Meet the Trustees

Since becoming a charity in November 2020, we simply cannot operate without our fantastic Trustees

Linda Glew - Chair of Trustees

Linda brings over 30 years of experience in the voluntary and community sector to her role as Chair of Trustees at Focus4Hope. A proud West Yorkshire local, she has spent her career supporting organisations that strengthen families and communities at every stage of life.

Her background includes 12 years as Chief Executive of a Calderdale-based family support charity, where she led significant organisational growth and transformation. She has also managed major partnership programmes focused on reducing loneliness and building stronger connections for older people. Throughout her career, Linda has remained committed to strong governance, safeguarding, and ensuring charities are both compassionate and well-run.

As Chair, she is passionate about creating a board culture that is supportive, transparent and focused on impact. She believes good governance should quietly enable great frontline work – giving staff and volunteers the confidence, clarity and backing they need to serve their communities well.

Outside of her professional life, Linda is a mum to two grown-up sons and a very proud grandma to her teenage grandson. Family, community and connection sit at the heart of everything she does – values that strongly align with the mission of Focus4Hope.

Jo Core - Vice Chair

Jo brings a blend of private sector experience and deep community commitment to the Board of Trustees. After spending 33 years at Lloyds Banking Group in a range of roles including marketing, training, project/programme management and senior leadership, she transitioned into the charity sector where she has enjoyed both strategic and operational roles.

She’s held positions at organisations such as Calderdale SmartMove, Unmasked Mental Health, and currently Nest Helping the Homeless, where she serves as CEO. Alongside this, Jo runs her own freelance business, supporting local charities with funding bids, income generation strategies, and short-term project work.
Jo also gives her time to several voluntary roles in the region. She is Chair of Trustees at Magpies, a charity supporting adults with learning disabilities, and trustee for CFFC.

Passionate about making a difference at a grassroots level, Jo combines her skills in leadership, resilience, and relationship-building to help organisations meet the needs of their communities.

Outside of work, Jo is a proud bookworm who enjoys all genres and loves spending time with her husband, their cat, and the local wildlife she helps care for.

Mike Webb - Legal Trustee

Born in March 1953. Educated at St. David’s prep school in Huddersfield and then at Sedbergh.

Entire working life has been spent as a solicitor at Eaton Smith and Downey now just Eaton Smith. I practised mainly in matrimonial property disputes, employment Law and inheritance disputes.

I became a partner in 1985 and senior partner in 2017. I retired in 2020.

I’m married in 1980 and we have two children aged 42 and 39.

I’ve been heavily involved in sport throughout my life. I played cricket for Armitage Bridge CC from 1972 until 2009. I was 1^st XI captain between 1985 and 1989 and Club president from 1997 to 2001.

Played football for Huddersfield amateurs from 1971 until 2005 and have played golf at Huddersfield Golf Club from 1967 being captain in 2004 and president from 2020 until 2025. I still play about three times a week.

Gail Jeffreys - Secretary

Bio to follow

Margaret Cameron - HR Trustee

Maggie retired at the end of 2023 and started working as a volunteer for Focus4Hope in January 2024. She had worked in Human Resources for over 30 years in many different sectors including distribution, retail and communication.

Maggie wanted to support the charity using her extensive HR experience as well as on a practical level as a volunteer. Becoming a Trustee has helped her keep active in HR retaining her knowledge and giving back to the local community.

Outside of the charity she has many interests including travelling, dancing, theatre and eating in restaurants with friends.

Zoe Hands - Trustee

Zoe is the Sales Leader at The Leeds Marriott Hotel, where she’s been for an incredible 26 years. Alongside her busy career, she’s also a proud single parent of four amazing sons.

Zoe first connected with Focus4Hope after meeting Louise at a networking event in Leeds. Zoe was blown away to hear all about the charity. She soon got involved with the homeless feeds in Leeds and helping out at the hub in Brighouse. Zoe regularly supports the charity with donations from the hotel. She absolutely loves the valuable and life changing work Focus4Hope does because it supports so many vulnerable people.

Now, as a trustee, Zoe hopes that with her many networking contacts and events in Leeds, she can help bring in even more support for this amazing charity. She is honoured to be a trustee of such a fabulous organisation and looks forward to making a real difference in the local community.

Sarah Helliwell - Treasurer

Sarah has worked in accountancy for over 30 years. Specialising in the SME sector, she has worked for several firms including a top twenty company and several small independent firms. In 2012, Sarah moved to Cresswells, becoming a director in 2016.

Sarah’s favourite part of her role is helping her clients achieve their goals and watching the junior members of staff achieving their full potential.

Sarah has been married now for over 25 years and has one grown up son. She is an avid reader of crime novels and the occasional romance novel.