About Us
The Livewell Foundation was incorporated by the Charities Commission in 2017 with the purpose of making a real difference to the people of Plymouth and South West Devon.
The Foundation administers the charitable funds for services run by Livewell Southwest CIC. It also awards grants to support community projects and initiatives to help improve health and wellbeing, prevent ill health or reduce social isolation within Plymouth and South West Devon.
We use our knowledge of the local area, as well as our desire to improve the health and wellbeing of the community we work within, to distribute funds to fantastic causes and initiatives on behalf of our donors.
The Foundation provides a flexible, personal and responsible way for donors, both individual and organisational, to invest in the local community, safe in the knowledge that all due diligence has been undertaken.
Board of Trustees
The Livewell Foundation’s Board of Trustees is structured into specialist subgroups focusing on Fundraising, Grants, and Strategy. Each trustee contributes their individual expertise to these areas, enabling deeper research, discussion, and development. This way of working ensures that decisions are informed, collaborative, and aligned with the Foundation’s vision. By combining their skills and knowledge, trustees strengthen the Foundation’s ability to manage resources effectively, deliver meaningful grants, and plan for long-term sustainability.
Chris brings a wealth of experience in finance, strategic leadership and business development to his role as Chair of the Livewell Foundation. His career in Asset Finance has seen him work closely with clients across the manufacturing, advanced engineering and sustainable technology sectors, providing funding solutions that foster innovation and growth.
Before entering the finance sector, Chris served as a Royal Marine—an experience that continues to inform his leadership style, resilience and ability to manage high-pressure situations with clarity and integrity. He combines these attributes with a deep understanding of financial systems and market trends to deliver effective, long-term solutions for businesses and communities.
Chris is passionate about community wellbeing and uses his professional skills to champion initiatives that support health equity and sustainable development. As Chair, he plays an active role in shaping the Foundation’s strategic direction and forging partnerships that have lasting, meaningful impact.
Leading by example, in 2024 Chris took on the London Landmark Half Marathon for The Livewell Foundation, one of a team of five who raised over £7,000 in total.
Geoff Baines qualified as a social worker and has worked in health and social care services for more than 30 years. His roles vary from direct care, to commissioning and strategic leadership, both regionally and nationally. He became Livewell Southwest’s Director of Professional Practice, Safety and Quality in September 2013.
Geoff has extensive safety and quality experience. He was director of the external change team appointed to respond to the Health Care Commission’s investigation of Budock Hospital in Cornwall in 2006.
He also helped coordinate NHS England’s response to Winterbourne View in 2011, has been chair of the National Strategic Health Authority addressing national learning disability and safeguarding developments, and was head of patient experience across the south of NHS England.
Raised in Plymouth and its surrounding areas, Geoff graduated with a degree in Social Policy and a further Masters Degree in Business Administration from Plymouth University in 2002.
Geoff joined the board of Livewell Foundation trustees in 2019.
Amie is a committed community leader with a strong background in social impact, grassroots engagement and supporting people through recovery, empowerment and sustainable change. She currently serves as Assistant Manager at Firestone Plymouth, a supported housing project for men overcoming drug and alcohol addiction, where she plays a central role in enabling individuals to rebuild their lives within a mutual aid community.
Alongside this, Amie works as a facilitator with Gifted Women, leading Kaleidoscope sessions designed to support women with lived experience of disadvantage or adversity to discover confidence, creativity and new opportunities.
Amie’s professional experience is rooted in community building, having previously worked as Volunteer Coordinator for Nudge Community Builders. In this role, she helped shape inclusive volunteer pathways, strengthened local networks, and supported a wide range of place-based initiatives across Plymouth.
A trustee of the Livewell Foundation since 2022, Amie brings a compassionate, person-centred perspective to the board. She is particularly passionate about tackling health inequalities and ensuring that communities are given the tools and voice to shape their own futures.
Jack Harvey is an Associate in the Foot Anstey Corporate team advising on a broad range of corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions (on sell and buy side), corporate governance and group re-organisation advisory work. He has a focus on advising owner owned businesses helping them achieve their exit and succession plans. Jack has particular experience of deals in the charity sector. He regularly acts on mergers and acquisitions for charities and not-for-profits, including companies limited by guarantee, charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs) and charitable trusts. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, playing golf, football and passionately supporting West Ham United.
Ollie is a busy professional business owner. He is passionate about his local community and helping people thrive.
As a Director and Co-Founder at growing local telecoms provider Agile Comms, he works closely with organisations to help them communicate and collaborate better. The business is based on the shared values of the co-founders, providing honest, dependable advice and partnerships.
Alongside the day job Ollie is a Director at The Devon and Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, he fronts an 8-piece party band, he runs fundraising events and he enjoys trail running events across the westcountry. Ollie lives near Plymouth with his young family.
This is Ollie’s first trusteeship and he brings a fresh, engaging voice to the team.
