Civic Voice

Mary Ash

Mary Ash was appointed to the Civic Voice board of trustees at the AGM in Chester on 22nd October 2016. 

Paul Bedwell

Paul Bedwell was appointed to the Civic Voice board of trustees at the AGM in Canterbury on 24th October 2014. Paul is a Trustee of Sheffield Civic Trust, who won the Marsh Civic Society of the Year in 2016.

Phil Douce

Phil Douce is a former consultant working in Project Management at an international level for over 30 years. He has been involved with the civic society movement for eight years and is now the Chairman of Worcester Civic Society. For five years he was involved as a volunteer at a National Trust property in Worcestershire and helped in the writing of the history of the house and in conducting tours and giving talks about the property. His main interest is in historic houses and their conservation and was part of the first project run by Historic England to record the condition of Grade 2 listed structures in Worcester.

David Evans

Martin Gunson

Martin Gunson was appointed to the Civic Voice board of trustees at the AGM in Chester on 22nd October 2016. 

A founder member and past chairman of Blackpool Civic Trust, where he is currently a Vice-President, Martin is also an Honorary Life Patron of Lytham St. Anne's Civic Society, where he provides (free) professional support for their land owning subsidiary.

A Chartered Accountant since 1980, Martin currently combines running a professional practice with being the Clerk (Chief Executive) of an educational charity that dates back to 1702, and being a member of the Council of University College, Durham. He has worked as a Policy Adviser at the Office of Tax Simplification (part of H. M. Treasury), and continues that involvement on an ad hoc basis. In what time he has left, he runs a salon (palm court) orchestra raising monies for local charities.

Joan Humble (chair)

Joan Humble is the current chair of Civic Voice.

She is also chair of Blackpool Civic Trust, a lively, active group that organises projects, social events, visits and regular monthly speaker meetings. She co-ordinates their Annual Awards Ceremony and Dinner which celebrates achievement in design, new build, refurbishment and community enterprise. She is active in local voluntary groups; Chair of FC Rangers Junior Football Club, member of the Board of Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde Volunteer Centre and the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army’s Bridge Project. A graduate of Lancaster University, she is a former Civil Servant in the DHSS, then the Inland Revenue and a Lancashire County Councillor (1985-97) and a Member of Parliament (1997-2010).

Roger Sutton

Having been educated in Birmingham – at King Edward’s School and the law faculty at the university Roger started a career in the IT business – first at ICT in the days of punched cards, then at the Dunlop Rubber Co when it installed one of the first Leo III computers andthen at BOAC now British Airways. He was involved in the team which installed an international reservations system in the late 1960s which was followed by many additions and enhancements over the next ten years; the 1980s saw the introduction of PCs and he wasinvolved on the systems and implementation across most departments in the airline. Retirement saw a change in career and jointly managing a hotel in Malvern with eldest son.A member of the Windsor and Eton Society for thirty years and latterly the chairman of their planning committee.The move to Malvern saw Roger joining the Malvern Civic Society – five years as chairman of the planning committee followed by five years as chairman. Since 2005, Roger has been the treasurer of the West Midlands Association of Civic Societies with seventy members. A lifelong member of the National Trust, Roger has been a volunteer at Lower Brockhampton, in Herefordshire, for ten years.

Chris Winter