Trustees
Our trustees are all volunteers with a broad range of skills and experience. They meet around six times a year to review progress against our plans and to plan for the future. As volunteers we do not provide direct contact details for them but if there is something you think needs discussing with them we would encourage you to send us a message.

Frances Gawthrop- Trustee since 2001
Frances Gawthrop is Director of Research and Development at Tozer Seeds. She has general management experience as well as an interest in research. She has previously been the charity’s treasurer.

Angela Hunter- Trustee since 1992
Angela Hunter is a retired Speech and Language Therapist and continues to advise the charity in this capacity as well as being a Trustee.

Clare Robinson- Trustee since 2014
Clare Robinson is Head of Research at DEBRA International. She is keen to see EDS UK become a regular funder of high-quality research and advises the charity in this capacity.

Leah Mansfield- Trustee since 2013
Leah is a barrister. She is currently on long-term leave from her legal career and has recently become more involved in the charity’s fundraising efforts.

Stephen Stacey- Trustee since 2017, Chair
Stephen Stacey became Chair in November 2020. He has a background in the motor industry, holding senior management positions. Most recently he was MD for EuroRAP, a European road safety not-for-profit organisation.. He recently completed a charity governance qualification with City, University of London Business School.

Jason Pearce- Treasurer, Trustee since 2018
Jason Pearce is a qualified accountant and has held several senior finance positions. He set up his own rail telecommunications integration technology business in 2011 and sold it to Panasonic in 2016. He is currently working as a consultant in the same industry. Jason’s daughter has EDS.

Adrian Steel- Trustee since 2018
Adrian Steel is an archivist and held several leadership positions in the culture sector before founding The Postal Museum in 2017. He secured a significant sum from the sale of Royal Mail to maintain the museum and its archives and has been successful in securing other significant income in the culture sector.

Charlotte Williams- Trustee since 2020
Biography coming soon

Sarita Aujla- Trustee since 2020
Sarita Aujla is a Partnerships Manager at Diabetes UK, specialising in Trust and Statutory fundraising. She has published health research on the NHS Stop Smoking Services in the Journal of Smoking Cessation and has a BSc (Hons) Psychology from University College London. Sarita lives with hEDS.