Our Trustees

Our TrusteesMeet the People Behind The Foundation

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 in the UK go to the school in The Gambia; the only deductible expenses are for stamps, stationery and fundraising costs.

Anne McMath

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.

Mick McMath

I’m 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.

Judy and I carry out all the administration for the school from the UK; keeping track of sponsors; producing and distributing the newsletters; doing all the banking and gift aid tasks, as well as spending each summer fundraising for the school and talking to groups to raise more sponsors and donations.

Judy McMath

My name is Judy McMath. I’m 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 am 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. Along with my husband Mick, I also assist in the administrative aspects of the charity.

Nick Marshall

I was born and grew up in Hastings, going on to become a P.E. Teacher. I am married to Sue from Lancashire and have two wonderful daughters. I originally met Don when I started teaching and we quickly became great friends. We played rugby together and had a few beers every now and then!!!! Along came Anne Gale, an old friend of mine, and Don became besotted!

Paul McMath

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.

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.

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