Trustee board profiles 2025
Chair
Joy Griffiths
A Trustee since 2009, Joy has been Chair of the Trustee Board since 2016.
With a background in healthcare (10 years in the NHS followed by 30+ years in corporate roles up to European leadership), Joy now provides ad hoc specialist support to an international project team serving the medical industry.
She continues engaging in her own personal development and remains committed to bringing even more impact to her private coaching conversations as The Joy Connector.
Treasurer
Liz Needham
Liz has been with us as our Accountant and Treasurer for more than 14 years.
She is responsible for the preparation and submission of our statutory accounts and Annual Return to Companies House and the Charities Commission, as well as having oversight of the staff payroll.
Liz is a Partner at Kendall Wadley LLP where she works as a Chartered Accountant, Registered Auditor, Tax and business advisor.
Trustee
Melissa Blewitt
Melissa is Fundraising, Communications and Relationships Manager at Maggs Day Centre, where she leads on fundraising, communications, stakeholder engagement and strategic partnerships to support people experiencing homelessness and hardship across Worcestershire.
Her connection to WMRSASC began through volunteering and has developed into a long-standing commitment to supporting survivors of sexual violence and advocating for trauma-informed, person-centred services.
As a trustee, Melissa brings expertise in communications, fundraising and relationship management, alongside a passion for amplifying lived experience, strengthening organisational sustainability and ensuring survivor voices remain central to decision-making.
Outside of work, Melissa juggles mum life with gym sessions, reading, baking and an ever-growing collection of books.
Trustee
Lauren Nash
Lauren is a dedicated and experienced family solicitor and solicitor advocate, known for her unwavering commitment to helping others through times of hardship. With a legal career spanning over a decade, she has built a reputation for providing compassionate and expert legal guidance.
A graduate of Keele University, Lauren has always been driven by a passion for justice. She has a deep understanding of the complexities that individuals face during difficult periods.
Lauren’s expertise ranges from individual in-person meetings through to court advocacy, ensure that clients receive comprehensive support throughout their journey.
Lauren is recognised for her dedication to community service and pro bono work. Lauren has an ability to navigate complex situations which makes her a trusted advisor and advocate .
Lauren’s unwavering commitment to others through times of hardship exemplifies her role as a trustee, ensuring the value of integrity is upheld.
Trustee
Imogen Shields
Having honed her skills for over 4 years in both agency and in-house settings, she’s a whiz when it comes to navigating the ever-evolving world of social media. After graduating from university during lockdown, Imogen dedicated her time to supporting others through her love of nursing.
This experience, coupled with her early volunteering days at WMRSASC, has instilled in her a deep understanding of the charity’s mission and the people it serves. Imogen’s strategic digital marketing skills and genuine commitment to the WMRSASC team and through social media, make it the charity everyone’s talking about.
Her expertise in social media will be instrumental in raising awareness and ensuring WMRSASC’s vital work reaches the communities and organisations.
In her spare time she loves hiking, traveling and running (or trying to, at least!)
Trustee
Veena Allison
Veena is an employment law specialist and leadership development consultant with over 25 years of experience supporting public, private and third sector organisations. She is currently a Non-Executive Director at Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, in addition to running her own employment law consultancy and training company, through which she delivers training in leadership and management, focusing on building inclusive, supportive workplace cultures. Her work is grounded in practical legal knowledge and a commitment to equity and wellbeing.
With a strong personal interest in addressing inequalities, Veena brings both professional expertise and a values-driven perspective to her role as Trustee at WMRSASC, supporting its mission to help survivors of sexual violence and abuse.
Trustee
Paul Dawson
Paul’s expertise sits within social science research, particularly qualitative health services research. He holds a PhD in Sociology and completed a post-doc at Imperial College London. He has researched gender, mental health and mortality – amongst other topics. He sits on the board of Herefordshire Mind and Ross-on-Wye District Community Association. He also has expertise in social media content creation and administration where his content has gained over 10,000 followers and over 10 million views.