ABOUT US
Heather Thomas
Chief Executive
Heather Thomas lives in Bakewell, Derbyshire, where she has raised a family and worked for many years as a Local Government Officer. In 2008, she had the opportunity to travel to Rwanda as one of four leaders accompanying a group of 15-19 year olds. It was a life-changing trip for Heather, and upon her return, she decided to raise funds for the people of Rwanda. In 2009, she set up The Goboka Rwanda Trust with the help of a few friends - who are trustees to this day - and obtained UK charity status in 2011.
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Over the years, small groups of interested people have visited Rwanda with Heather to see for themselves some of the projects which the Trust has supported, and how life-changing these can be, as well as meeting the people of Rwanda in their own environment. Many of these travellers return home to continue supporting the work of the Trust - hence its success in a relatively short period of time. Aside from activities associated with Rwanda, Heather's interests are reading, cinema, music, travel and entertaining, and she runs a weekly keep fit group. She has three grown up children, and a number of grandchildren.
Tony Brennan
Treasurer
Tony Brennan is a Bakewell resident, and after many years as a manager in the extractive industries he now works in research and commercial archaeology. He travelled to Rwanda as part of a group visit in 2012 and having seen first-hand the profound impact that the projects supported by the Trust has on local communities he got more involved in fundraising. He has been the Trust's treasurer for the last four years and has worked with our partners in Rwanda to develop a structured approach to project identification, prioritisation and delivery.
Following a few early successes from submitting applications for funding support to grant-making trusts, he is particularly keen to develop this aspect of fund-raising activities further.
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Married with children and grandchildren, he enjoys the outdoor activities offered by living in the Peak District National Park, including cycling and walking.
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As the Trust's treasurer, Tony looks for funding opportunities which can benefit us - and would be delighted to hear from anyone interested in helping with this vital funding work.
Ann Webster
Trustee
Ann Webster has been closely associated with the Trust since its inception. A friend of Heather Thomas for many years, Ann employs her skills as a professional cook to many of the Trust's fundraising events where food is concerned.
Ann is one of our many supporters who has no particular desire to visit Rwanda, but who is very keen to lend her support to the work which the Trust is doing to help the people of Rwanda - some of whom Ann has met over the years - and by whom she has been personally thanked for her very valuable support.
The Trust value the independent opinion of someone who may not be quite so closely involved as those who travel to Rwanda, yet has worked closely with the Trust since its formation and has always taken a keen interest in the way it continues to develop.
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Ann lives in Bakewell, is married with two children and grandchildren - and away from child-minding duties and work, is a very keen gardener.
Phil Bramhall
Trustee
Phil Bramhall first became involved in The Goboka Rwanda Trust when he overheard a conversation about the work Heather Thomas was doing to support Rwandans and their rural communities. Phil had been looking for an organisation that he could get involved with that was working in Africa delivering practical grass roots projects; an organisation whose projects were driven by people's expressed needs and local community involvement, and where there were demonstrable and sustained benefits.
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After meeting Heather Thomas at one of her talks about Rwanda to a community group in Derbyshire and hearing about the projects she had been developing, he decided to visit the country with the next group of volunteers. That was in 2011. Since that date Phil has visited the country on a number of occasions along with volunteer supporters of The Goboka Rwanda Trust.
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Phil was instrumental in helping establish the Trust as a UK registered charity, and in 2013 he was invited to become a volunteer trustee. Phil lives in North Yorkshire and works for a charity which helps refugees find placements and employment in the UK.
Chris Green
Trustee
Chris worked as a teacher of the deaf, supporting deaf students in colleges throughout Derbyshire before training Communication Support Workers at Derby University. Following several years as Director of Standards for a sign-language examination board he became an editor for an online education company, developing programmes to keep children safe on the internet. Just before taking retirement in 2009, Chris spent a year with Village Aid working in schools to bring an awareness of the needs of children in Africa through drama.
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Chris visited Rwanda with The Goboka Rwanda Trust in 2014 and has since supported the charity in a variety of ways.
Lesley Brennan
Trustee
Formerly a teaching assistant, Lesley became involved with the Trust after a school's twinning with a primary school in Rwanda. She travelled out with us to visit the school in 2010 and since this life changing experience has become a committed helper and fund raiser.
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Married to the Trust's treasurer and fellow trustee Tony, Lesley too enjoys the Derbyshire countryside and is a keen walker and cyclist.