Our People

My Name is Valerie Newton and I have been a Trustee at The Purfleet Trust since February 2023 and became Vice Chair in February 2026.

Before I retired, I had a long career within Healthcare, working within clinical practice, nurse education and senior nurse management. My past practice has given me the experience of working in teams, with staff and patients with complex needs, developing processes and systems to implement into both clinical practice and within management situations. My past experience has also helped me to develop enhanced communication and leadership skills.

This previous experience has been very useful in my current role as Chair of the Governance, Risk Management and Audit Committee , where policies are reviewed and developed to meet the needs of the service and all the charity commission standards. Risks to the organisation are assessed, reviewed and graded to ensure that the Trust is aware of risks and appropriate actions are in place to manage these. All audit results are reviewed, and action plans are developed to address any issues that arise.

I was attracted to the ethos of the Purfleet Trust, which values equality and equity for both clients and staff and volunteers and was very impressed with the approach of improving a person’s living standards, both physically and emotionally. The team at Purfleet is exceptional; they are very positive and caring and always focusing on supporting those people experiencing homelessness to move forward in a manner that enhances their lives. I am very proud to be a Trustee for this organisation.

I am a retired Chartered Surveyor having practice in both the private and public sectors throughout the UK with short periods abroad.

After retirement I Chaired two Housing Association before I joined Purfleet Trust in 2017. The experience I bring to Purfleet Trust is one of a senior manager/director within the property sector covering the following areas Estates Management, Town Planning, Economic Development, Housing and Commercial Development.

Dave brings over 30 years of senior leadership experience in social housing, property services, and organisational transformation to his role as a trustee at Purfleet Trust. Throughout his career, he has championed better services for vulnerable people, stronger governance, and safer, more effective and innovative organisational outcomes.

In his trustee role, Dave offers strategic insights with a keen interest in governance, regulatory compliance, health and safety, risk management, and continuous improvement. He joined the Purfleet Trust to put his professional experience to work for a cause he cares deeply about, tackling homelessness, supporting people facing disadvantage and helping create real, lasting opportunities for individuals and the wider community.

Before joining Purfleet as a Trustee, much of my working career was spent in local government, most recently as the Chief Executive at the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk.  My professional background is a chartered accountant. 

When I retired in September 2024, I still wanted to make an active contribution in the area in which I grew up and live.  I was fully aware of the work of the Purfleet, I had been actively involved with getting the Purfleet Pantry off the ground and I knew that the Purfleet was an organisation that was making a positive difference to people’s lives and an organisation that I would be proud to be part of as a Trustee. 

The skills the Board of Trustees bring are very much aligned to the needs of Purfleet and my finance background on the Board has been a useful addition.

I have been a Trustee of Purfleet Trust since 2019 having been invited to join the Board because of my business management experience. I had no direct knowledge of the homelessness sector although even in my business I always had a desire to provide transport services for the local community beyond that which would be expected of a commercial business. I also took a particular interest in the wellbeing of the local area, including chairing the town’s Public-Private Partnership board. After I sold and retired, I was awarded an MBE in 2014 for “Services to the economy and community of Norfolk”. 

I now chair the Trust’s Finance and Business Development Committee which oversees short-term financial management and longer-term developmental issues and opportunities. Being a member of the Purfleet board has raised an awareness of the issues surrounding homelessness and I have become passionate about how the causes should be addressed.