Chair
Retired from Buckinghamshire Council after 26 years’ service, Julia has extensive experience of working at a senior management level within the education and learning sectors.
Managing the development programmes and community outreach work within BCC Culture & Learning she has experience of partnership working with community groups, stakeholders and countrywide partners delivering educational and employment related community programmes, together with wellbeing activities.
Managing budgets of over £1m, she has delivered high quality project funded programmes within Buckinghamshire. She has an honours degree and postgraduate qualification in management and HR experience. Julia took over the role of Chair in 2017.
Finance Director
My name is Tony Skeggs and I am the Finance Director on the Board having joined in January 2020, prior to that I provided financial advice to the Healthy Living Centre for eighteen months which gave me an understanding of the services that it provides and allowed to me to get to know the hard-working staff at the HLC. During the week I work full-time as a parish clerk for three parishes, Stoke Mandeville, Stowe and Whitchurch prior to that I was the Finance Manager at Aylesbury Vale District Council.
Away from the HLC I enjoy watching sport and during the summer playing cricket for Kimble CC, captaining the second eleven. I am involved in the local football league, having served on the committee of the Aylesbury & District Football League for over 20 years, firstly in the capacity of secretary and now the treasurer. The weekends are taken up with walking my cocker spaniel, Ruby, as we try and find new places to explore. The summer months are spent helping my wife with the gardening in our and our mother’s gardens.
My name is Benedicta, and I have an extreme passion for working with and supporting communities. Born and raised in Aylesbury, and then studying for my Communications degree in Lincoln, working in London and then returning to raise my family – I have of course seen may changes – some for the better and others perhaps not.
I live by the mantra that every day is a school day and we can all learn from one another. Blessed with a wonderful husband and two amazing sons, no day is ever the same and yet I am inspired and driven to work harder by the ‘community’ I am proud to call my family. I’m big on the small things that make a huge difference – it’s often the things that are overlooked, so I’m relishing the prospect of working with others whilst being able to call on some of my own skills and experiences at HLC.
I hope that the network of contacts and colleagues that I have created and my diversity of thought will stand me in good stead to support the aims and objectives of the Healthy Living Centre.
I am is an experienced Information Technology industry professional with 17 years of experience in both commercial and not-for-profit sectors. My areas of expertise include information technology audit and risk management, business analysis, project delivery, system implementation and process improvement, gap analysis and selection of systems. Over the years I have undertaken projects many Fortune 500 companies: Hewlett-Packard, PepsiCo, and Parker Hannifin. I am currently employed as a senior IT portfolio manager for a private Health care company.
I have a Master level PG Diploma in Organisational Leadership from University of Oxford. Recently I have undertaken a postgraduate doctoral degree in Business and Management from University of Warwick with a focus on risk attitude and gender diversity on company boards. I serve as a Pupil Premium governor for local primary school in Aylesbury. Having lived in Aylesbury for nearly 20 years I joined HLC in 2019 with a view to be able to help to grow Health Living Centre as an organisation and enhance its services to local community of Walton Court and Southcourt. I am passionate about delivering value to organisations that have direct impact on people’s lives and well-being.
Former Mayor of Aylesbury
As the only remaining founder member of the Healthy Living Centre, I’ve served on the Board since it’s inception. It’s been heartwarming to watch the Centre’s growth from the small doctor’s surgery to the purpose built building it is now. It has been equally amazing to watch the services offered by the Centre expand to cover so many diverse activities.
I’ve lived in Aylesbury since 1982 and immediately found myself becoming involved as a local campaigner for the issues facing the residents. I have represented the residents of Aylesbury as a Town Councillor continuously since 2001. I also served as a Bucks County Councillor and Aylesbury Vale District Councillor. My involvement in the local community has been wide reaching included teaching English as a second Language under the NATESLA scheme mainly to the Asian Community and dealing with equality and diversity issues as a Board member of the Aylesbury Vale Equality Council.
A former Mayor of Aylesbury, I am currently the Armed Forces Champion for the Town Council and the Town Council representative on the Aylesbury Multicultural Centre Executive.
As a local campaigner, and on a wider scale, I am also Chairman of the Aylesbury Sea & Marine Cadets, Chairman of CHAT Children’s Charity, Chairman of the Aylesbury Town Twinning Association, Treasurer of the Buckinghamshire Army Benevolent Fund, member of the Buckinghamshire Army Cadet League, Primary School Governor and Girlguiding Ambassador for Buckinghamshire.
Pierre du Bois was invited to join the HLC Board in 2014. After working as a journalist for several years, Pierre was chosen as Buckinghamshire-wide communications manager for Thames Valley Police in 2006 where he was responsible for media and community relations. In 2011 he was appointed as Head of Communications for national charity Lymphoma Action, where he advocated on behalf of cancer patients and delivered a number of ambitious projects to raise the charity’s profile, including a branding revamp and the digital transformation of its patient information portfolio. In 2015 he joined the NHS as Communications and Engagement Lead Manager for the National Institute of Health Research in Oxford. He is currently the Strategic Lead for Communications, Marketing and Income for Paul Strickland Scanner Centre, a world-leading oncological imaging centre of excellence co-located with Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in Greater London.
Pierre has postgraduate qualifications in journalism, public relations, as well as leading and managing health care organisations.
He is a first generation immigrant and has lived in Aylesbury since 2004. Pierre is particularly interested in tackling health inequalities, in particular by giving young children the best start in life and by enabling people from immigrant communities like himself to make a full contribution to British society.
Former Nursery Manager and Early Years specialist
Kelly-Marie has been working in early years for over 15 years and has been in management for 6 years.
Kelly-Marie started working with us in Big Bear nursery in 2018 for 2 years before becoming a board member in October 2020.
Kelly-Marie has extensive knowledge through the early years sector and is designated safeguarding trained as well as holding a level 4 SEN diploma, she has gained extensive knowledge and a has built a positive history in working in partnership with outside agencies such as early years’ service at bucks cc, OFSTED, speech and language therapists, downs syndrome team, specialist teaching service and many more.
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