Rachel is well known in the business community having lived and worked in the City for over 30 years; commencing her career at Plymouth Sound Radio (now Heart FM) where she spent over a decade undertaking a range of roles including Office Management, sales and promotions and presenting on the breakfast show. Following that, Rachel invested time in the public sector working within youth offender teams and Children’s Centres within Cardiff and Plymouth City Centres. Rachel then transitioned to the third sector as Operations Coordinator within a charity supporting people affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence. This role included volunteer recruitment, training, project management, quality standards accreditation and fundraising. In 2019 Rachel joined shipping company, Brittany Ferries as Office Manager and quickly rose to Head of UK Agency; assisting in leading the company through the Covid pandemic and Brexit. Latterly, in 2023 Rachel was headhunted to a newly created role as Head of Operations, People & Culture for a London based Chartered Accountancy in a hybrid format to deliver growth and diversity across the company.
Rachel was appointed trustee to the Livewell Foundation in 2019.
John Napton is an accomplished senior leader with extensive experience in the maritime and transport sector. Over the course of his career, he has held senior executive roles requiring strong governance, strategic oversight, and effective stakeholder engagement — qualities which he now brings to his role as a trustee at The Livewell Foundation.
John has previously served as Chief Executive Officer at Condor Ferries, where he held overall responsibility for the company’s operations, finances, and regulatory compliance. Prior to this, he was Director of UK and Irish Agencies at Brittany Ferries, strengthening partnerships, driving business development, and ensuring services met the highest standards of safety and compliance.
John grew up in Plymouth and has built a career defined by strong leadership, robust strategic planning, and an ability to guide organisations through complex periods of change. His experience in managing large teams, budgets, and governance frameworks equips him with valuable insight into the responsibilities of charity stewardship.
John’s commitment to accountability, compliance, and sustainable growth makes him ideally placed to support The Livewell Foundation in achieving its mission to improve health and wellbeing across local communities.
Much of Kay's working life has been spent in social care, training and employment. Kay has been involved in projects and enterprises that work towards reducing social isolation, improving health and well-being, helping prevent ill health and striving for a society that’s accessible and allows opportunities for everyone.
Key's interest in grassroots organisations and charities and community groups led her to become a school governor of two special schools, regional committee chair for Scope, a director of Improving Lives, trustee for Plymouth, Octopus Project, regional committee member for Children in Need and trustee for Step One.
In 2002, Kay founded Friends and Families charity and has spent the last 20 years being involved in campaigning, developing and shaping both national and local strategy and provision for families with disabled children and young people.
Through this work, Kay has gained extensive experience and insight of working within the charity sector, and she brings a wealth of knowledge and skills, in charity, governance, fundraising, networking, and partnership working.
Nakul is a CIMA associate member with professional expertise in finance and accountancy. Alongside his career, he has volunteered as treasurer and secretary for a local residents’ association, gaining valuable experience in governance and community engagement.
He joined the Livewell Foundation board of trustees in 2019 and currently serves as Treasurer. In this role, he provides oversight of the charity’s financial management, ensuring transparency, compliance, and good stewardship of resources. Nakul is committed to supporting the Foundation’s mission of improving health and wellbeing across Plymouth and South West Devon, bringing both financial acumen and a passion for community impact to his trustee work.
Juliet joined the Livewell Foundation board with a long-standing commitment to social justice, community engagement and tackling inequality. Her career began in nursing, followed by a move into community development and a degree in Social Policy and Administration, alongside a professional diploma in Community Work.
For 14 years, Juliet worked within the voluntary sector in Plymouth, becoming the first Director of Plymouth & Devon Racial Equality Council and helping to establish the city’s annual Respect Festival. She later became Director of Equality and Diversity for Devon and Cornwall Police, where she integrated equality and human rights into policing strategy, service delivery and organisational culture—both locally and nationally.
Juliet currently serves as a Non-Executive Director for Livewell Southwest and brings to the Foundation board a deep understanding of systemic inequality, public service development and inclusive leadership. She is passionate about ensuring that lived experience is central to decision-making and service design.
Trevor Smale has held a range of senior leadership roles across Devon, including serving as Chief Executive of Torridge District Council and a long-standing tenure as Grant Manager for the Lloyds TSB Foundation. He has extensive board-level experience with prominent third sector organisations such as Dartmoor National Park Authority, BBC Children in Need, and CEDA. Trevor brings a wealth of expertise in grant management, strategic leadership, and governance, underpinned by a deep commitment to community development and social impact.
Paul Soley is an accomplished Allied Healthcare and Management Professional with a wealth of experience spanning both the NHS and private healthcare sectors. As the Managing Director of Homewell Plus, Paul is deeply committed to transforming care for vulnerable individuals, with a particular focus on enhancing healthcare standards, professional support, and leadership within care settings. His passion for innovation and improvement in service delivery drives his work every day. Outside of his professional role, Paul is a dedicated runner and sea swimmer, finding balance and inspiration through his love of the outdoors.
Morris completed 31 years of service with the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, rising through the ranks to become Chief Superintendent. During his policing career, he took on senior roles including serving as Plymouth’s Senior Police Officer, where he contributed to forming the City Strategic Partnership and focused on developing safe and strong communities.
After his policing career, Morris became the Plymouth Domestic Abuse Partnership Manager, with responsibility for developing a city-wide strategy and action plan for improving support for domestic abuse victims and their families. One of his notable achievements in that role was setting up a service user forum called SEEDS, which gained national recognition for effective community engagement.
Since 2011, Morris has also been a Non-Executive Director for Livewell Southwest CIC, where he has cultivated particular interests in issues affecting older people, carers, and community wellbeing. He has been a trustee of The Livewell Foundation since it was founded in 2017.