Meet the Team

After successful careers in both retail and the education sector including owning three of her own shops. Sally decided to move into the charity sector in 2017. In her first role she designed, setup and ran a boutique shop for First Days Children’s Charity. Following on from this she moved to Trinity Homeless Projects as their grants manager helping to raise funds for their partner organisation Slough Homeless Our Concern.  She has three children, two that are grown up and now working and one currently at University.

In May 2018 she set up The Cowshed with her husband after identifying a need in the local area and it was registered with the Charity Commission in January 2019. In March 2020 she stepped down from her role with Trinity and took over the running of The Cowshed full time. Sally is passionate about supporting those in most need in our society in a practical and loving way.

Becky grew up locally and then moved to London to study at UCL before graduating with a masters degree from LSHTM in Control of Infectious Diseases in 2019. Throughout 2020 she worked for Public Health England in the national tuberculosis surveillance team as well as working on the frontlines of the PHE COVID response.

Having volunteered for many charity organisations including the Refugee Council, Results UK, Link Visiting Scheme and The Cowshed she is thrilled to be supporting the referrals department and is passionate about helping families and individuals in the local area. In her free time she loves to bake, read, rock climb and travel as well as socialise with her friends.

Ruth has worked in several industries throughout her career including marketing, the travel industry and as a primary school teacher. She has also enjoyed having many different voluntary roles within the community.

Being part of an inspiring team is what drives her and that is exactly what she has loved about working at the Cowshed, where she has volunteered since January 2020.

Ruth enjoys travel, hiking, reading, gardening and is passionate about music. She loves nothing better than sharing good food and laughter with family and friends

Rebecca practiced as a Family Law Solicitor for 14 years before taking time out to raise her two young daughters. For the last few years Rebecca has volunteered for a local Domestic Abuse Charity and last summer she joined The Cowshed as a volunteer.

Working with charities has sparked a desire to change direction and in September Rebecca began a part time college course in Counselling Skills. Alongside her studies, Rebecca now co-ordinates fundraising on behalf of The Cowshed.

“The last few years have really instilled in me a desire to work within the community and supporting those in need. I am just so happy to be a part of the Cowshed Team”.

Originating from South Wales, Rebecca travels back home as often as she can to see her family and she is also a member of a strong and supportive fitness community which she has been a part of for nearly four years and which she credits for her feeling stronger and healthier than ever!

After feeling like a change of direction in life, but not knowing quite what to do, Liz started volunteering for The Cowshed, and she hasn’t looked back!

Coming from a Customer Services background, she loves nothing more than meeting new people and bringing order from chaos.

“I am pleased to bring my experience to help a charity that I have come to feel very passionate about.”

In her spare time, Liz enjoys playing the Ukulele, doing Jigsaw Puzzles and going on Country Walks ideally finished with a Country Pub Meal!

Katy has been working in the NHS as a doctor (mainly in the Emergency Department) for the last 10 years. She needed a change of scenery and some time to focus on her young daughter which is when she discovered The Cowshed and started volunteering.

Having spent the last 3 months on sabbatical in the USA with her family she is now back at the Cowshed 3 days a week and loving it. She is passionate about helping others and organisation, so this is the perfect fit.

In her spare time Katy loves hiking, running, cycling, and swimming and is currently in training for a Triathlon! She also sings with a choir in Windsor and is often found in a cafe with some cake and a good book.

Rachel studied early childhood studies at university and graduated into the pandemic. After enjoying undertaking a module on the charity sector, that summer she spent some time volunteering with Oxfam and The Cowshed. In the September, she got a job as a teaching assistant in a local primary school where she worked for 2 years and loved it. However, having also enjoyed her time at The Cowshed, when she saw the referrals administrator role advertised, she decided to apply.

In her spare time, she is often in London visiting her university friends, second-hand clothes shopping or relaxing with her very spoiled sausage dog.

Kester left school at 18 and began a career as an officer in the Army serving in a number of overseas roles, Northern Ireland and Iraq. After 8 years he left the Army to study a Psychology degree at York before spending 15 years in the Defence Electronics Industry.

In 2012 he made a major career change moving in to the education sector. He is currently the Director of the Enterprises Company for Bradfield College and has also become a Director for their International Company and is assisting with the efforts to establish International Schools for the College in a number of countries including China.

He helped his wife Sally to set up the Cowshed in 2018 and continues to support the charity operationally and strategically in his spare time.

Abbie grew up in the local area before studying International Relations and Global Issues at the University of Nottingham, with a brief stint at the University of Western Australia. After moving back to Reading after graduation, Abbie now works for KPMG specialising in transaction services and is currently studying to become a chartered accountant.

Having volunteered at The Cowshed for 2 months over the summer of 2019, Abbie brings an in-depth knowledge of the day-to-day running of the charity and is excited to support and encourage the charity as a trustee.

In her spare time you can normally find Abbie either on a netball court, socialising with friends or booking flights for her next adventure!

As a founder of School Trunk, Chelsea was able to witness the starting steps of the Cowshed, as the charity started out sharing its warehouse before moving to bigger premises and joined as a Trustee in January 2023.

Chelsea has a financial and marketing background with an entrepreneurial streak, having co-founded and built several businesses including Pelham Public Relations in 2005, which provided corporate and financial communications advice to companies, following that she was a founding Director of School Trunk, before moving back into the Corporate world, with several Board directorships in a corporate development and marketing advice role across a number of international companies mainly focused in the resources sector.

She has a degree in Accountancy and Finance and an MBA.

Chelsea lives in Berkshire with her 3 children.

Mervyn had a varied career with scientific and management roles in both the steel and pharmaceutical industries, initially in the UK before working internationally. At the end of his career he worked as a management consultant coaching people on their management and marketing skills along with helping to develop and improve their strategies.

He has been a Rotarian for many years and for the last three has worked closely with The Cowshed providing support to them. In his spare time he enjoys travelling, spending time with his Grandchildren and following a wide range of sports.

Emma has an extensive career in the public and voluntary sectors, having worked as a senior manager for local and regional charities in strategic, programme and operational management.

Following her BSc in Geography at Sheffield University, Emma spent the earlier part of her career volunteering with a conservation charity and wildlife trust, moving to the Countryside Agency where she managed a lottery funded programme to create a lasting legacy of community greenspaces.

Emma then worked for over 15 years in the charitable sector to provide support and promote the inclusion of people with learning disabilities, from children in their early years through to adulthood.

Having lived in Wokingham over 20 years with her husband and two boys, Emma takes pride in supporting the local community and was elected as a Parent Local Advisor for The Emmbrook School in 2023. Emma has previously held positions as a non-executive director at Support Horizons and volunteered for the Emmbrook Infant and Junior Schools.

In her spare time Emma enjoys being outdoors, playing netball, surfing and watching her boys play football.

Sheila has worked in senior HR roles for over 30 years for companies including BAA (Heathrow), Centrica and Avis Budget Group. More recently she has undertaken contract work supporting company restructures and change programmes for Swissport, Three UK, Astellas Pharma and Coty Inc and now delivers training in employee relations issues. Sheila was a Trustee for Citizens Advice Bracknell and District for 12 years and has also volunteered with the Covid Community Response team and vaccination centre in Bracknell since 2020. She has lived in Bracknell for 25 years and enjoys walking in the Chilterns and Newbury Downs as well as in the local area.