Charles - Trustee

For over twenty years, Charles served as a full time judge in the west of England, for much of that time concentrating on cases involving the welfare of children and for several years in the post of Designated Family Judge in Wiltshire.

He finally retired in 2014 and lives in Gloucestershire with his family which includes eleven grandchildren. Charles joined the Board in November 2014, took over as Chair in April 2017 and stepped down as Chair in early 2022.

Through his experience of dealing with children – both personally and professionally – Charles has always been interested in their development and welfare. He is acutely aware of the difficulties facing families in crisis and the need to develop appropriate strategies to help children to reach their full potential.

He says: “In my professional life I always attempted to follow the principle that the courts were there to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and their families. Often the best interests of children did not coincide with the wishes of their parents and difficult decisions had to be made.  

"I first became aware of the work being undertaken by Community Foster Care as a result of the involvement of a member of my family and I was immediately very impressed by the professionalism and commitment of the organisation. Having met the CEO Hugh Pelham and other Trustees I could see that, together with its allied charity Community Family Care, the Agency is ideally placed to provide a developing range of services for children and families at a time when the very essence of family life is constantly being challenged.  

"We live in exciting times, both for Community Foster Care and Community Family Care, when the possibilities for improving outcomes in the areas in which we operate are almost limitless.”