How We Are Governed

Les is married with with two children and has served on Beaconsfield Town Council for 18 years and was mayor of the town 1998/99, he has been a school governor and also a member of the Woodlands District Scout executive committee. He has indirect experience of the problems faced by family carers and care workers.
Skills and Experiences: Project management and business skills gained in working in blue chip multinational healthcare company and an emerging biotech plc together with experience in dealing with national regulatory agencies and local government. Former school governor, (Chairman 6 years) and Board member of Primary Care Group. Currently chairman of Chiltern & South Bucks Patient and Public Involvement Forum and also a Beaconsfield Town Councillor.

Mike Rowlands lives in Milton Keynes and has years of experience working in the NHS as a Non Executive Director with the Milton Keynes Community NHS Trust serving on the Audit Committee and Remuneration Committee. As a NED he had a special interest in Learning Disability and Mental Health. In 2002 he was appointed Chair of the Hospital Board and remained with them until he retired at the end of April 2008. During that time the Board successfully achieved Foundation Status. As Chair of the Trust he also chaired the Remuneration Committee, the Audit Committee and once it became a Foundation Trust the Members Council. Mike is currently a Lay Board Member for Milton Keynes Clinical CCG.
Mike has experiences of caring for his daughter and is involved in a number of community activities including being governor of local schools in Milton Keynes.

Audrey has run a Carers Support Group for 12 years and is fully aware of the difficulties facing carers today. Having spent 20 years as a carer herself (in three different situations) Audrey wants to share the experiences she has gained to benefit others.
Skills and Experiences: Trained Counsellor with 22 years experience of working with Beaconsfield Advisory Centre with wide knowledge of benefits, housing etc.
Audrey has also worked as “Listening Ear” for South Bucks Carers Centre for seven years.

Margaret Aston has been a County Councillor since 1993. She was a Cabinet Member for Children and families for five years, and Chair of Buckinghamshire County Council for one year. Margaret has also acted as Carers Champion on the Buckinghamshire County Council and Chair of the Carers Strategy Committee and also has personal experiences of caring herself. Margaret is Chairman of Haddenham Parish Council and has served on the Council for over 30 years. Margaret is a Governor of three Schools, and has been involved with the Abbeyfield Society for over 30 years, and involved both locally and Nationally in the Society, serving as Chair of Care and Development for six years.

Paul Foley is originally from Yorkshire but has spent the past five years working in Buckinghamshire. For over a decade Paul’s professional career has seen him working in the charitable sector and at present he is the head of the charitable arm of a local professional football club that delivers activities that seek to increase sports participation levels, improve educational attainment levels, reduce social issues, and improve people’s physical and mental health.
During his twenties Paul spent three years as a full time carer for a loved one and therefore has an appreciation of some of the challenges faced by carers, and is passionate about improving the lives of those people who have caring responsibilities.

Mark Willis is a husband and father of a son, who is now proudly serving in the Royal Navy. Mark has been a member of Aylesbury Town Council for many years. He first came across Carers Bucks / Carers Milton Keynes when Young Carers Bucks applied for a Grant from the committee he was chairing. Mark has carried out many fundraising activities for the charity, including Race to the Stones (50KM) and in 2018 the London Marathon. Mark was Mayor of Aylesbury for 2018/19, and his nominated charity was Carers Bucks.
Mark currently works for London Underground as a Train Operator, before that he worked for the Meteorological Office in varied locations alongside the armed forces, including in the Falkland Islands.

Originally from Northampton, Stewart now lives in Lane End near High Wycombe with his wife, Isobel. Both have retired from careers in healthcare, one as a theatre sister and the other as a part time non-executive director within the Buckinghamshire NHS system until 2016 – within hospital services, primary care and commissioning. Stewart combined his NHS roles with a parallel career in human resource management consultancy, during which he specialised in employment law, psychometrics and training. He has worked on HR issues within private and public businesses, including charities, improving the way in which people perform to the best of their ability, at work. He is an advocate for close working between healthcare and local authorities and believes that nowhere is that connection more important than when caring is involved – hence his interest in Carers Bucks and Carers Milton Keynes. He is also involved in protecting local green spaces in and around Lane End.

Karen is originally from Tyneside and has lived in the South East since the late 80s. She has over 25 years of Senior Marketing and Business management experience with P&L responsibility of household name brands. She is currently a Consultant Marketing Director delivering strategic expertise in direct and digital marketing on a freelance basis. Skilled in People Management, Marketing Management, Digital Strategy, Sales, and Testing. Currently volunteering regularly in a local primary school, focusing on literacy and has helped in fundraising event management for several schools. She has been a joint carer for family members and as a working mother of two teen/adult children, is passionate about helping both carers and parents manage the juggling act between caring for loved ones and carrying on with life.