As a Charity in England, Helen & Douglas House must be run in a very specific manner in order to ensure that it is complying with its legal obligations, and that it is making the maximum possible difference to the children, young adults and families it exists to support.
Helen & Douglas House is a Charitable Company Registered by Guarantee, formed under the Companies Acts 1985–9 as a company with exclusively charitable objects. Its governing document is its Memorandum and Articles of Association.
Helen & Douglas House is run by a board of Trustees, who must adhere to all the duties of company directors AND all the duties of charity trustees under the Charities Acts.
Annual Reports
Helen & Douglas House submits a report of it annual accounts (including a trustees report) to the Charity Commission. These documents, along with further information on the performance of the charity can be found on the Charity Commission website or by clicking here.
You can also download our 2008/2009 Annual Review.
Meet the Trustees.
Helen & Douglas House Trustees act in a voluntary capacity and meet 6 times a year in order to ensure that that Helen & Douglas House is run in accordance with its legal, moral and ethical obligations.
The Trustees instruct the Helen & Douglas House Senior Management Team to ensure the Board’s decisions are carried out.
Board of Trustees – Helen & Douglas House
Alastair Cooper – Chairman 
Alastair Cooper is an Oxford businessman who runs a company involved in the wholesale distribution of bathroom equipment. He is a family man with five children and one grandchild. Since he lost his first son aged 7 to cancer, he has some empathy for the challenges Helen & Douglas House families face. He has been a Trustee of the Society of All Saints since Helen House was just a gleam in Sister Frances' eye!
Alastair is supported in his role by: -
Sister Frances Dominica – Founder and Trustee .jpg)
Born in Scotland in 1942, Sister Frances Dominica trained as a nurse at the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street and at the Middlesex Hospital London. In 1966 she joined the Society of All Saints, an Anglican Religious Community, becoming Mother Superior from 1977 to 1989.
Sister Frances continues as a Sister of All Saints Sisters of the Poor and enjoys a wide variety of occupations and interests, as well as writing and lecturing on the care of children and young people with life-shortening conditions and their families. She is a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Oxfordshire, and has received Honorary Degrees from three universities. She is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
The tireless work of Sister Frances was formally recognised in 2007 when she was awarded an OBE for services to healthcare in HM The Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Sarah Haywood 
Sarah runs her own media and bridal company Sarah Haywood Ltd and is co–founder and MD of the Wedding Bible Company and author of the UK's top selling bridal books the ‘Wedding Bible’ and the ‘Wedding Bible Planner’.
A former broadcast journalist, Sarah regularly appears on TV and radio in the UK and abroad as the ‘Wedding Doctor’ and in her capacity as a wedding ‘expert’. She has been an active supporter of Helen & Douglas House for over a decade and joined the board of Trustees in 2005.
Duncan Craig 
Duncan represents Helen & Douglas House families on the Charity’s Board of Trustees. His son visits Douglas House for respite care. Duncan brings a true family perspective to the work of the Trustee Board. His contributions to the Board’s discussions, either on his own behalf or representing the perspectives of other families, are highly valued by those responsible for planning and delivering clinical services.
David Shorey
A retired solicitor who was formerly a partner in the Oxford legal firm Herbert Mallam Gowers (now HMG LAW LLP) and who for many years acted as legal advisor to the Society of all Saints, Helen House and subsequently Helen & Douglas House.
Andrew Wilkinson
Andrew is a consultant paediatrician at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford. He is a specialist in the care of sick newborn babies. As the only Trustee who is a doctor, he brings this perspective to the work of the Board.
Andrew is a member of Oxford University and carries out research projects into developments in clinical care. He also teaches medical students and holds various national positions on committees related to the training of doctors and nurses.
Elizabeth Drew
Elizabeth had a career in health care as a nurse in both the public and private sector. Her final post, before retirement, was as Manager of the Occupational Health Department for the Oxford Radcliffe Hospital Trust and 14 other organisations in Oxfordshire. On her retirement in 2003 she developed a consultancy practice, which included coaching, mentoring and organisational development. Helen and Douglas House was one of her clients and she is now delighted to be involved, in a voluntary capacity, as a Trustee. Elizabeth also sits on the charity’s Ethics Committee.
Theresa Hill
Theresa has held senior management posts in personnel management in the NHS and local government. Prior to undertaking consultancy work, her most recent post was Deputy Director of Human Resources at the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trust. Theresa is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and has a Diploma in Coaching and Mentoring.
Gary Baker – Company Secretary
Gary is a partner in HMG LAW LLP, one of Oxford’s best-known legal practices and is on hand to provide legal advice and guidance to the Trustees when required. Gary became Company Secretary in July 2009 and succeeded Caroline Johnson (also from HMG LAW LLP) who acted in this capacity from 2002.
