Our trustees

Lorainne has over 40 years’ experience as an Occupational Health Nurse Specialist Practitioner and had her own Consultancy for 25 years. She was also a trainer, lecturer and secretary of a Specialist Occupational Health Group. During that time, she also spent 35 years as an Army Reservist first within the medical sector and then as an assessor for Army Officer Selection Board retiring as a Lt Colonel in 2014.

She was delighted to be invited to join the Board of Trustees in 2024, and is hoping to be an active participant, getting involved in local projects and promoting the ethos of Emmaus in South Wales. Lorainne is a strong supporter of the Emmaus Mission to end homelessness and offer those in need of help bed to sleep in, work opportunities and a true sense of belonging. Now that she is retired Lorainne also plans to be active in her local community, enjoy her garden, and visit friends abroad when she can.

Kate worked for forty years in museums as a paintings conservator. When she was coming up to retirement some 13 years ago, she decided she would like to get involved in helping people who had been homeless and needed help to get back on their feet again. She heard that Emmaus UK was looking to increase the number of its Communities around the UK and volunteered to set up a group to establish an Emmaus Community in South Wales.

Looking back, she is happy to see how the early faltering footsteps of our local supporter group have led to the establishment of a vibrant Emmaus Community in Bridgend, where Companions are part of a supportive working ‘family’. For Kate, the best thing about being a trustee is the knowledge that together with all the other members of the board, staff and volunteers we are able to make a real and positive difference to the lives of those whom society has previously failed.

Emyr-Wyn is a Chartered Accountant with 25 years’ experience. He completed his training at Grant Thornton, where he had exposure to a number of different businesses within a number of different industries, however his passion was always to work within manufacturing. Over the years he has worked within steel, printing, FMCG, oil and gas as well as most recently within the IT sector and mainly in a Finance Director capacity.

Emyr-Wyn joined the Emmaus South Wales board in 2020.  He felt that his skills in finance could assist the organisation especially through difficult times, Covid being the obvious one.  He believes in the Emmaus philosophy and finds joy in seeing individuals turn their lives around.  He is also looking forward to rolling the Emmaus model to more towns in South Wales.

Gareth is an experienced recruitment and HR advisor and worked in the private corporate sector, public sector, and third sector, and as a voluntary Special Police Constable for 17 years. He became a trustee in March 2024 to support the community by sharing his knowledge and understanding of homelessness and the wider third sector. In November 2024 Gareth was elected Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Home is Dinas Powys in the Vale of Glamorgan where he has lived for four years, enjoying community life and the outdoors with his dog Ted.

Gareth spent five years working in the third sector directly supporting young people and adults in care and temporary supported accommodation settings. Together with his work as a front-line police officer, Gareth understands the impact being homeless can have on not just the individual, but wider family friends and community.

Gareth believes passionately that having safe secure accommodation is fundamental to health and wellbeing and life chances and is proud to be supporting Emmaus South Wales and the positive impact it has for its companions and community.

Ken is a retired Chartered Management Accountant.

He has worked in the UK and in the USA and most recently was Finance Director and part owner of a manufacturing company in South Wales which exported technical products worldwide.

Ken joined the Board of Emmaus South Wales in May 2025 and will contribute to the sound financial running of the organisation’.

Ruth recently retired after 16 years working in Student Support for The Open University in Wales and was delighted to join Emmaus as a trustee in the summer 2024. She has been a non executive director with Careers Wales and has served as a magistrate in Bridgend and Cardiff for over 30 years.

Ruth is familiar with the impact that homelessness or threat of homelessness has on adult learners, and with offenders, how lack of settled, safe accommodation can prevent rehabilitation, wellbeing and access to the world of work.

She is proud to be part of Emmaus with its amazing and innovative approach to community and belonging.

Rose is a Clinical Supervisor and a Psychological High Intensity Practitioner working part time in the NHS (Cardiff & Vale Local Health Board). Rose enjoys supporting other therapists deliver high quality interventions to people dealing with mental health issues. Her own clients are referred specifically with PTSD. Rose is an EMDR Accredited Practitioner and engages with EMDR to process the trauma/s. Her work focuses on promoting psychological safety and resilience to both therapists and clients.

Prior to joining the NHS (January 2013) Rose worked at City College Manchester where she contributed to a variety of community and educational projects including initiatives within the third sector. Rose’s professional background reflects a deep commitment to supporting vulnerable communities and fostering sustainable change through collaboration, empathy and evidence-based care. Rose attained a M.A.Ed in 2006 and promotes being a life- long learner.

Geoff has been a Civil Servant for 35 years, predominantly in the areas of Defence engineering, procurement and project management. He currently works for the Food Standards Agency as a programme and project management specialist and hopes to bring his knowledge and experience to his role as a Trustee.

Geoff joined the Board of Trustees in August 2025 and is keen to help the Emmaus community continue the fantastic work they do in supporting each other to change lives.

Freya is originally from Yorkshire but now living in Bridgend where she has firm roots and has raised her family over the last 30 years. A former Madam Mayoress as well as former Madam Mayor of the town in her own right, she is still currently a Councillor, elected to Oldcastle ward.

A Governor at Heronsbridge Special Needs School and a past Barker at the Variety Club of Great Britain (Children’s Charity) for over a decade, Freya has a long held interest for the most vulnerable in our society.

During the “Beast from the East” snowstorm in 2018 she was instrumental in persuading Churches in Bridgend to open their doors to homeless individuals to offer them shelter. Since then she has worked closely with many of the homeless community in Bridgend and further afield, advocating for their needs when often their voices are not being heard.

Freya is also the current Chair of Scrutiny for Social Services, Health and Wellbeing at Bridgend County Borough Council, a role she has held for over 3 years.”

Cerys is a Swansea University law graduate currently undertaking the Bar Course, aspiring to practice as a barrister. With over six years of experience working in the mental health sector, primarily within drug and alcohol services, Cerys brings a strong commitment to supporting vulnerable individuals and promoting social justice.

As part of a volunteering programme in East Africa, Cerys supported children aged 3–11 whose education had been severely impacted by challenging life circumstances. In this role, she contributed to the children’s learning, development, and emotional wellbeing by helping to implement educational activities and providing individualised support. Cerys also worked collaboratively with local staff to contribute to long-term community development initiatives.

As a trustee, Cerys is passionate about using her legal knowledge and frontline experience to advocate for fair access to support and opportunity, particularly for those facing social and mental health challenges.