Our Team
& Trustees
Grove Cottage has around 40 staff, nearly all of whom are part time. If you are interested in joining our team.
Operations
Charlotte Jess
Operations Manager
Esme Willcocks
Senior Administrator & SLT Lead
Jean Cooke
Finance Manager
Linda Matthews
Volunteer Co-ordinator
Fundraising & Communications
Natalie Prosser
Fundraising Manager
Mina Pandya
Community Fundraising Team Leader
Amy Atkinson
Trusts & Major Gifts Fundraiser
Alison Cameron
Community Fundraiser
Sarah Smith
Communications Officer
Club Leaders & Nursery
Maria Sims
Nursery Manager
Joanne Frost
Nursery SENCO
Freya Boittier
Adult Day Services,
Get Active & Grove Grows
Lynne White
Thursday Evening Club
Lottie Hopkins
Performing Arts
Mel Mose
Cottage Crew & Wednesday Evening Club
Bella Palmer
Cottage Kids
Trustees
Kevin Davis
Chairman of the Board
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I was introduced to Grove Cottage in 2009 and became Chair of the Board in 2016. My instinct was to become involved with fundraising as I had experience in other charities. However, as time progressed and I gained a greater understanding of learning disabilities I have become more involved in helping deliver the aims and objectives of the charity. I am a former Metropolitan Police Detective and my later experience in the home office has allowed me to realise the importance of team work to achieve a shared goal.
Richard Smith
Treasurer
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I have been involved with a number of national charities over the last 15 years and have always enjoyed using my business and commercial experience to help develop and grow the depth, breadth and reach of the respective charities. I wanted to get involved in a local charity and you cannot live in Bishop’s Stortford and have not come across Grove Cottage so was delighted to join the board in 2014! It is a privilege to be Trustee of this amazing charity which has served the local community for over 50 years, especially at such an exciting time as the charity embarks on some ambitious projects to widen its reach and secure its future for the next 50 years.
Karen Wallace
Safeguarding Lead
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I started my working life in Finance and Banking, qualifying as a Chartered Management Accountant. After 10 years I swapped the fast hectic pace of city life for an even faster, more chaotic pace as a primary school teacher and Mum to two girls. I remained in education for next 22 years with my final 14 years as a head teacher.
Upon retirement, I felt it was time to give something back, and I am delighted to join the Grove Cottage family, I hope my knowledge and experience of OFSTED, Safeguarding and managing educational institutions will be of some use and support to the fantastic team here at Grove.
Duncan Murdoch
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Grove Cottage has enjoyed over 50 amazing years and the next 50 will see a huge change and step forward in its development. Grove Cottage provides a vital link to the community which it serves. Joining Grove Cottage as a Trustee in 2014 has been a huge honour and privilege and I share the passion and dedication of its staff, volunteers and members. I am a Chartered Surveyor, with my own company specialising in planning and development, and I seek to provide the Trustees with property expertise in their future growth. I have lived locally for many years and hope my community knowledge and expertise will help aid the development of Grove Cottage into the future.
Claire Arnold
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I have been aware of the great work that Grove Cottage has done over many years via family connections and following retirement, was keen to become involved as a Trustee. I have extensive commercial and project/change management experience via a long career in banking and finance, followed by a period as a workplace consultant. I hope to use that experience to add value as part of the Trustee team.
Stephen Downing
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Being the parent of a child diagnosed with autism and global development delay, I personally know the value of the services provided by Grove Cottage. Having fundraised for Grove Cottage since my son first attended, the logical next step was to become a Trustee, I therefore joined the board in 2018. My hope is that I can draw upon my fundraising experiences over the years, plus offer some direct feedback of our family’s experience as an end user. Professionally I am an insurance broker, with a specialism is construction and engineering insurance, so I can bring to bear my knowledge of the industry to Grove Cottage.
Tracy Fisher
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I had wanted to volunteer with a local charity for some time and was first introduced to Grove Cottage by Richard Smith in 2015. I had moved to Bishop’s Stortford a few years prior and having seen and heard a lot about Grove Cottage, I knew it was a fantastic charity so I leapt at the chance to become involved. But it is from seeing first-hand the invaluable help and support it provides to its members and getting to know the amazing team that all work so hard to make it happen that I have come to appreciate how truly fantastic it is. It is an absolute pleasure and privilege to be a part of it. I am a corporate lawyer by trade and I am hopeful that I can contribute something of use to Grove Cottage and its work and growth going forward.
Francesca Hill
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Bishop’s Stortford became my home nearly 25 years ago. My background is in town planning, having worked locally in both the public and private sector. My first involvement with Grove Cottage was in 2019 when I was asked to help with the early planning stages for a replacement building. I formally joined the Development Board in 2021, were I saw first hand the passion and dedication that the whole team had for delivering a new, fit for purpose space, that the Grove Cottage community deserves. In 2025, with the building nearly complete, I was honoured to become a Trustee and I am looking forward to being part of the charity’s next exciting chapter.