PATRON
Jane Arden lived in Malawi for twenty-two years, beginning as a teacher, and was married there to Donald Arden the new Bishop. For sixteen years she looked after the Diocesan Building Department drawing plans and supervising contractors building health and school buildings in the southern and central regions. She later worked with the London Diocesan Board for Schools for sixteen years.Jane was a trustee of MACS from 1997.to 2019
CHAIRMAN/MEDICAL PROJECTS
Dr. Martin Herrick is a retired consultant anaesthetist. He spent a year in Malawi after leaving school, during which time he supervised much building work at Malosa and at St. Anne’s Hospital, Nkhotakota. His last project was the laying of the foundations of St. Luke’s Hospital, Malosa.
After qualifying as a doctor, he spent a year in a mission hospital in the South African Transkei. Subsequently he returned to work at St. Luke’s for 2 years, with short spells at St. Anne’s.
Since then he has been a member of educational teams to Africa, India and Romania.
TREASURER
Colin Gardner became Treasurer in May 2007. In 2012 he retired from running his accountancy practice but retains some business interests. Colin was Chairman of Governors of a local school for ten years and as a District Councillor for four years had a special interest in education and housing. Colin's first visit to Malawi was in 1995. As Treasurer he visits Malawi frequently to see completed projects and those in progress.
SECRETARY
Julie Lupton spent twenty two years living and teaching in Malawi, Swaziland and Tanzania. She first taught in northern Malawi between 1980 and 1988 and returned five years later to work in Blantyre for two years. She has taught in secondary schools and for the British Council. In 2002 she left Africa to live in Kent and became a supporter of MACS. Julie became a MACS trustee in 2011.
PROJECT OFFICER
Eileen Eggington served for 36 years in London’s Metropolitan Police, mainly in Special Branch at New Scotland Yard. As a detective chief superintendent, she was head of the VIP Protection Squad. Eileen first went to Malawi with a group from church in 2006. She was appointed Project Officer in March 2009 and maintains almost daily contact with Mr Grafiud Tione, the MACS' Representative in Malawi. Every year, with Grafiud and one or two other trustees, she visits ongoing and completed projects. Eileen has also led four working groups from the UK, mainly based at the rural village of Nkope where there is a blind school unit, primary school and medical centre.
VICE CHAIRMAN/WATER AND SOLAR POWER
Adrian Brown grew up in Malawi till age 18, living in Lilongwe and Zomba, and has retained an ongoing interest in the country, through Malawi groups in London, and visiting with his family subsequently. As an agricultural officer, his father took the family on frequent journeys to rural Malawi, and, indeed, lived on agricultural research stations in both Malawi and Botswana. Adrian has therefore retained a keen interest in development. He has been a supporter of MACS for a number of years.
Professionally, Adrian’s career has spanned operational management rolls in Boots, including running the Boots the Chemist stores in London, where he worked to ensure they were part of an integrated system of local healthcare services ; and more recently, in fund management, looking after pension fund and charity endowment money. He is also a Trustee of the Archbishop Tenison School Foundation, an inner London state school.
MEDICAL PROJECTS
Gillian Barber is a retired midwifery and nursing lecturer who lived in a Malawian village near Limbe while undertaking doctoral research. She worked for two years in rural Senegal and undertakes consultancy in various African countries including, for the last seven years, in the Somali region. Gillian maintains active links with Malawi and became a Trustee in 2015.
WEB-SITE
Richard Davies is a retired Mathematics teacher. He worked at Malosa Secondary School in Malawi from 1982 to 1987. He also worked in Zambia from 1974 to 1977 and Jamaica from 1971 to 1972. He became a MACS trustee in 2011.
MAGAZINE AND SAFEGUARDING
Margaret Campbell has had a lifelong interest in Malawi, starting with early childhood memories of waving her missionary aunt off at Heathrow to return to Nyasaland after furlough. She learned of MACS while working alongside Anthea Griggs, one of the founding trustees, who kept her well informed of their activities. Her first experience of rural Africa was a month spent in Kenya in the mid 1970s, visiting a friend working with VSO in a village deep in the Taita Hills.
Margaret started her working life as a PE teacher, but then moved into leisure management. As Sports and Physical Activity Manager for a London borough she worked mostly with schools, sports clubs, community groups and volunteers and with partner organisations, including undertaking many joint projects with Public Health..
After retiring, she joined the MACS trip to Malawi in 2016, became a trustee in 2017 and returned to Malawi with the Project Officer and Chairman in 2018. Experience and knowledge gained at work led to her becoming the MACS Safeguarding Officer. She also edits the newsletter and assists with the administration of bursaries.
Felicity Shoesmith (nee Leake) spent her early childhood in Malawi living at Chilema and going to school in Zomba. She has recently retired having worked for North Tyneside Council, in the North East of England for 37 years. She is a qualified Occupational Therapist and has an MBA. Felicity has a wide range of experience of working with small and medium sized third sector organisations. Felicity has helped run Sunday School at her local church for almost 30 years and is a member of their PCC.
MALAWI REPRESENTATIVE
Grafiud Tione, MA, MBA, has worked on behalf of MACS since it was founded by Margaret Parr in 1993. A married man with three adult daughters, Grafiud lives in Lilongwe and has oversight of all projects approved by trustees. In former years he was employed by the Ministry of Finance and was head of the Northern District Malawi Revenue Authority. His qualities of diplomacy and integrity have proved to be invaluable in helping the charity to use its resources to the maximum effect.