Chair of Trustees: Mo Smith, MBE, FRSA Mo has been involved in community work for over 40 years and her experience has included providing Community Care projects, working for ACET (AIDS Care, Education and Training), The Shaftesbury Society and Regenerate.com.  She was co-founder of Regenerate.com with her son Andy Smith, co-founder of SHINE Again (Support and Healing using the INtegretativE arts) with her daughter Debbie Thwaites and founder of Rise n Shine Community Transport CIC. with Ray, her husband.    Mo was awarded an MBE for her work in the community of Putney and Roehampton and was pleased to receive it from the now King Charles.   She had a very successful knitting book published across the world by Dorling Kindersley called "Teddy Bear Knits" and another one called Noah's Ark Knits.  She also has had two songs published by Kingsway Music in the early eighties that were sung across the UK.    Her hobbies include the theatre, music, crafts, creative design and enjoys her two gorgeous grandchildren of 8 and 9 years of age.

Ray Smith:   Ray has also been involved in community work for many years and has retired from being self-employed in the car industry - which was and still is a great asset to Regenerate-RISE's fleet of minibuses.  Ray volunteers regularly for RISE by doing general handyman work around the Platt Mission.   He has been involved in pastoral care and attends Hillsong Church in Guildford.  His hobby is attending rally cross events and he too enjoys spending time with his very special grandchildren, Charlotte and Oscar. Ray has transformed one of our minibuses to be Dementia - friendly with a TV monitor, inside lights and colourful headrests.

Nick Oakes joined the Board of Trustees early in 2017 and has a history in housing, benefits, support, skills project and budget management.  He has been an advocate for the marginalised, youth and elderly and lives in Cobham, Surrey.  His hobbies include travel, gardening, sport and helping others.  He enjoys travelling to Spain on a regular basis and has been a Trustee of another charity that provides services for older people in the Cobham area.

Patience Siaw lives in Guildford and works at Westminster University as an IT Support Engineer within Higher Education.  She is a member of Hillsong Church and has volunteered with Regenerate-RISE  throughout the Covid-19 pandemic telephoning 6 of our members on a weekly basis.  We welcome Patience to our Board of Trustees and know that she will bring a unique contribution to our charity.

Julia Przetakiewicz is Canadian Polish and was an employee of Regenerate-RISE a year ago with various roles including Chief Operating Officer and Centre Manager. Previous employment included conducting research for the International Business Leaders Forum in Hong Kong, Research Consultant and Workshop Facilitator for "Supply Chain Risk and Reputation - Business and Human Rights" roundtables working with Doughty Street Chambers, Beechwood International and Mazars. Julia has a MSc in Communications and Media and a BA in Modern European Studies. She speaks French, Polish, Spanish and is learning Mandarin.  Her volunteer roles include being Advisor for Feeding Hong Kong and REDRESS Hong Kong and her hobbies are hiking, skiing, tennis, travel and the arts.

Trustees for a New Era

The Trustees continue to work hard to lead Regenerate-RISE because at the core of all that we do, is the care of the "one".  It has been a real privilege to get to know so many people over the last 20 years, to walk their journey, to be there for them when they most needed us and to provide friendship, support, care and an excellent service.

As Trustees we have to make very difficult decisions at times and perhaps one of the hardest was to close RISE Nottingham due to the Covid-19 crisis.  The team had worked brilliantly over the last 3 years providing a one-day-a-week service dependent on fundraising and income from clients.  When Covid-19 hit and centres closed, we were able to furlough the staff, but due to the prolonged closure of centres we had to look at the long-term prospects and made the decision to close it.

There will be many changes ahead with our funding from Wandsworth Council and we are working together to provide services in the years ahead.

Partnership working has always been very important to us and over the years we have enjoyed working with different Churches and organisations.  We are entering a new era following the end of our partnership with Livability and we look to developing our current and existing partners in order that we can all improve the lives of older people.

We look forward to working together to find new ways of celebrating old age and as we work in partnership with local Churches, organisations, the Council and the health authorities we hope that the lives of many older people will be transformed.

Mo Smith MBE, FRSA 

Founder and Chair of Trustees