Our trustees

The Booth Centre is governed by a board of trustees who are appointed for terms of five years.

Joe Gravett - Chair

Joe works as an independent consultant who helps organisations navigate periods of change, allowing them to become more efficient and sustainable. He has spent his career working with a range of charities and businesses in the finance sector, and has used this experience to help the Booth Centre develop its strategic objectives, improve its online presence and develop a sustainable funding base.

Joe lived in Manchester city centre for over 20 years and is passionate about developing effective services that provide the opportunity for people with experience of homelessness to improve their quality of life. Joe joined the board in 2010.

Andrew Mullen - Vice Chair

Andrew is Deputy Director of Human Resources at the University of Manchester. He has worked in HR in Manchester for over 30 years and has expertise in all aspects of employment, including HR strategy, change and performance management, employee engagement, equality and diversity, and policy design.

Andrew is a keen advocate of the role of education as a bulwark against social exclusion and serves as a Director and Chair of the Education and Leadership Multi-Academy Trust, which comprises three Manchester secondary schools.

Andrew joined the board in 2013.

John Garrard

John retired from the University of Salford in 2010 after 43 years service. His main teaching and research interests were on the borderlines between history and political science, with particular concentration on urban history and politics since around 1800. While at Salford, he also ran and supported an active student exchange programme for the humanities and social science sector of the university with links to Europe, North America and beyond. Aside from his role as a Booth Centre trustee and serving on the Finance Committee, he gives talks on homelessness to outside groups and has been actively involved in the Centre’s Learning Circle. He has also works as a Youth Referral panellist for the Bury and Rochdale Youth Service, and as a passionate dog lover assists in homing retired greyhounds, whippets and lurchers for the Forever Hounds Trust. John joined the board in 2000.

David Holgate - Sub-Dean and Canon of Manchester Cathedral

David was born, raised and mostly educated in South Africa and was ordained there in 1982. He taught at theological colleges in South Africa and the UK; for 17 years first Vice-Principal and then Principal of STETS, the ecumenical ministerial training college in Salisbury, teaching courses on Bible, mission and church. He is interested in how people interpret the Bible and is the co-author of SCM Studyguide to Biblical Hermeneutics.

He came to Manchester Cathedral because of his interest working with the Bible and Christian faith in our diverse urban context, politically, socially, economically and religiously. He is currently Sub-Dean and Canon for Theology and Mission. Some of his present projects include: helping faith communities to engage with the health service (and vice versa) and reading the Christian scriptures with people of other faiths and their scriptures (a process called Scriptural Reasoning).David joined the board in 2018.

Elena Fowler

Elena worked for ten years as Chief Executive of the National Youth Advocacy Service, a socio-legal charity for children, young people and vulnerable adults. She has also been Head of Children and Family services, and Mental Health services in North Wales, and Drug services on Merseyside.

Elena is currently a member of the Hospital Managers panel for the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS foundation Trust. She is a Custody Suite visitor in North Wales, checking that people in police custody are receiving all their rights. She is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute.

She is an active member of Amnesty International and for fun enjoys spending time with her grandchildren and walking with her recalcitrant rescue dog. Elena joined the board in 2017.

Toni Phoenix

An economics graduate from The University of Leeds and 11 years in business, Toni is now the Director of Digital Gurus North and opened up the Manchester office in January 2017. Toni’s experience in business, finance, digital and information technology brings a wide range of skills to the board.

Toni first started volunteering and fundraising for the Booth Centre in 2014 with extreme challenges such as racing across the Himalayas, bungee jumping 220m and sky diving from 15,000 feet.

She is a certified NLP Practitioner and qualified business and executive coach gaining a merit from Leeds Beckett university in a post graduate diploma. Toni joined the board in 2017.

Nishi Taylor

Nishi is a solicitor, specialising in commercial, intellectual property and technology law. He is passionate about social justice, and is also chair of a charity working with young refugees and asylum seekers and provides pro bono advice to other projects.

He joined the Booth Centre after spending several months volunteering with Greater Manchester Winter Night Shelter.

His interests include hockey, road cycling, sailing, yoga, hiking and travel. Nishi joined the board in 2017.

Joanne Wilson

Jo is currently working for Street Support Network as the Greater Manchester Network Co-ordinator, and previously worked as a homelessness advisor to the Greater Manchester Mayor. She has also volunteered at the Booth Centre, and feels that the vision and values of the Centre are essential in helping people back into their own homes and sustainable employment. Jo is a passionate Manchester City fan and season ticket holder (she's the one on the right). Jo joined the board in 2018.