Who we are

Tom is an executive coach working with senior leaders and their teams in public and private sector organisations. He has a background as a professional expedition leader, which involved leading treks and managing projects in developing countries.

Tom became a governor for the Debtor’s Relief Funds Charity in 2008 and has a particular interest in the creation of rehabilitation cultures within prisons.

As Executive Director at Changing Lives Laura leads services for women and employment, with responsibility for projects across the North and Midlands. She is driven by the commitment to ensure that quality and growth is led by listening to the people who use the services and experiences of our staff, to meet the needs of people with severe and multiple disadvantage in our communities. Laura sees her role as providing a connection to policy makers, building influence across strategic and political landscapes.

This takes her into the world of institutional advocacy and system change, while building close connections with a wide range of partners – especially as Women’s Specialist on the RR3 advisory group for Ministry of Justice and Chair of the Women’s Network Forum. She sees creativity and innovation as imperative for the sector to thrive. This means exploring diverse opportunities for business development including social investment, the arts, building cross-sector consortia and national partnerships.

A Marketing and Publicity Executive with experience in fiction and non-fiction. Management of digital communities and 360-degree campaigns for both personal and professional brands.

Specialties: book publishing, digital publishing, marketing and publicity, social media and communications, copywriting, project management, administration, data management

David has spent his long career in financial services working for a variety of investment and merchant banks. He has acted as both an adviser and lender during this time, working extensively with privately backed growth companies. He spent a year mid-career completing a Masters at London Business School. He is a keen historian and sportsman.

Cathy is the Volunteer Coordinator for the Invisible Walls family support project at HMP Winchester, managing a team of up to 80 volunteers who help to run the Visitors Centre and Play Area at the prison. The project aims to support the Dads inside maintain strong family bonds through parenting courses, one to one support and provision of play activities and a Visitors Centre.

Her background in administration, family work across a range of settings coupled with a lifetime of volunteering roles have led to working with the Debtors Relief Charity. Her previous roles have been in infant schools, fostering agencies, HomeStart and NCMA with brief spells working for two membership organisations, the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and the Legal Education and Training Group, running their membership service, events and website.

Gavin’s great grandfather Judge H.B. Hans Hamilton was President of the Society from 1911 – 1934, and his Grandfather and Father followed him as Governors. Gavin was asked to become a Governor over twenty years ago, and has enjoyed assisting the Society towards its goal of helping people.

His career has been in the hospitality industry and he has spent many years looking after members of the Fourth Estate. He now works for a research company and lives in Cornwall.

Jason is a Senior Civil Servant based in Manchester with extensive experience of delivering business, digital and legislative change across the justice system, working collaboratively with a range of partners and stakeholders, and developing high performing teams. Jason has a strong record of collaborative working with a wide range of senior leaders, delivery partners and the judiciary to deliver better outcomes for people using the justice system.

He is married with three children, and volunteers within the local community to lead a football club with over 200 boys and girls, is an FA qualified coach, and is the lead coach for a girls football centre, and for an Under 14 boys team. Jason became a Governor for the Debtor’s Relief Charity in 2019.