The Trustees
Clare Morpurgo is a daughter of Allen Lane. She was awarded a Montessori Diploma in 1966 and a B.Ed. from Exeter University in 1977. She is married to Michael Morpurgo and has two sons, a daughter and six grand-children. She is the co-founder, with Michael Morpurgo, of Farms for City Children which set up its first farm in Devon in 1976. The charity now has two more farms, in Wales and Gloucestershire.
Fredrica Teale is a grand-daughter of Allen lane. She studied Archaeology at Durham University followed by Opera at Birkbeck. She previously worked as a part-time photographer and gallery assistant in West London and helped Hampstead Garden Opera with their publicity. Fredrica now lives near Winchester with her husband and two sons.
Lea Morpurgo is a great grand-daughter of Allen Lane. She has recently finished her studies at Durham University and is the newest member of the family to join the Trustees.
Guy Dehn is a history graduate (from Bristol) and then went from the Bar to public service work. After six years as legal officer to the National Consumer Council, he set up Public Concern at Work - the whistleblower’s charity. He left there in 2008 and is now campaigning on behalf of witnesses to violent crime. He lives in North London with his family.
John Hughes is a retired stockbroker. He spent the latter part of his career as Managing Director of the asset management division of Albert E.Sharp in Birmingham. He lives in Solihull with his wife and has two grown-up children.
The Staff
Tim Cutts joined the Foundation as Executive Secretary in December 2007. He was previously External Funding Officer at Bradford Council working in the Department of Culture, Tourism & Sport; Statutory and Trust Fundraising Manager for three years and Senior Grants Worker for two years at the Coalfields Regeneration Trust; Business Support Development Manager in the European Secretariat Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber. He is a Yorkshire Panel member and sits on the Board of WREN. He lives in Sheffield with his partner and two children.
Gill Aconley is the Grants Officer. She joined the Foundation when it moved to York in October 2001. After secretarial training she worked in London and Manchester, latterly for a corporate charitable project at Granada Television. She moved back to the North Yorkshire Moors where she lives with her partner and three children.
The Trustees
Christine Teale is a daughter of Allen Lane and was one of the founding Trustees. She studied for a degree in Fine Art and was later apprenticed to a maker of natural wools and dyes for textile repairers. Christine pursued her own work with textiles while bringing up four daughters. She recently retired as a director of a children’s mail order book club and lives in London.
Zoë Teale is a grand-daughter of Allen Lane. She studied English at Oxford and Social Anthropology at the London School of Economics. She travelled across Asia and worked as a teacher in India and Japan. Zoe has volunteered for various institutions including Oxfam’s Education Unit and the Commonwealth Institute. She has had one novel published and at present works full time as a writer.
Juliet Walker has a degree in Social Anthropology from the London School of Economics and is an editor/journalist covering many subjects, with a bias towards environmental and associated issues. She contributes to a wide number of international publications. Since 1980 she has been a member of the International Council and Executive of Survival International (for tribal peoples).
Jane Walsh has a degree in Philosophy from London University and also has a Postgraduate Certificate in Education. After the birth of her two children (one with Down’s Syndrome) she studied homeopathy and practised as a Registered member of the Society of Homeopaths near her home in Powys. She is a Trustee of a local charity providing free homeopathic treatment to groups unable to pay for themselves and is currently working with adults with learning disabilities.