Our Trustees

Anthony studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford then worked for 15 years in BBC Radio and TV; as Artistic Projects Director at London’s Southbank Centre; as Birmingham City Council’s Head of Arts; back at the BBC for their nationwide multi-platform Millennium Music Live; at Sage Gateshead as founding General Director, at Luminato Festival Toronto as CEO and currently Interim Director of Toronto’s Koffler Centre of the Arts.

Helen lives in Denton Burn and is excited to develop and extend the Bowling Club’s reach beyond Summerhill. She is a civil servant and has worked in high priority government work including Exit from Europe, Covid and Afghanistan. She currently works in Schools Division in Department for Education.
She is currently Vice Chair of Governors at Stocksfield Avenue Primary School in Fenham, and a trustee at Scotswood Gardens in Benwell. Helen has previously been a local councillor and served on the City’s Cabinet as Housing member. She was also Chair of Tyneside Mind for a number of years.

Dan has lived in Lancaster Street since 2019.
“As a boy I used to get the bus to school up Westgate Hill every day and peer down the alleyways towards Summerhill where everything looked a bit of other-worldly faded grandeur.
Now the place looks much more cared for and I feel lucky to call it home.
The community is warm and embracing and there is plenty to get involved with.
I , along with a team of volunteers, help maintain the green spaces at the Pavilion and Gardens. Especially the Wildlife Garden which is a hidden but welcoming semi wild space in the city. It’s a beautiful place in which to sit and unwind. Or get stuck in and take some weeds out of the paths!
It’s important the Trust looks after these amazing city-centre green spaces along with the asset that is the pavilion. I’ve enjoyed several events there over the last few years and look forward to helping it serve the community further with my time on the board.
I’d encourage anyone who’d like to volunteer maintain our gardens, allotment, orchard, wildlife garden etc to get in touch with Stuart.”

Vanessa Collins is a civil engineer by training, currently works in Flood Risk Management capital project delivery. She has a background in construction and engineering management consultancy and brings commercial and contractual skills to the Trustee Board.

A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personal and Development Ros has worked in Human Resources for over 30 years across a diverse range of companies within the private and public sectors. She brings to the trust a strong commercial business knowledge, combined with common sense, empathy and a dry sense of humour.

Nabeela a freelance journalist and chairperson of a community led project called “AMAN” which promotes cohesion among different communities in Newcastle; we want to ensure that we can listen to, understand and respect each other. They are also a BAME officer and on the panel of executive committee of Newcastle Central and the West CLP of the Labour Party.
“I firmly believe that active community involvement is essential for the development and progress of our neighbourhood and, through my experience and knowledge, I hope to contribute positively towards the Summerhill Trust’s objectives, whether by discussing key issues or proposing new ideas when collaborating on projects.”

Tim is a retired physician, and has lived in Summerhill Square for 22 years. Tim has also been actively involved with the Summerhill project since its inception more than 10 years ago. This includes being a board member from 2015-2018, a member of a group seeking charitable funding, and most importantly, an active allotmenteer throughout the period.

Emma Johnson is an active member of the Summerhill Community; she lives locally with her family; but spends her time split between Newcastle and London. Emma has worked in many different fields including the Charity Sector, Higher Education, Architecture, and the Arts. She has also lived and worked in many different countries and enjoys travelling and exploring different global cultures. During her work in Berlin, Emma developed an interest in Community Development practice. As well as being a keen environmentalist and active in environmental pursuits, she currently works as a Chief of Staff for a global international development NGO. She has a master’s from Sunderland University in Gender, Culture and Development and an MBA in International Business. Emma is keen to use her breadth of knowledge across sectors and societies to support the work of Summerhill Trust.

Nicola Maxwell is a photographic artist and arts educator based in the North East.
Currently working for Tyne and Wear Museums, Nicola moved to Summerhill Grove in 2021.
Having consistently worked with communities and groups, Nicola’s work in the creative industries has led the way on a number of engagement initiatives taken into best practice within a field of creativity and vision. Nicola has a passion for ensuring the properties and green spaces in Summerhill Square are properly maintained.