Tom Fitzalan Howard, CBE

After university my career for the next 36 years was with the Army serving in the UK, Germany, Hong Kong, Fiji, Canada, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and finally Cyprus. I retired as a colonel. I then became Director of Support Services, The Norfolk Hospice - Tapping House for six years; retiring in 2013. I manage a small farm in Norfolk which is run along environmental stewardship and conservation lines. I have been a Parish Councillor since 2014 and on the Advisory Council of The Norfolk Churches Trust since 2015.

I was invited to join the Board at Thornage in 2013 and became responsible for liaising with the Camphill Benevolent Fund and for all matters involving the Thornage Estate. I have been Chairman since 2020. I find my involvement with Thornage both challenging and deeply rewarding.   

I am married to Jo and have three children: Edward, Flora and Francis.

Jane Sayer

After completing a history and politics degree, I trained as a mental health nurse in London, and accidentally fell into working in services for people with learning disabilities in 1996. Throughout my subsequent leadership posts in London, Norfolk and Dubai, I have enjoyed working with carers, families and people in these services, and wanted to continue this when I retired from proper work. Outside of work I am a quilter, and have started designing my own patterns. I read a lot of trashy detective fiction, am far too soft with my dog, hoard fabric with a passion, and fail to keep my garden in any form of order. I love doing all this in North Norfolk.

Paul Hare

I started my professional career as a solicitor in a law firm in the City of London, specialising in corporate and commercial law. After 6 years, I made the switch to banking, working for leading international banks for 20 years. I was a global business head and a member of the executive leadership team for 10 years; leading board-level strategic reviews and interacting with our regulators in the UK and across our global footprint. I was also privileged to be a long-standing member of the fundraising committee for a charitable initiative established by the bank to help eliminate avoidable blindness.

I was first introduced to Thornage Hall by my late father, who chaired the board of trustees for many years. I was delighted to be approached by the current Chair to become a trustee and I look forward to playing my full part within a robust board.

I recently returned to Norfolk with my wife and two young sons after 15 years living in Singapore.

Phil Goddard

I started my working life at Norwich Union (now Aviva), where I worked in various finance roles. During my time there I also qualified as an accountant. After a dozen or so years at NU, I moved to the role of Finance Director of Break Charity, at the time based in Sheringham. During my time at Break, as well as overseeing the finances, I also had responsibility for their charity shop portfolio, Fundraising, and Human Resources.

I have been involved with Thornage Hall for several years, initially as Company Secretary, and becoming a Trustee at the start of 2022.

Stuart & Mary Gould

Our involvement with Thornage Hall started in 2010, when after a recommendation from a friend who lived nearby, we looked around. The rural, agricultural setting drew us to it initially but once we had visited and experienced what Thornage had to offer we knew it was the place for our son to live and work. Bob moved in in December of that year and has subsequently been a tenant in the hall ever since.

We are farmers from Northamptonshire and  have a daughter Gina, who lives locally and is also involved in agriculture on a trials team. Agriculture is in our blood but does seem to have missed Bob out as the farm is definitely not his first choice in day services, luckily, he has many more to choose from!

We joined the Board of Trustees in early 2023 and we are hoping that our experiences as parents of a tenant will be a useful addition to the Board.

Robin Baines

I am Robin, married to Hilary. We have lived in Norfolk for 40 years. I grew up in Worcestershire and trained at Harper Adams Agricultural College. My entire career has been dedicated to farm management, spanning from Worcestershire to Oxfordshire, and eventually settling in Norfolk. Even now, I am still looking after two farms and supporting several other agricultural businesses. I have been running my own business since 1996.

Throughout my career, I have spent a lot of time helping to educate groups of all ages about the countryside, food, and farming.

Outside of work, I enjoy supporting our three children and three grandchildren. They are all involved in gardening, singing, and performing in the village panto. Personally, I keep my vintage car on the road, support the local scout group, and am an active Rotarian, having served as president twice. Additionally, I take pride in stewarding in the education section at the Norfolk Show.

Lauren Griffiths

I started my nursing career in the NHS but following a difficult shift in a London A&E I decided to join the Princess Mary’s Royal Air Force Nursing Service.  Initially I joined the Royal Air Force for 4 years but somehow ended up staying for 16-years. On leaving, I took up the role of Head of Training at the Royal Hospital for Neurodisability in London, before moving back to the NHS as Head of Clinical Education at a large NHS Trust. Before retiring in 2026, I was Head of School for Health and Social Sciences at a University, which included social care training delivered at one of our partner colleges. I have previously served as a trustee and a Chair of Trustees at a large High School in Norwich prior to joining the Board at Thornage Hall in June 2025.

 

Outside the role of trustee, I am the Honorary Secretary for a local Royal British Legion Branch and I enjoy photography, reading a wide genre of literature, playing the piano, albeit badly, and travelling.

Lisa Moor

I moved to the village of Thornage in 2023 to retire from a career in youth and community work in the public and voluntary sector. Much to my joy, I found that Thornage Hall was in my new village and I am really pleased to be able to get involved with the charity and its great work.

I have always worked with vulnerable and marginalised people through youth groups, community centres, on the streets and in villages, at all levels from Volunteer to Support worker, Project leader to Director.

From working in the sector, I understand money is always tight and I have had to learn all the ways to fundraise from grants and donations to fundraisers and business ventures.

I am involved in the local village group ‘Friends of Thornage’ and help run social and fundraising events in the village. Specifically, acting as a link between Thornage Hall and the village.

I love gardening, growing lots of vegetables and cooking them. I am an amateur woodworker; I like swimming in the sea and going for a walk especially when there is a pub at the end of it!

John Flint

Bio currently in development.