Our Branch is supported by a committee of locally elected volunteer Trustees who are responsible for the strategic vision and governance of the Branch.
We have a strong board of Trustees with a range of specialities and backgrounds that include accounting, law, finance, business development, property and marketing but who all share a strong passion for the charity and the promotion of good animal welfare in Mid Norfolk and North Suffolk.
Our Board of Trustees
John Pinnington
President
John has been a Trustee of the Branch for many years. He has also been a regional representative and member of the national council. John along with his late wife Julie once ran an animal centre and he is very involved in fundraising in the North Norfolk area.
Wendy Dowding
Vice President
Owning dogs nearly all her life, Wendy joined the Branch in 2011. Living and working in Norwich for 35 years, Wendy is passionate about animal welfare and sees education as the key to achieving a cultural change in the treatment of animals. Wendy has worked for a number of local businesses in administration over the years and even taught cooking at City College in the dim and distant past.
Stephen Read
Chair
I live in Norwich and have held senior finance roles in Norfolk for the past twenty years across financial services, health and social organisations. I've spent most of my life with cats and dogs and have been a Trustee since 2018. I am keen to see the Branch diversify and increase its income through enhanced fundraising, grants and new trading ventures. I am also challenging the Branch to consider if we are ambitious enough and how we can do more to help the people in our community learn about what is good animal kindness and provide more animal welfare within the resources that we have.
Andrea Shepheard
Hon. Secretary
Andrea only became a Trustee very recently but has always been passionate about animals and animal welfare. She has a background in business, has been a civil servant for several years & is currently owned by a former elderly feline resident of the RSPCA.
Glen Reynolds
Treasurer
Glen joined the Branch as a Trustee in 2018. He is an experienced Chartered Accountant and although recently retired, during his career he held the role of Finance Director across a number of sectors within both the private and public sectors. As a member of the Finance, Salaries & HR Sub-Committee, Glen, along with other colleagues, helps to provide robust oversight and challenge on proposals prior to their presentation to Trustee Board. Glen has lived in Norfolk all his life and is a keen animal lover, and currently has 2 dogs, a cockapoo and a labradoodle.
Amanda Jackson-Nichols
Trustee
Animal welfare has been an integral part of my life since childhood. My parents were keen supporters of the RSPCA, and I grew up with a variety of rescue animals. This has continued into my adulthood during which time we have been privileged to share our home with many rescue animals - currently we share our home with a very lively cocker spaniel and a rescue saluki. I am also a volunteer dog walker. Having retired from a thirty-year career as a corporate solicitor. I was fortunate enough in September 2021 to be accepted as a Trustee of the Branch. Since then, I have continued to be impressed with the great animal welfare work of the Branch and its professionalism. I look to combine my professional and legal experience with my passion for animal welfare in supporting the Branch in its great work going forwards. I have a particular focus on HR, being Chair of the HR Sub Committee. I also assisted the Branch in becoming a member of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, a forum to further promote the work of the Branch and share knowledge, including with other charities.
Joanna Church
Trustee
I applied to join the RSPCA Mid Norfolk and North Suffolk Board of Trustees in December 2023 and I'm enjoying volunteering alongside a team with compassion for animals at its heart. By way of background, I'm Norfolk born and bred, always had animals as part of the family and genuinely believe that life is better with furry and/or feathered companions in it. My working life has been quite varied over the years including the voluntary sector, criminal justice system and more recently focusing on governance, which comes in handy when I'm reading meeting papers and reports. Outside of work I am a declutterer and organiser, so I'm particularly looking forward to collecting donations and generally supporting our shops, as well as embracing all the other opportunities Trustees have to get involved with the Branch.
Mark Heaton
Trustee
I moved to Norfolk a couple of years ago after a successful career in Financial Services with various senior roles predominantly in London and Hong Kong and 10 years as a Commercial Director in Further Education. I have a number of interests including an involvement in various sports and volunteering with the National Trust. I am delighted to have been appointed as a Trustee and am keen to link my business experience with a strong interest in animal welfare and in particular look at ways in how we can increase the Branch’s revenue and activities.