New trustee Mitch Counsell

We are pleased to announce the appointment of a new trustee to our board: Mitch Counsell, a recently retired Project and Operations Manager from Cheltenham, who brings a wealth of experience from his extensive work in both the public and private sectors.

Many of Mitch’s roles throughout his 45 year career across sectors such as Care, Health, Environment and Hospitality have stood him in good stead for his new role as a Foundation trustee. Having project managed the building of several new hospital and care home settings, Mitch has gained a broad insight into the operating realities and opportunities.  As a Project Manager for the ‘Walking the Way to Health’ Initiative, Mitch worked with his regional colleagues to assess, fund and monitor over 200 community/local authority grants to create a health walks network with National Lottery, BHF and Countryside Agency funding. Whilst working as a Regional Countryside Officer, Mitch was responsible for managing grant aid to Local Authorities for environmental and community projects.  Previously as assistant to the National Heritage Manager at Countryside Agency, he provided advice to the Heritage Lottery Fund on grant applications. 

Although now retired from project management, Mitch has kept up his keen interest in how Barchester continues to grow and in the Foundation’s charity events.  By becoming a Barchester Charitable Foundation Trustee, he is looking forward to working with and learning from the other trustees to help the Foundation go from strength to strength and to continue to enrich the life of others. Through his role as a Trustee, Mitch wants to offer his expertise to enable more people to engage with their local communities in activities of their choice. 

Simon McCall, Chair of Barchester’s Charitable Foundation and Barchester’s Commercial Director comments: “We are delighted to welcome Mitch onto the Barchester Foundation board.  We are excited to have him join us and we are certain that his experience and expertise gained throughout his long and varied career will be hugely beneficial in helping us shape the Foundation’s future.”