Trustees

Shelley Charik
Shelley Charik joined the Board in 2020 as a nominee of the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers, of which he is a Liveryman.  He is a graduate of the universities of Leeds and Manchester, where he studied Chinese, Economics and Business Administration, and a former industrial marketing executive and Civil Servant, specialising in technology issues.  Shelley has had frequent involvement in residents' associations and was a Director of a resident-owned freehold management company in the Docklands.

Winnie Baffoe
Winnie has 15 years of charity leadership experience. She spearheaded Mummies Republic as a service which focused on marginalised single unit households who found it difficult to thrive in more formal environments. She is specialised in decoding the intersectionalities of poverty and through community engagement, understands how to provide positive foundations for marginalised households.

She is currently Chair of Community Southwark and has also served as a school governor at John Ruskin Primary School. She is Director of Engagement & Influence at the South London Mission, where she has management over the projects, their   governance and is the designated safeguarding lead. For the past two years, she has been a Voluntary and Community Sector member of the Partnership Southwark Strategic Board which brings together health and social care providers to tackle health inequalities.

Ruth Clapton
Ruth joined the Board in April 2025 and is a member of the Appointments Committee. Her family has a long-established connection to Southwark as her father and wider family members grew up in Bermondsey and Ruth has lived in Southeast London for most of her life.

Ruth is a Solicitor with over 30 years of experience in the private and public sectors. In the private sector, she acted as a Head of Legal and Company Secretary at UK and US global investment management firms in the City of London and Luxembourg.

Ruth joined the Government Legal Department in 2018 to assist HM Treasury with the introduction of primary and secondary legislation relating to the UK's financial services industry and is currently at the Ministry of Justice advising on high value government procurements.

Previously, Ruth has been a school governor at a large secondary school for boys in Bromley.

Neil Coyle MP
Neil Coyle is the Labour MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, first elected to Parliament in 2015. Neil serves on the Work and Pensions as well as the Foreign Affairs select committees. Neil set up the All Party Parliamentary Group on Foodbanks and co-chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ending Homelessness. Neil previously ran a charity helping half a million disabled people and carers a year and has been a Trustee of local and national organisations. Neil also served as a Southwark councillor between 2010 and 2016, including as Deputy Mayor of the borough.

Patrick Crockford
Patrick joined the Board in November 2020 and is a member of the Finance & General Purposes Committee. He has over 30 years’ experience as a senior accountant in industry, latterly founding and running a telecoms consultancy, which was sold in 2018.

Married, he has lived in Southwark for 16 years and is a Freeman of the City of London. Also an active member of the Aldgate Ward Club in the City.

Patrick is currently completing a 2-year MSc at Cass (City Business School), majoring in Charity Accounting and Financial Management, with specialist modules on Grant-making, Philanthropy and Social Enterprise.

Cathy Deplessis
Cathy has been the Director of Southwark Pensioners Centre for 8 years. She is a former resident of Southwark and maintains close personal and professional ties to and interest in it.

Cathy has significant voluntary and professional governance experience, working with boards to set the strategic direction of the organisation, focusing on the delivery of organisation purpose, reputation and accountability to beneficiaries, regulators and key stakeholders.

Tom Edgerley
Tom Edgerley joined the Board of Southwark Charities in 2024. A chartered surveyor with over 20 years’ experience in property development, Tom has led major projects across London, with a strong focus on Southwark. He played a key role in the development of the Liberty of Southwark near Borough Market, a complex mixed-use scheme delivered in partnership with Transport for London and Southwark Council.

As Director of Development at Ashtrom Properties UK, Tom oversees large-scale refurbishment and redevelopment projects, integrating sustainability and placemaking principles. With extensive experience working across public and private sectors, he is dedicated to fostering community-focused urban regeneration.

Tom brings his expertise and commitment to Southwark Charities, supporting its mission to empower and enhance the lives of local residents.

Revd Stuart Labran
The Revd Stuart Labran has been Rector of St Mary Newington in Kennington since January 2023. Stuart grew up in the Black Country outside of Birmingham and studied Theology at Leeds before beginning a career in teaching in Warwickshire. He then prepared for the priesthood at Westcott House whilst completing the Cambridge M.Phil. in Theology. He began ordained ministry in 2009 as Curate at Holy Trinity Stratford-Upon-Avon, after which he spent a year in Central America before returning to teaching at James Allen Girl’s School, Dulwich and then as Head of Religious Studies and Chaplain at Emanuel School Battersea. During his time at Emanuel, he was an Assistant Priest at St John the Divine Kennington where he continues as a governor to St Gabriel’s College, an 11-16 comprehensive and visits once a month to lead worship in Spanish for their Latino community.

Gary Martin
Originally from Canada, Gary has called Southwark home for nearly 20 years. He’s a Chartered Surveyor with over 15 years’ experience in real estate investment and management, working with UK institutions and global fund managers. Gary cares deeply about the built environment, housing, and how we support local economies and small businesses to thrive. He’s particularly interested in how sustainability and technology can come together to shape better places—ones that work well for people, nature, and the community.

Michael Pagnotta
Michael is a business-focused, creative, results-driven coach with 15 years' experience across UK, EMEA and Asia Pacific in the world of executive leadership & development, people strategies and leading teams. With a passion for understanding human behaviour and what drives people, Michael enables businesses and people to get a clear understanding of what drives them in order to help them to achieve the results they seek.

Michael has acted as both a coach and advising consultant to senior leaders, managing directors and CEOs globally, successfully helping them to future proof and shape the strategic direction of their business and people strategies. Throughout his career he been a member of multiple steering groups and committees driving operational efficiencies and diversity and inclusion initiatives. When not working, Michael spends his time travelling with his husband Graeme, scuba diving, or entertaining friends and family over dinner parties.