Trustees and Ambassadors

The Board of Trustees is composed of members of JT's immediate family, and business and community leaders who have thrown their support behind this very worthwhile cause.

In addition to the Board of Trustees, the charity is delighted to welcome co-opted members who will act as regional ambassadors for the UK or their respective industry or service.

The support of these volunteers has made it possible for the JTYAF to be established and our thanks are extended to them and the organisations that have provided their assistance so generously.

Trustee and Ambassador Biographies:

Peter Thornton - Chairman of the Board of Trustees

Peter is currently working as a Training and Development Consultant with QA, one of the largest independent IT training organisations in the UK.

Peter's role includes the development and delivery of management training courses and programs for organisations both in the UK and overseas. The development aspect requires working with senior players within organisations to ensure that needs are identified and built into the training.

Peter was, until recently, a Governor of Ferndown Middle School, a member of the civilian committee of the local ATC squadron and chairman of Cannon Colts Youth Football Club.

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Linda Thornton - Secretary to the Board of Trustees

Currently working as the Head of Reception for DC Leisure at the Ferndown Leisure Centre, Linda is responsible for the organisation and management of all reception services.

Linda gained her BSc at the Open University when the children were young and then worked in education for several years before moving into the leisure industry.

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Ian Thornton - Scholarship Communications

Ian is currently in Officer Training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
Prior to this he graduated from the University of Leicester with an honours degree in History & Politics.

Sharing many of John's interests both in and out of work, especially playing and watching football, he sees the JTYAF as a fantastic opportunity to honour his brother's life by helping young people to achieve their goals.

Ian married his fiancee Vicky Portnell in August 2009

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Graham Thornton - Scholarship Communications

Graham has worked in the print industry since graduating from Oxford Brookes University in 1995. He earned a joint honours degree in Publishing and History, and has worked for a number of leading printers around the country.

He lives with his wife Lisa and son Ben in Newport, South Wales 

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Lisa Thornton - Award Evaluations

Married to Graham (above), Lisa is a qualified primary school teacher and careers adviser. She has had experience of mentoring both adults and students and was a school governor for several years.

Lisa lives in Newport, South Wales with Graham and their son Ben.

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Vicky Thornton - Hon. Treasurer

Vicky is an Audit Assistant Manager with Ernst & Young LLP, having qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2007.

Based in their Southampton office, she currently works for this global professional services firm in their Assurance Services Department.

Vicky Portnell married her fiance Ian Thornton in August 2009.

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Geoff Beck - Public Relations and Press Officer

Having met 'JT' at some of the Red Arrows corporate days in Bournemouth - and as a former Ferndown Upper student himself - Geoff helped John's family found the JTYAF in the summer of 2008.

Switching from retail management to IT and project management, Geoff worked for organisations such as Unisys and Pricewaterhouse Coopers, managing their financial services sector clientele. Founding his own consultancy in 1998, he continued his lifelong interest in aviation, both through private flying and supporting various air show events, most notably sponsoring the 2003 Red Arrows display at Bournemouth, in aid of Julia's House. To launch JT's Foundation, Geoff organised its first corporate hospitality day, as part of the inaugural Bournemouth Air Festival in August 2008.

Over the years, Geoff has been instrumental in helping raise over five million pounds for both national and local charities and, in recognition of such, was raised to a Knight Commander by the Grand Priory.

Geoff is currently shuttling between the Caribbean and Europe consulting to an international bank, managing one of its strategic business change programmes. A member of the Institute of Directors, he is a qualified programme director, holding Prince II accreditation and two business discipline degrees. He has also served as an Independent Member of the Standards Committee for East Dorset District Council.

Geoff's main sporting interest is rugby union. A qualified RFU and IRB referee, he coaches and develops referees for the NACRA division of the IRB. He's also a keen clay and sport shooter and, when back in the UK, can often be found at his shooting club with his son... another fairly competent shot.

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Mark Berry - Air Training Corps representative

Mark, a former student of Ferndown Upper, is one of the commanding officers of Air Training Corps Squadron 2358 (Ferndown) and knew JT all though his progression through ATC.

Mark will help coordinate and evaluate applications for grants from ATC cadets.

