Thanks to everyone who attended our AGM in December and voted to re-elect our Board of Trustees. Here’s a little bit more information to help you get to know them!

Julian Prior is our Chair of Trustees and has been involved with the network since the beginning. He is the CEO and founder of Action Foundation in Newcastle and Sunderland. Julian is also a Fellow of the Centre for Social Justice.

Paul Catterall is the NACCOM Treasurer and Secretary. Paul has led Open Door North East since 2009 and has worked in the refugee and asylum sector since 2005.  Paul has 20 years previous local government experience in urban regeneration.

Shari Brown is the Chair of Hope Projects in Birmingham, as well as the Project Coordinator of Restore, a Birmingham Churches project supporting refugees and asylum seekers. She is also a trustee of Celebrating Sanctuary and serves on the steering groups of the West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership and Churches’ Refugee Network.

Will Sutcliffe has been involved with NACCOM since 2009 and a member of the Steering Group since 2012. In 2008 he set up, and remains Coordinator of, BEACON Bradford’s Hosting Project, and is the founding Chair of Bradford City of Sanctuary. He has also been a director of Abigail Housing since 2009 and Chair since 2014.

Caron Boulghassoul is the CEO at Nottingham Arimathea Trust, where she began involvement in 2009. Caron has been working within the refugee sector for 15+ years and is undertaking a Masters in Charity Resource Management.

Alastair Murray is London Development Coordinator at Housing Justice, the national Christian housing and homelessness campaigning charity. Since 2003 he has worked with NACCOM and others to support destitute migrants and refugees, including Hosting and Church and Community Night Shelters. Housing Justice is a member of the ‘Strategic Alliance on Migrant Destitution’ and leads in the development of London Hosting.

Rachael Bee has been involved with NACCOM since 2010 and a member of the Steering Group since 2012. In 2009 she helped set up Bristol Hospitality Network with Dr Naomi Milner and became the first paid Manager in 2014. She has also run a small social enterprise, Refugee Welcome Homes, since 2013.

Jochen Kortlander works as the Accommodation Development Worker at ASSIST Sheffield, the largest accommodation provider to destitute asylum seekers in South Yorkshire. Before joining ASSIST he worked on refugee and human rights issues for the UN and international NGOs in the Middle East.

At the start of 2017, we would like to say a huge thanks to our trustees for all their dedication and commitment. If you would like to contact any of the team please email us.