Trustees & Staff

Our trustees sit on The Management Committee, which is responsible for overseeing the affairs and property of The Trust. The Committee has a minimum of 10 members and a maximum of 15, all of whom should be on the electoral register for Kew or Richmond wards, or have an established connection with the area which benefits from The Trust’s activities. For brief biographies on the trustees click here. The Trust tries, where possible, to recruit staff from within the local community.  Brief biographies of current staff members can be found here. Details of which sub-committees trustees and staff sit on can be found here.

Trustees

Louise Fluker (Chair)

Louise joined as Trustee in September 2021. She has lived in Kew on and off since 1963. After qualifying as a barrister she worked for a Lloyds insurance broker and as an in-house lawyer ending up as General Counsel & Company Secretary for an international FTSE 250 company. Since retiring she has been a trustee of various charities and was Chair of  Richmond & Hillcroft Adult & Community College and is currently Vice Chair of The Richmond Society. She is interested in gardening, travel and the arts.

John Armitstead

John became a Trustee in 2018.  After practising as a hospital doctor, he obtained a Diploma in Osteopathy and ran his own osteopathic practice as well as continuing in hospital medicine.  He was a member of the Kings Fund consultative committee, which led to the passing of the Osteopaths Act, and served on the first General Osteopathic Council.  He finished his career in hospital medicine as well as working as a GP with the homeless.  Now retired, John enjoys opera and climbing mountains.  Having enjoyed running marathons, age now largely limits him to walking and yoga.

Rita Kamat

Rita became a Trustee in 2016 and has lived in Kew since 1994. She holds a BA (Hons) in English Literature and a Masters’ in Education. She is passionate about the Kew community and volunteers for KNA, another local charity. She has been involved with her children’s schools, fundraising for them and their charities, as well as supporting Indian charities. Rita is interested in building public awareness and raising the profile of KCT and The Avenue Club in the local community. She is on the Fundraising committee and supports the Communications Team. Rita loves walking, enjoys playing bridge and cooking.

David Polya

After graduating from university, David built a career spanning 27 years in the textile industry, including 22 years with Laura Ashley. During his time there, he held several senior roles, notably serving as Buying Director of Home Furnishings in Boston, USA, for four years. Following his tenure at Laura Ashley, David joined Homebase as a Senior Buyer before deciding to pursue a new direction. He enrolled in a course titled Working for a Charity, which led to his appointment as Centre Director for KCT in 2007—a role he held for a decade. David retired in 2017 but remained committed to the organisation’s mission. In 2022, he returned to KCT as a Trustee, continuing to contribute his expertise and passion for community work.

Steve Robinson

Steve became a Trustee in 2014 and is a member of the Buildings Sub-Committee. Steve is a retired Civil/Structural Engineer.  His career was largely based in the Far East managing the planning and design of Mass Transit Railways.  After more than 30 years away, Steve and his wife moved back to the UK in 2009 to live in Kew where they have had property since 1981.

Dominic Evans

Dominic became a Trustee in September 2022.  He has lived in Kew for the last five years, and in North Richmond for twenty years prior to that.  He has had a career as a Corporate Treasurer working in multinational companies and is now a stay-at-home Dad.  He is also the Treasurer and a Trustee of a Riding for the Disabled Carriage Driving Group.  Dominic is an active member of Richmond Cricket Club where he used to manage junior teams and still plays competitively. He is also a keen sports fan, supporting the Chelsea men’s and women’s football teams, Surrey cricket and London Welsh and Wales at rugby.

Steve Williams

Steve first lived in Kew from 1988 to 2000 when he went with his wife and two very young children to take up a post working in the Caribbean. On his return to the UK in 2011 he lived initially in Malvern but when his children went off to university, he and his wife realised that Kew was where they wanted to live and moved back here. Steve is a chartered accountant who spent his career with a number of organisations, including PriceWaterhouse Coopers and Philips Electronics, working as a finance director/chief operating officer. Steve now undertakes the roles of Treasurer and Trustee for a number of charities. Two of the charities with which he is associated are local – the Kew Society and Integrated Neurological Services, where Steve is the chair of the finance committee. Steve is an enthusiastic tennis player (a member of Pensford Tennis Club), a keen choral singer and enjoys music, good food and wine.

Caroline Smee

Caroline became a KCT trustee in 2024.  She has lived in North Road in Kew for over 40 years and before that in Mortlake.  Both her children went to junior school in Kew.  She has served on committees for both the Kew Neighbourhood Association who she currently drives for, and Pensford Tennis Club.

Gillian Thorpe

Gillian lived in Kew for 15 years before moving to Richmond, but maintains many connections. After a career in publicity and PR which included Granada Television, Michelin (London and Paris), The Wembley Conference Centre and General Electric (Information Services), she changed career and joined the Orange Tree Theatre as executive director in 1982, staying for 32 years until retirement in 2014, having seen it through from its fringe origins in the room above the Orange Tree Pub to the current thriving Off-West-End theatre. Voluntary roles, before and after retirement, include as a Trustee for the Shooting Star Children’s Hospice (8 years), a committee member organising the Richmond May Ball (over 20 years), a trustee for Arts Richmond, a volunteer advisor on fundraising and governance for Richmond EAL Group, and chairing the New Orange Tree Theatre Trust which owns the theatre’s buildings.