In his spare time, Mark is a highly-rated Aikido instructor who runs his own club near Ringwood.

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George Campbell - Ambassador for Scotland

George knew John as a student and then as an Instructor on the Junior Leaders course.

George used to command the West of Scotland Wing within the Air Cadets prior to semi-retirement from the Air Cadets George is now responsible for UK wide Corps Shooting, reporting to Wg Cdr Mike Eveleigh OBE RAFR who is also Director, Junior Leaders.

George lives in Glasgow, where he runs his own business and is a Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Dunbartonshire.

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John C. Fay - Organisation Development and Brand Standards

John is the Chief Executive Officer of SFL - the consulting company based in Cheshire which he formed in 2004. John also founded the Junior Leaders in 2000, and met JT through this organisation.

Educated at St Bede's College and Sunderland University, John's early career was with IBM developing major accounts globally. He founded SFL to help companies build genuine leadership capability to deliver successful change and has worked with the Boards of some of the top blue-chip companies, such as LloydsTSB, Zurich Insurance and Littlewoods.

John is also a respected commentator on leadership for Radio 5 Live and Sky Sports. He has also always been active in the voluntary sector, having devoted many hours of his free time over a 10-year period to working with young people to help them develop confidence, leadership ability and good citizenship.

His work in this field was rewarded in 2004 with the award of the MBE.

Always an active sportsman, he played rugby for Manchester in the 1990s. Today, John still plays football, sails in the summer and is a very keen golfer. He has also retained a strong affiliation with the RAF having flown Bulldogs with Northumbrian University Air Squadron and is also an Honorary Member of No 72 (R) Sqn, Royal Air Force, RAF Linton-on-Ouse.

John is married to Sarah and lives in Cheshire.

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Tony Hambleton - Ambassador for the Royal Air Force

Tony is an ex-RAF Pilot who served on Hercules, Shackleton and Jet Provost squadrons. Latterly, he became an Instructor at RAF Linton-on-Ouse flying the Tucano training Fast Jet pilots. He then joined the RAF's elite Central Flying School training RAF Instructors to teach student pilots on the Tucano.

Educated at St Bede's College and Sunderland University, John's early career was with IBM developing major accounts globally. He founded SFL to help companies build genuine leadership capability to deliver successful change and has worked with the Boards of some of the top blue-chip companies, such as LloydsTSB, Zurich Insurance and Littlewoods.

John is also a respected commentator on leadership for Radio 5 Live and Sky Sports. He has also always been active in the voluntary sector, having devoted many hours of his free time over a 10-year period to working with young people to help them develop confidence, leadership ability and good citizenship.

An ambassador who knew JT personally, Tony will deliver notable effect for the Foundation and serve our interests within the RAF. He is an Honorary Member of No. 72 Sqn (R), Royal Air Force at RAF Linton-on-Ouse.

Shambles lives in North Yorkshire with his wife Helen and their two children.

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Manley Hopkinson - Ambassador for the South

Manley is an ex Royal Navy Officer who served in the first Gulf War.

He has since developed a huge reputation as a Global Explorer. He has captained a yacht in the BT Round the World Challenge in 2000, taking 16 novice sailors around the world the 'wrong way'. He also holds the world record for skiing to the North Pole which he did whilst fending off Polar Bears.

An inspirational speaker, Manley now runs people development for Atlas Defence Consortium part of HP. His adventurous experience will be on hand for the benefiting agencies to use. Manley lives in Hampshire.

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Steve Howard - Ambassador for the Midlands

Steve knew JT through his work at SFL.

Steve is Head of Internal Communications for the UK wide pharmacy chain, Lloyds, a group of over 1700 pharmacies UK wide. As well as being a Fellow of the Institute of Personnel and Development, Steve is a qualified pharmacist and has spent the last 15 years of his career training and developing all the pharmacists within Lloyds.

Steve will actively promote the Foundation and be available for professional comment and advice on the scholarships we award. Steve has flown in the Tucano with the RAF and has several friends in the Royal Marines. He lives in Northamptonshire.

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Richard Millman - Ambassador for the North

Born in Holmfirth, Yorkshire and educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Wakefield and The University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Richard was a member of Northumbrian University Air Squadron and served as an Officer in The Royal Air Force.

