TVS Trustees and Committee members are all experienced professionals who have spent a lifetime working in education or children’s services. Trustees are all actively involved with TVS and regularly visit Tyume Valley at their own expense. TVS’s administration and overhead costs are therefore extremely low.
Officers
Our Chair, Margaret Kiloh was formerly Dean of Social Sciences at the Open University. She has a degree in African Studies and in addition to her publications for the Open University she co-authored A Fighting Union, the History of the South African Railway and Harbour Workers Union, with Archie Sibeko.
Our Secretary is Stephanie Gallier is a retired Primary School teacher now living in Kent. She spent many years as a class teacher and SENCO in a large school in Hampshire and forged links with a school in Tyume Valley. She has been involved as a volunteer teacher for TVS in South Africa, visiting and running a variety of study camps over the years. She is a trustee of the charity and currently serves as Secretary.
Our Treasurer is Claire Davies
Trustees
Gaynor Cobb worked as a civil servant in London after graduating in History from Manchester University. After moving to Sussex, she qualified as a teacher and worked in state and private education, as a teacher and also as a tutor. She has worked in a number of subject areas, including as head of humanities and religious studies and has a post-graduate certificate in special educational needs. Gaynor has written educational books and online resources for RE, PSHE and Literacy, as well as books of prayers published by Kevin Mayhew. After retirement, she volunteered to teach in South Africa with Projects Abroad. She has been secretary and then Chairman of a History Society in Kent for 15 years.
Wendy joined TVS as a volunteer English teacher. Subsequently, she visited South Africa for 3 years with the TVS teaching team. The aim was to develop teachers skills in teaching maths and English. Wendy also joined the TVS committee but eventually had to resign due to workload in her Head teacher role. When Wendy retired from this role 8 years later, she volunteered to work for the British Council and VSO as a Teacher and Leadership Advisor in Rwanda. Upon her return, she once again joined the committee to use her experience of working in Rwanda to contribute to the aims of TVS. Wendy has 2 grown up sons and 2 granddaughters and lives in Heathfield, Sussex. She enjoys running, reading and culture.
John Hagestadt is a retired economic development expert who undertook numerous training projects in Africa for the World Bank and European Union. John’s wife was the Headteacher of an Infant School in South London. John earlier worked for many years at the UK Department of Trade and Industry in London and in the USA principally on international trade.
Denise is a retired primary school teacher, who joined TVS in 2021. She grew up and went to school in East Yorkshire, before attending university in Nottingham and then Cardiff, where she qualified as a teacher. She worked in a number of roles in primary schools in England, including as assistant head for ten years, and was instrumental in creating creative curriculums, as well being responsible for special needs education, post-Covid intervention and tutoring. Denise currently volunteers in her local village school and, of course, with TVS.
Jim Lewis is a retired Primary Teacher from the UK with over 35 years’ experience in education, including 10 years as a primary school headteacher in two different parts of England. He also served for a year as a School Governor Coordinator, planning and delivery Governor Training across a large rural county. Much of his teaching experience was in multicultural schools, where English was not the students’ home language. His involvement with TVS began in 2007 when, with their support and that of the British Council, his school established a link with Ntulikazi School. Staff were exchanged between schools on three occasions and work was done together on professional development. Pupils exchanged letters and worked on joint learning projects. Since retirement, he has kept up his links with TVS and Tyume. He has visited the Valley five times and has been involved in the English language project from its beginning.
Stephen is a retired chartered accountant, living in Cornwall with his wife Denise. He was born in South Africa, and lived in Malawi and the Eastern Cape of South Africa, before moving to London at the age of 23. He held a number of senior finance roles in the Lloyd’s of London insurance market before retiring in 2022, and also served on social responsibility committees in his later career. In addition to working with TVS, he is also a pension trustee.
Margaret Woodward is a founder member of TVS who has worked for many years teaching English and music in a variety of contexts. She has visited the Tyume Valley on many occasions and enjoys hands-on contact with the teachers and learners.
Volunteers
Wendy Maples is a Learning Consultant
Team SA – Staff
Lydene Naylor is a Coordinator
Team SA – Regular Volunteers
Francois Rautenbach is an IT Support
Nontombi Siyanga is an IT facilitator and Reading Club volunteer