The Connection Team has over 80 members of staff, 14 Trustees and 500 volunteers who bring a wealth of expertise and knowledge, which support The Connection’s frontline services.

Leadership Team

Pam Orchard
Chief Executive Officer

Rupert Bateson
Director of Services

Elizabeth Charles
Director of Fundraising & Communications

Iain Chance
Director of Finance and Resources, Corporate Services

Board of Trustees

Peter had a 35-year career in finance and was most recently President, and Chairman of the management committee, of Capula Investment Management. He now acts as a consultant in the financial services sector. He has a special interest in education with 15 years’ experience as a school governor in the state-maintained sector; he is currently Chairman of the governors of Wycombe Abbey School. Peter is also Chair of the investment committee for the Clergy Support Trust.

Why were you drawn to The Connection?

As someone who had lived and worked in central London for most of my life, I was increasingly aware of the rise of homelessness and wanted to find a way to help. It was the Connection’s particular approach to tackling some of the most complex and apparently intractable challenges that drew me to the organisation.

What’s your favourite TV show to binge watch?

Having worked our way through more or less everything without sub-titles in lock-down, The Bureau and Call My Agent are now current favourites.

Why were you drawn to The Connection and what about your past experiences made you want to become a Trustee here?

Working in Westminster it is abundantly clear that rough sleeping is as prevalent as ever and The Connection’s aim to support people to move off the streets for good, has never been more needed. I often walk past the big red door on my way to work and it’s clear the services are in high demand. Looking into The Connection I was particularly struck by The Connection’s ethos of working ‘with not for’ clients and the way that it could help build relationships of trust through empowerment and engagement. I feel certain that I will find contributing to the development and success of such a vital cause very rewarding.
I have extensive experience working in charity Finance, both within external audit and operational Finance. In 2024 I moved into a more commercial role and am keen to make a meaningful contribution in a voluntary capacity.

What’s your favourite food?
I love Indian food; I could eat curry for breakfast lunch and dinner!

I am a Chartered Accountant. Having retired from full-time work some years ago, I now volunteer in various roles and serve as a trustee for several charities, including The Connection.

Why were you drawn to The Connection?

I wanted to use my skills to support an organisation that works to find solutions to end homelessness. Working with the team at The Connection has been very rewarding. They are deeply committed, compassionate and practical in their approach, and it has been a privilege to contribute to an organisation that has such a positive impact on the lives of people experiencing homelessness.

What about your past experiences made you want to become a Trustee here?
Throughout my career as a Chartered Accountant, I gained extensive experience in governance, finance and strategic decision-making. Since retiring, I have wanted to use those skills to support charities whose values I share. Becoming a Trustee at The Connection has enabled me to contribute my experience while also deepening my understanding of homelessness and the complex challenges people face. This has given me valuable new perspectives and experiences.

Catherine grew up in London and, after a period living abroad, now lives and works in the city. She has a background in marketing, fundraising and ecommerce, with experience leading income growth and delivering change programmes across the charity and commercial sectors. Catherine now runs a marketing consultancy, working with start-ups and SMEs in London and beyond. She joined The Connection as a Trustee

Why were you drawn to The Connection?

Everyone deserves to be safe and secure, and to be given a chance to fulfill their potential. I love that the team at The Connection get to know people as individuals and provide deep and tailored support to those who need it most, believing that everyone should get the opportunity and support they need to find a home where they feel happy and safe.

What about your past experiences made you want to become a Trustee here?

Walking around London I always felt a strong sense of injustice seeing people living on the streets and a curiosity about what had led them to be in that situation. Through connections with homelessness charities and my work in the wider charity sector I learnt about homelessness, the impact of trauma, and the support that can turn people’s lives around and I wanted to play a part in helping people access the support they need.

What about your past experiences made you want to become a Trustee here?

I had been volunteering for charities supporting people experiencing homelessness for a couple of years, when I saw that The Connection was recruiting for trustees. So I knew a little about the issues around homelessness, but have learnt a great deal more as a Trustee.

Do you have any hobbies/hidden talents?

I love running. I’m a member of the Clapham Chasers running club and try to run a different marathon each year. In my spare time I love gardening, particularly trying to grow salad and vegetables.

Why were you drawn to The Connection?

Why were you drawn to The Connection?
I feel strongly that homelessness is the root of many social issues in a person’s life. I was already a trustee of Mayday Trust that also works in homelessness.

What’s your favourite food?
Thai food is my favourite.

Maeve is a policy consultant who works with not-for-profit organisations on strategy and advocacy campaigns, primarily on issues relating to online safety and digital regulation. Prior to that, she was a Senior Civil Servant and worked in a variety of central Government departments including the Cabinet Office, No 10, the Department of Health and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Why were you drawn to The Connection?

Having spent a number of years as a governor at my children’s school, I was looking for the opportunity to extend my governance experience. A friend who had a Trustee role at another homelessness charity noticed that the Connection were looking for new Trustees with policy experience and encouraged me to apply: its unique history and location and its record of life-changing impact made it difficult not to!

What about your past experiences made you want to become a Trustee here?

I’m a Londoner and have been very aware of the high levels of rough sleeping in Westminster for my whole life. I have always supported homelessness charities where I could so it has been brilliant to have the opportunity to play a more active part in supporting an organisation doing such important and innovative work in this area.

