitable trusts and is the main point of contact as Secretary of the Trust