Upon leaving the RAF Richard embarked upon a career in Marketing with companies including Diageo, Allied Domecq and Coca-Cola, which took him from the UK to the emerging markets of Eastern Europe, including four years living in Moscow and Kiev.

Upon returning to the UK in 2000, Richard joined DSGi, initially as Marketing Director of PC World Business and then as Managing Director of Genesis Communications.

Richard has spent the last 18 months working in the Private Equity field on Business transformation and turnaround.

Married to Robyn, with two sons Oliver (10) and Elliot (8) Richard has moved back to his beloved Yorkshire where he enjoys hill walking, tennis and indulging his love of running.

A former member of the Junior Leaders Directing staff, Richard ran the 2008 Great North Run in aid of the JTYAF.

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Phil Peters - Ambassador for the City and London

Phil, an ex-CCF Air Cadet, hails from the Wirral and is a private Helicopter Pilot.

Although he never met John, Phil was taken aback by his story and sacrifice. Phil is an investment banker by discipline, but has worked in business for the majority of his working life. Phil is a director of, and assumes a senior leadership role in, the management of a private investment business based in London which owns and operates a number of assets across a diverse range of industries.

Phil will promote the Foundation in London and look to deliver notable corporate sponsors. He is an Honorary Member of No 72 (R) Sqn, Royal Air Force at RAF Linton-on-Ouse and has flown in the Tucano.

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Matthew Quinn - Ambassador (Financial Services Industry)

Matthew Quinn left the army in 1995, due to injury, after attending the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

His love of the outdoors remained strong and Matthew can normally be found standing by a river bank, running over hills, camping in the wilderness or shooting in the highlands. Professionally he has held many jobs, including chauffeur to a famous comedian, painter on a merchant navy ship and scrap metal dealer.

Today he is Head of Business Development for Tenon Financial Services, which he says is the most interesting of the lot, mainly because it enables him to take clients on leadership courses with the Masaai in Africa twice a year.

Matthew, originally from Oldham, lives in the countryside outside Edinburgh with his wife Wendy and also enjoys cooking, scuba diving and riding his motorbike.

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Matt Snook - Junior Leaders representative

Matthew Snook is currently serving with the Royal Marines in Afghanistan and grew up with JT in Ferndown, Dorset. Matthew is an ex-member of the Air Cadets who, along with John, was also an outstanding student on the Junior Leaders course of 2004/5.

Matthew was invited back to instruct on the Junior Leaders course and is very keen on outdoor pursuits. He is a graduate of Swansea University and handles the relationship between the Junior Leaders and the Foundation.

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Sqn Ldr Vanessa Toth RAFVR (T) - Air Training Corps representative

Vanessa is the Officer Commanding of 2358 (Ferndown) Squadron ATC who helped steer JT through his very successful Air Cadet tenure. Additionally, Vanessa is a Wing Staff Sector Officer with overall management responsibility for four other squadrons in Dorset and is a member of the Dorset/Wilts Wing senior staff team.

Besides her career as a senior manager in HM Revenue & Customs, Vanessa also helps Mark Berry coordinate and evaluate bursary and scholarship applications from the ATC quarter.

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Alex Wills - Ferndown Upper School representative

Alex is the Headmaster of Ferndown Upper School.

Alex's role will be to evaluate bursary applications from the school and to coordinate events at Ferndown Upper that are held in aid of the Foundation.

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Darran Gunter - Dorset Fire and Rescue Service

Darran Gunter is currently Chief Fire Officer of Dorset Fire and Rescue Service.

Darran's career began in 1983 when he joined, what was then, Gwent Fire Brigade. He transferred to the West Midlands Fire Service in 1989 and served at various fire stations before moving to the Fire Service College in 1993. For the next 3 years, he undertook a period of instruction and project management before moving to Devon in 1996.

Darran was promoted to Assistant Chief Fire Officer in Dorset in 2001, to Deputy Chief in 2004 and Chief Fire Officer in 2006.

In addition to this role, Darran also leads nationally for the Chief Fire Officers Association on training and development.

Darran is married and has two sons, David (aged 17) and Rhys (aged 11). His general hobbies include getting fit and following the now regular successes of Welsh Rugby.

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