Trustee
Andrew Underdown
Andrew Underdown joined the Bond Board as Trustee and Treasurer in 2022 and is enthusiastic about the Bond Board’s work in improving access to good quality housing.
Andrew came to Rochdale in1976 to work for the probation service, and, through his career, worked for social inclusion and rehabilitation, including experience as Probation Regional Manager for NW Region and on the Correctional Services Accreditation Panel. Involvement in strategy and oversight of finances developed through Economics and Management degrees, a period chairing Rochdale Council Finance Committee and as Trustee and Treasurer/finance lead for the local homelessness charity, Petrus Community 2010-2022.
For leisure, he is a keen hill walker and volunteers on peatland restoration with the National Trust’s Marsden Moor estate.
Trustee
Els Draper (Chair)
Els is an independent consultant and NED specialising in creating services for more vulnerable members of our society. Previously, Els was Head of Customer Vulnerability and Accessibility at Barclays where she created and delivered their market leading customer vulnerability strategy. Els is passionate about the development of sustainable, solutions that empower and support service users.
Trustee
Kathy Thomas
I am married with a daughter Charlie who has just qualified as a Primary school teacher. I have worked within the charity sector for over 30 years and have been in post as the Chief Executive of Rochdale Connections Trust (RCT) for 12 years. RCT is a local home grown charity working with children, young people and adults who are finding life difficult in some way and we provide a lot of support around domestic abuse. I was born in Heywood, I live in Middleton and I work across the borough of Rochdale although I have travelled extensively for work and pleasure. I am a serving magistrate of 24 years.
Trustee
Michael David Rollinson JP
Michael was born in Salford in 1990, the youngest of 2 children to a young family. He gained his degree in Geography from The University of Salford and went on to train to be a teacher at Manchester Metropolitan University. Since then, he has worked in schools in Salford before joining Manchester Grammar School in 2017; where, currently, he is the Assistant Headteacher for Outreach, Service and Partnership at one of the country’s leading independent day schools.
As a Mountain Leader Michael has a passion for enabling young people to get outdoors both within the education and voluntary sectors. He has had a variety of roles in The Scouts at both a national and local level, including being a National Trustee. Michael is a passionate supporter of both The Scouts and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and explains that without these organisations he would not be the person he is today. Currently, Michael is the lead volunteer for an active Scout Group in Salford, supporting over 80 young people and adults, is a member of The Scouts National Awards Advisory Committee, as well as being Deputy Chair of Cheshire Scout County.
Michael also sits as a Magistrate in Greater Manchester having been sworn in, in 2021; a role he finds extremely rewarding.
With a keen eye for charity governance, Michael has been the Chair of Trustees for Proud and Loud Arts for the past 7 years, supporting the charity to develop within this time, and gaining the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2019. He is also a governor at Ashcroft School, a Special Independent school, part of the Together Trust, where he chairs the Teaching and Learning Sub-Committee. Michael is a trustee for the Bond Board, who work to reduce homelessness by finding homes in the private sector for people on low incomes.
He is a proud Salfordian and is passionate about social mobility based on his lived experience.
Trustee
Sarah McCarthy (Vice Chair)
Sarah has been a Trustee since 2015 and was involved with the Bond Board around 20 years ago when working at Bury Council. For around 30 years, Sarah has worked for a number of local authorities, in the North West, where she has been responsible for commissioning supported housing services for people who are homeless. Consequently, she welcomes the opportunity to be part of an organisation that provides access to housing and support, especially within the private sector.
Trustee
Tom Fisher
Tom Fisher, originally from South Wales, has been living in Manchester since 2011. He is passionate about supporting those affected by poor housing and experiencing homelessness and has been working in the charity sector for nearly 10 years. Tom is currently a Business Development Manager at Centrepoint, national youth homelessness charity, where he supports the organisation to development and grow its operational footprint through developing bids and implementing service delivery. He is studying for a Masters in Voluntary Sector Management, to develop his skills in charity governance and management to continue to support organisations and people. Tom joined The Bond Board in February 2023, having previously been a Trustee for Northmoor Community Centre, a charity supporting residents of Longsight, Manchester.