Our Trustees & Staff

Southall Trustees & Staff (L-R: Richard, Lewin, Holly, Mark, Jo, Phil, Donald, Hannah, Andrew and Wil)

The Southall Trust is a registered charity, governed by a group of trustees, all of whom are relatives of the Trust's founder, Wilfred Southall. The trustees are volunteers and employ a Trust Secretary to manage the Trust on a day-to-day basis. Throughout the year the Secretary will work alongside sub-groups of trustees to assess grant applications and the whole group meets together roughly every four months.

Brief biographies of each trustee and our Trust Secretary can be found below.

MARK HOLTOM

Mark has been a trustee since 1989. He began his working life as a teacher of languages, but his love for travel and other cultures led to him to spend several years volunteering in developing countries overseas. Returning to the UK, Mark spent 30 years working for local authorities in Yorkshire and Lancashire. He spent a decade in community care development and, prior to his retirement, he spent 20 years in local authority strategy and performance management.

Mark is an active Quaker and lives with his wife in Yorkshire. His hobbies and interests include hill walking, listening to and performing music.

HANNAH ENGELKAMP

Hannah has been a trustee since 2008. For almost two decades she has worked as a writer and editor for various magazines, websites and social media channels. She has published two books and, in 2016, she was named among the Guardian’s “10 of the most inspiring contemporary female adventurers”.

For a time, Hannah was warden of Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island), off the coast of the Lleyn Peninsula in north Wales. She is a passionate campaigner for environmental action, sustainability and conservation.

Hannah lives in Wales with her partner and their two children. Her hobbies and interests include creating art, yoga and swimming.

ANDREW SOUTHALL

Andrew has been a trustee since 2017. He has worked in the field of art and design for almost four decades (including as an architectural photographer), lecturing in colleges and universities since the mid-90s. Currently, Andrew is a subject leader in the School of Design at Bath Spa University, where he runs the MA Design programme and supports post-graduate activity and research for the school.

Andrew is especially interested in small scale causes/projects that are socially engaged. More specifically, those which link communities and allow individuals to integrate with other age and social groups.

Andrew lives with his family in Bristol. His hobbies and interests include photography, music and sailing.

PHILIP COVENTRY

Philip has been a trustee since 2017. After graduating with a first-class International Relations and Politics degree, he worked for several large financial institutions. Philip left the City to study for a PhD, focussing on international issues associated with climate change. From 2019 and 2025, Philip worked for Community Energy England, where he was Head of Operations.

Philip lives in Yorkshire and his hobbies and interests include climbing, dance and visiting places with ‘big countryside’ scenery.

HOLLY WALLIS

Holly has been a trustee since 2021. She brings significant voluntary sector experience to the trustee group, including working for a charity that has been on the receiving end of Southall Trust support. Since 2017 Holly has worked as a participatory theatre practitioner, currently working at Bristol Old Vic. Holly is passionate about storytelling and using the arts to bring about positive social change.

Holly lives on a houseboat and can usually be found anywhere between Bristol and London! Her hobbies and interests include juggling, open water swimming and mountain climbing.

TRUST ASSOCIATE – JOANNA ENGELKAMP

Joanna was a Southall trustee for 31 years, from 1994 until 2025. In 2025 she retired as a trustee, but agreed to become a Trust Associate. This means that Jo continues to support the Trust on an ad hoc basis (e.g. by assessing grant applications), but without trustee liabilities or responsibilities.

Following university, Joanna trained as a nurse and as a teacher. While her children were young, she ran a wholefood shop, which was also a focal point for her local community. As such, healthy eating and community building are important to Joanna. For more than 30 years she has been working as an Alexander Technique teacher.

Joanna is an active Quaker and is especially passionate about addressing climate change and disarmament. She lives in Wales, where she volunteers as a peace educator in schools. Her hobbies and interests include looking after her grandchildren and enjoying the natural world.