Our Trustees

 FRED JACQUES - CHAIR

I've got over 37 years knowledge and experience of Children First Derby through a family member and I consider the work the charity undertakes to have a significant value to the children and families they support. I became more involved at a time when the charity was just coming through a difficult time and I became a Trustee in 2014. Since which time I have been impressed by the dedication and professionalism of the staff and volunteers, often in the face of significant challenges.

I am a retired Chartered Engineer; I studied at university in Cardiff and Aston in Birmingham. I am married and I have one son and two lovely grandchildren.

PAT DIXON - DEPUTY CHAIR & TRUSTEE

I’m Pat Dixon and I have been a member of the Children First team for over 37 years. During this time, I have served on the management committee, and have held the positions of Chairman and Treasurer, and I am now the Deputy Chair. I worked for the Derby City Council for 28 years, working in various centres supporting children with special needs. I was a Family Support Worker for 32 years at Children First, a role I thoroughly enjoyed.

In 2015 I was invited to attend the Unsung Hero Awards for East Midlands, sponsored by the Lloyds bank Foundation and I was awarded £1000 for the charity. I was also invited to attend the Royal garden party at Buckingham Palace.

I am a mother of 2 sons and I have 4 lovely grandchildren.

DAVID BALL - TREASURER

I was born in 1943 in Leek, North Staffordshire. After obtaining my degree from Bristol University, I qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1967 whilst working at a firm of accountants in Birmingham. In 1972, I joined Rolls-Royce in Derby, staying for 30 years until retiring from Group Finance HQ in 2002. I came to Children First Derby in 2006 at the request of the Chair of Trustees at the time, to fill the vacant position of Treasurer.

I am married and we have one child, a son who lives in the Netherlands and works for the European Space Agency. My interests range from reading (mainly history & the Guardian/Observer newspapers), watching football (mainly Burton Albion), playing bowls (Mickleover Royal British Legion), going to concerts, the theatre/cinema, talking with friends over coffee and/or wine (trying to set the world to rights!).

Thanks to good health (fingers crossed), time flies by.

 FATIMAH RAZAK - TRUSTEE

I am a self-employed Accountant and a mother of two young boys. My role at Children First Derby is the Secretary but I also assist our Treasurer, David, with the financial reports for the monthly board meetings.

I volunteer as a trustee at Women’s Day Derby and a Treasurer at Global Education Derby. I enjoy working with numbers and this is my way of giving back to the community by using my accountancy skills and knowledge.

I enjoy keeping fit, watching movies and cooking. I annually organise a curry night for Women’s Day Derby making a healthy profit to contribute towards the main event in March. I have used my cooking skills at Children First Derby too for a curry night for the volunteers and onion bhaajis for the AGM.

LAURA CAWDELL-TRUSTEE

My involvement with Children First Derby began back in 2009 when I started my role as a Family Support Volunteer. Over the past 10 years, I have supported a whole range of families each with their own stories and challenges.

I quickly became involved with the fundraising team and have participated in a variety of activities including; bag-packing in supermarkets; running a half-marathon and trying my hand at modelling at the Fashion Show! In 2014, I ran my own event where myself and a team of 7 work colleagues climbed The National 3 Peaks raising £1,500 for the charity.

I believe the work the charity does is invaluable to some of Derby's most vulnerable families.  I became a trustee in April 2019 with a passion for helping to drive the charity forwards using my business skills and knowledge of the charity. I believe we have a very interesting future ahead with lots of opportunities to focus on and I look forward to seeing where we can go.