Members are in effect the ‘guardians’ of the governance of the trust as they sit at the top of the governance structure. The first members were the signatories to the memorandum of association when the trust was formed in 2017. The members hold the trust board to account for the effective governance of the trust. They are tasked with assessing if the board of trustees is performing well, and that the purpose of the trust and its charitable objectives are being fulfilled.  

Mark Beamish - Education Welfare Specialist

Marks is passionate about supporting and challenging schools to provide high-quality education for all children.
Mark was employed by North Somerset Local Authority for 12 years in the Education Welfare Department. As an EWO he worked in primary schools, secondary schools and pupil referral units, providing welfare support and holding schools accountable. He was responsible for developing the North Somerset attendance policy, led the persistent absence initiative and was a member of the South Ward Intervention Panel. He has a vast experience of multi-agency working.

Bill Bearsby - Engineer

Bill retired from a senior supplies planning engineer Rolls Royce where he worked regularly in America. Currently chair of Locking Parish Council where he has been a councillor for 37 years.
Bill has also chaired other committees previously including - Parish Council member of the North Somerset Standards Board, Treasurer of the Institute of work study practitioners Bristol Branch and Sports and Social Club.

Tara Featherstone - HR specialist 

Tara is the head of HR for one of the largest food wholesalers in the UK. Managing and leading the HR Business partnering across support functions for a nationwide food wholesaler. Tara has worked within the industry for sixteen years and has a wealth of experience across business support functions from Buying, Finance, IT, Supply Chain, Technical Services, Audit, Fleet, Customer Marketing to overseeing the development and delivery of people plans. 

Justin Harvey Bennett - Engineer and Environmentalist

Justin has worked in the construction industry since 1990 and is a Chartered Engineer, Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building and a Chartered Environmentalist. He has worked in all areas of the built environment both at a technical and managerial capacity. Justin has worked in North Somerset Council leading on the design and construction of schools and commercial building projects. Justin has many years of governance experience, as chair of governors of an outstanding school, and as a non-executive director on the trust board.