Staff

Martin – Centre Director

Martin Keene has joined Kew Community Trust as its new Centre Director.  Taking over the reins from Cindy, Martin has lived in Kew with his wife, Laura, for 15 years and had a long career in the media, working for the Press Association – the UK’s national news agency. 
Martin said: “I have heard so much about the Avenue Club: it’s at the heart of the community and one of the real attractions of living in Kew. I have only been here a short time, but I can see how important the club is to its members. I am hugely impressed by the dedication and hard work of the staff and the support provided by the trustees”.  Away from work, Martin is a keen photographer and beekeeper, and keeps busy walking the three West Highland White Terriers who share Laura’s and his home

Bernadette Bird – Finance Manager

Bernadette, who was born and raised in Budapest, has a background in financial management with international experience in senior finance roles in the private and public sectors. She has lived in Kew since 2003. While taking a career break to raise her three boys, Bernadette enjoyed being involved with voluntary work in the local community, including serving as a governor and chairing the Finance Committee at The Queen’s School. She is a Trustee and Treasurer of The Barn Nursery. She joined KCT in June 2019. When not working or volunteering, she enjoys playing tennis or taking long walks with the family dog.

Hilde Bysheim – Facilities Manager

Hilde, originally from Norway, has lived in London since 1991. With a strong background in health and wellness, she ran her own Wellbeing & Fitness business in Kew for 18 years, helping clients improve their physical and mental wellbeing.  Currently, she is the Facilities Manager at KCT – responsible for maintaining the building, and is also part of the hire team for the Avenue Halls. In addition to her role at KCT, Hilde works as a massage therapist, and is an avid knitter. She actively participates in the local community, having been on the committee of Kew Fete since its inception, and contributed to the management of Kew Village Market for many years.

Charlotte Bridgewater – Avenue Club Manager

Charlotte joined The Avenue Club in November 2022. She studied Graphic Design at Camberwell College of Art before transitioning into event management. Her career began at Kew Gardens, where she organized weddings, and later moved into corporate hospitality. Charlotte then worked for a children’s charity as a Wish Granter and went on to lead their Hospital Services programme. Following this, she built experience as a freelance Event Manager. Outside of work, Charlotte enjoys gardening, swimming, and exploring art galleries.

Gabriella Callegari  – The Avenue Halls Assistant

Gabriella is responsible for managing the hire and coordination of The Avenue Halls for a wide range of events, including wedding receptions, birthday celebrations, memorials, and meetings. Before joining KCT, she built her career in the tech industry, where she held various roles in sales support and marketing management following the completion of her Business Degree. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking, walking, cycling, and practising yoga/pilates. She also volunteers at her local church, supporting a range of charity projects.

Sue Withers – Avenue Club Assistant

Sue joined The Avenue Club in September 2021. She has 36 years PA/Admin experience and training in various sectors, the last 16 years working for London Borough of Richmond, first in the Schools’ Library Service before moving to Admin Officer for Children’s Centres supporting families in the community. Sue was born in Barnes where her family have lived for over 100 years, and now lives in Teddington with her husband. Sue enjoys spending time at their allotment or at the National Archives in Kew researching family history and volunteering online, transcribing records for the next generation of researchers. She is looking forward to making a positive contribution to The Avenue Club and serving the community of Kew.

Eram Cooper – Avenue Club Assistant

Eram is a local resident of Kew and started volunteering at the Avenue Club in March 2024, and became a member of staff in August 2024. Eram organises the First Friday Lunches at Kew Community Trust and is a professional baker and chocolatier, with 14 years of experience in the food industry. Prior to her interest in baking, she worked as a research assistant in the field of Public Health in Bangladesh. Eram holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from Monash University Australia.

Patrick Akumamoah-Boateng – Site Supervisor

Patrick has worked for the Centre and St Luke’s Church since 1991. At the time when Patrick started working at the Centre it was known as St Luke’s Community Trust which was then run by social services in the Borough.  Patrick is well known by many generations of the Kew Community. Richmond has been home to Patrick and his family since 1994. Patrick was born in Ghana and moved to the UK during 1990. He has a beautiful wife and 4 children, who can sometimes be quite a handful!

Marlene Lawrence – Chef

Marlene has worked as the Chef at the Avenue club for the last 3.5 years, after a house move into the Avenue.  Having previously worked as a nurse and spending a period of time in the diplomatic service working in New York, she settled into early years education and bringing up a young family. 
A lifelong love of cooking led to volunteering to be the chef at the Avenue Club. 
In her spare time, she has helped to run the last  2 Couch to 5k Kew programs, and  runs a wild swim group, started  in lockdown – the Teddington Bluetits, which has 2000 members.  She works with local politicians against the sewage problems in the river and is currently working with the mayor of London to make the river at Teddington swimmable for all within 10 years.  Marlene was recently awarded a runner-up prize in BBC London’s Make a Difference awards for taking action in the community.

Daiva Krovikova – Cleaner

Daiva, who has worked within the Kew community since 2005, began working for the Kew Community Trust in 2016. She tries to visit her home country, Lithuania, whenever she can.

Sub-Committees:

The Chair of Trustees is a floating member of all sub-committees.

Avenue Club: Chair: John Armitstead Members: Charlotte Bridgewater,  Sue Withers, Caroline Smee, Gill Linthwaite

Buildings: Chair: Steve Robinson, Members: Martin Keene, David Polya, Hilde Bysheim, Gillian Thorpe

Finance: Chair: Steve Williams, Members: Dominic Evans, Martin Keene, Bernadette Bird

Fundraising: Chair: Rita Kamat, Members:

Governance: Chair: Dominic Evans, Members: Steve Williams, Martin Keene