Our People

Martin Evans CPFA

Martin Evans is a retired Chartered Public Finance Accountant and was formerly Managing Director of Audit at the Audit Commission for Local Government and the NHS in England.

Joe Tuke

Joe was born and raised in Mitcham and has been living in the borough of Croydon since 2016. He retired in 2020 after a long and varied career in both local and central government. He worked for the London Borough of Camden for 16 years, joining them as a trainee and progressing to head up many of their housing services including sheltered housing, homeless persons, hostels, housing allocations and leaseholder services. In 2002 he was brought into Whitehall and served as a Director in a number of different central government departments working on programmes and issues as diverse as anti-social behaviour, victims of crime, families with multiple problems, Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic. He was awarded the CBE for public service in 2020. Joe loves all sports, is an avid fan of Crystal Palace FC and also still loves to get along to music festivals and gigs when he can. He has 3 grown up children (Lucy, Rosanna and Patrick) as well as a young son (Samuel) from his second marriage (to Rachel) with whom he lives in Upper Norwood.

Jon Dean

Jon Dean is a self-employed Chartered Surveyor who has been working in the Croydon area for over 30 years. He is also Property Advisor to the Southern Synod of the United Reformed Church.

Simon Hickman

Simon Hickman is a Chartered Insurance Broker running a company in Croydon with extensive Almshouse and Charity clients. He is a business coach and the Treasurer of an educational charity in Surrey.

Karen Ip

Karen Ip works for Age UK Croydon and has been a volunteer working with older people for several decades, including as Chairperson of a neighbourhood care group. Formerly a Churchwarden at Croydon Minster, she joined the Board in 2013. Karen looks after the charity’s small archive and is researching aspects of its history.

Deborah Knight

Deborah Knight is a retired Registered Dietitian who worked for the NHS in Croydon. A large part of the work was with older people including those in residential care.

Reverend Father David Pennells (Father David)

Father David previously had a successful career in social work, including day care and residential settings for older people. He helped commission a specialist care home for people with dementia and also worked with people with physical disabilities. He then moved into social care regulation, first in the 1990s with Croydon Council and subsequently with the Care Quality Commission and its national predecessors. More recently he undertook full-time theological training at Mirfield in Yorkshire, and in 2015 became the Vicar of the Parish and Church of St Peter & St Paul, Mitcham, where Mary Tate - founder of the Mitcham Almshouses - is buried.

Vanessa Russell

Vanessa Russell is an experienced HR professional (MCIPD) and has held senior roles in both large and small organisations. She currently works and lives in the Croydon area.

Councillor Ellily Ponnuthurai

Labour Member for Waddon Ward in Croydon

Councillor Simon Fox

Conservative Member for Waddon Ward in Croydon

Revd Canon Dr Andrew Bishop

The Revd Canon Dr Andrew Bishop has been Priest-in-Charge of Croydon Minster since September 2018. Fr Andrew has ministered in London, Hampshire and latterly at Guildford Cathedral and the University of Surrey. He writes and speaks on a variety of topics and is the author of a recent book 'Theosomnia: A Christian Theology of Sleep'.

Arlene Esdaile: Church Warden

Arlene Esdaile was formerly a local government officer with a background in Housing and Housing Benefits and a Board member at Hyde Housing Group. She is now the General Manger of an IT software development company and a Churchwarden at Croydon Minster.