Sam Wells has been Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields since 2012. He served parishes in Newcastle, Cambridge and Norwich, and also spent seven years as Dean of the Chapel and Professor of Ethics at Duke University, North Carolina. In addition to his parish and trustee duties, he is a broadcaster, author and speaker

Why were you drawn to The Connection?

The constitution of The Connection stipulates that the Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields is a trustee. But I’m glad to be a trustee in any case, because I’ve seen issues of poverty as central to Christianity since well before my ordination in 1991, and my understanding is that if we want to see the face of Christ, we most likely do so in the face of the person who is hungry, a stranger etc. As Vicar at St Martin’s, I see it as part of my role to knit together the various initiatives at the heart of the community, and make us more than the sum of our parts, so again I’m glad to carry out this role as a trustee of this outstanding organisation.

What about your past experiences made you want to become a Trustee here?

I have spent 10 years living and working as a priest in socially deprived areas. For me the tragedy of homelessness is not simply a personal one. It is the loss to society of the energy and initiative of the person whose talents have been suppressed through trauma, deprivation, and exclusion. My interest is in letting those gifts loose through the face-to-face relationship of client and support worker.

Why were you drawn to The Connection?

The purpose of serving homeless people in this part of iconic London is what drew me to Connection along with the long ties between Connection & Coutts.

Would you rather be super-strong or super-fast?
Super Strong

Why were you drawn to The Connection?

The style of the organisation and approach towards homeless people is quite unique. Calling them ‘clients’ is not only refreshing but also puts a complete different emphasis on how the organisation wants to connect with their target group and help them back into society.

Do you have any hobbies/hidden talents?
Music and woodworking

Why were you drawn to The Connection and what about your past experiences made you want to become a Trustee here?

I have worked in Whitehall for several years so the work of The Connection is local and relevant, and Covid-19 proved that people could be helped off the streets.

Before joining the Cabinet Office I ran a regional charity & worked on a Homeless fund with the Friends of St James & Portsmouth City Council to tackle the issue where rough sleepers had risen from 4 to over 80 in a short period.

What’s the best holiday you’ve ever had?

The next one

Liv is an ICF-accredited executive coach and leadership development expert with previous corporate experience at Goldman Sachs, and Cadbury Schweppes. Recently, she published a book and scientific research around neurodiversity. She volunteered for the Connection at St Martins for over a decade before becoming a trustee.

Why were you drawn to The Connection?

I’ve had a non-religious connection to St Martins in the Fields since my time at school, and it was through the church that I became aware of the Connection’s work. Having volunteered at another homeless shelter for a short time, I decided to volunteer at the Connection, and ended up staying for many years! .

What about your past experiences made you want to become a Trustee here?

After over a decade of volunteering at the Connection, I took a short break over the pandemic, and then happened to come across a trustee advert. Given my previous professional experience and my volunteering experience at the connection, it felt like a natural fit.

Why were you drawn to The Connection and what about your past experiences made you want to become a Trustee here?

I live in a part of London, not far from St Martin in the Fields, where you see a lot of homelessness, and it’s an issue which I feel society has a vital responsibility to address. The work of The Connection is very important, and I particularly like the supportive and holistic way in which it works with its clients.

I’ve worked in the past as an ad hoc volunteer supporting the homeless but wanted to become involved over the longer term, and also in a way which could draw on my work in governance and government. So having seen the valuable work of The Connection, I was delighted when the opportunity came up to apply to join the board of Trustees.

What’s your favourite food?
It’s not a food, but starting the day with a good coffee is one of life’s small but very important pleasures.

Why were you drawn to The Connection?

I was drawn to The Connection because its mission resonates deeply with my own lived experience. When I was 16, I experienced homelessness and spent time living on the streets. I understand first-hand the fear, isolation and uncertainty that homelessness can bring, and I know how important it is to have organisations that offer practical support, hope and a pathway forward.

My own experiences played a significant role in shaping my career and are one of the reasons I have dedicated more than 25 years to working in the charity sector. Throughout that time, I have focused on helping organisations grow their impact through fundraising, strategic development and relationship-building.

What about your past experiences made you want to become a Trustee here?
Having experienced homelessness as a young person, I know how life-changing the right support can be.

Professionally, I have spent more than 25 years in senior fundraising and leadership roles across the charity sector. I am currently Executive Director of Income Generation and Engagement at Carers Trust, where I lead fundraising, communications and engagement strategies at a national level.

I am now at a stage in my career where I want to use both my lived experience and professional expertise to support an organisation whose mission is so closely aligned with my own values.

Why were you drawn to The Connection?

I have been involved in local charities for 20+ years, and was a mentor for The Prince’s Trust working with young people. Working in Whitehall, it is impossible not to be touched by the ‘homeless hotspots’ of the Strand and Oxford Street, and “Everyone In” in March 2020 proved the nation could help an est. 37,000 sleeping rough, off the streets in partnership between councils, the NHS and charities like The Connection working on the front-line.

What about your past experiences made you want to become a Trustee here?
I previously ran a regional charity working in areas of multiple deprivation along the south-coast; where rough sleeping in Portsmouth exploded from 4 to over 80 head over 3 years.

Homelessness indicates a failure of government across multiple policy areas: incl. building enough social & affordable housing; poverty, high rents & utility bills; stagnant incomes in a low growth economy; relationship & family breakdown; welfare & housing support; discrimination & systemic inequalities; alcohol & substance abuse; complex physical & mental health needs; migrants without the right to remain and poor transition from prison or the military.