Dedicated volunteers

As a charity we are run and governed by a group of dedicated volunteers, who we call Trustees. They are ultimately responsible for the running of the foundation.

The trustees receive no remuneration or expenses and we are pleased to say that 97% of all monies raised go to the school in The Gambia; the only deductible expenses are for stamps, stationery and fundraising costs.

Our Trustees

Anne McMath

Anne McMath

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My name is Anne McMath and I am the widow of Don, in whose memory the school is named. I retired from my book keeping business after 32 years in August 2007.

My main role in the charity is in The Gambia itself, where I deal with all the local administration & the buying for the school. I have also project managed all the building work, which was quite challenging as I had never done anything like that before; however, now that we have completed our forth building, I am much more confident.

I spend around 6 months each year in The Gambia. One of my main tasks is dealing with the registration of the new children for the September intake; we have at least 200 children applying to go to the school for every 30 places we have. I have full control of the Gambian Budget for the school and I decide exactly how the money should be best spent.

In England I prepare the accounts & organise various fundraising activities. These include holding an annual garden party and giving talks to various organisations.

My vision for the charity was that we gave a chance to children to have an education, who would not go to school, because their parents could not afford to send them. However I would not have accomplished this without the help of the other trustees & the sponsors. I have been humbled by the generosity of people who have given their time & money to help this project. A very sincere thank you to you all, because without you there would not be a school.

Paul McMath

Paul McMath

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I am the son of Don and Anne. I was born in Hastings and have lived there all of my life.

For me the story started before the Gambia. I had already visited Kenya with my partner Yolande, and enjoyed the African experience. After my Dad’s death we took my Mum, Anne, to Kenya and I believe this was the start of my Mum’s love affair with Africa. When she came up with the idea of sponsoring children to go to school in Gambia, I thought, “What a great idea.”

I am very proud that my Mum, Mick and Judy have all made the Don McMath Foundation the success it is. Being involved is infectious, and it has made me realise that normal people can make a difference. The school is great, the care and attention the children receive helps each and every one of them fulfil their potential.
I hope to encourage more like minded people to help change the lives of disadvantaged children, so that these children can in turn improve the lives of their families.

Judy McMath

Judy McMath

My name is Judy McMath. I am married to Mick, Don’s brother, and we have two grown-up sons. Having spent my whole working life in nurseries or as a nanny working with under-5s, I retired in June 2009. I enjoy cooking and reading in my spare time.

I was involved with many of the school’s fundraising activities, some examples being, cooking for in excess of a hundred people at various garden parties; providing burgers, etc. for a charity clay shoot; and spending hours behind a stall at the Verwood Rustic Fayre. Since Mick handed over the chairmanship to Paul I remain a trustee and watch with interest as the school evolves.  In my spare time, I volunteer at a local Food Bank and also at a Community Fridge both of which I enjoy. I practice yoga two or three times a week which I love and hope it will help my physical and mental health as I get older.

Mick McMath

Mick McMath

I am Mick McMath, Don McMath’s brother. After 26 years in IT and Finance, I took semi-retirement in 2002 and took a job as a postman from which I retired fully in January 2009. My wife Judy and I became involved with the school after we visited The Gambia in February 2002. Anne had already been sponsoring a few children at local schools and asked us if we thought she was mad to want to start a school over there; we agreed that she must be but offered to help in any way we could.

I was chairman of the Don McMath Foundation for about 14 years and initially spent a good deal of my time setting the school up as a registered charity. One of my main tasks has been fundraising, we ran an annual garden party in our garden in Verwood which, as well as raising money was an opportunity for our sponsors to meet each other and find out about the school.  Due to old age and Parkinson’s disease, I retired from the position of chairman of the school in 2017 when I handed over everything to Paul McMath. I still take a great interest in the school but I am not involved in the day-to-day running of it.

Nick Marshall

Nick Marshall

I was born and grew up in Hastings, going on to teach at the Secondary School level and work in management posts in Further Education. I am married to Sue from Lancashire and have two wonderful daughters and four fantastic grandchildren. I originally met Don when starting my first teaching post at Priory Road Boys Secondary School in 1971 and we quickly became great friends. We played rugby together and enjoyed a few beers every now and then! One day, an old friend of mine called Anne came along and Don was besotted! I feel privileged to play a role in supporting the Foundation and was delighted to kick start The University Fund and sponsor our first student to enter Higher Education.

Graham Cook

Graham Cook

I was asked by Mick & Judy if I would like to become a trustee in 2003 and was pleased to be able to help. I mostly help on the IT side of things and have been able to source many PCs, printers and other IT equipment for the school.

Shelley Grierson

Shelley Grierson

Shelley Grierson – Shelley first became involved with the Don McMath Foundation in 2011 when she visited the school and became a sponsor. She has been involved in social media support for the organisation since then and has helped to spread the word amongst her network about the school and its cause.

Shelley’s professional background includes private sector, public sector and third sector (NGO) experience including a recent placement within the WHO. She is passionate about ensuring the ongoing growth and stability of the school, particularly maximising the number of students it can support in the short-term and the in long-term. That is why each and every sponsor is so important and so valued.

Sarah McMath

Sarah McMath

Sarah McMath, eldest daughter of Mick McMath. I am married to Andy and we have two children – Lucy, aged 20, Isaac, aged 18. I have worked in the water industry for 27 years – 24 of these in Thames Water and the past three years as the CEO of the market operator for water. We have supported the school as sponsors since the beginning, and visited the school in 2010. My children spent a day in the school, in nursery for Isaac and the equivalent of year 3 for Lucy.

Both of them still remember the details of their experiences at the school, with their main takeaway being how well behaved all the children were in comparison to their classmates at home! I am also a senior advisor to eWater, a company that provides smart water solutions in Ghana, Tanzania and Gambia. I am really looking forward to visiting The Gambia next year for the schools 20th birthday celebrations.