The Foundation Board of Trustees

Nigel Ashcroft

Chairperson of the Truro School Foundation and Governor

A co-opted governor appointed in 2013, Nigel is a member of the UK industry-government forum Broadband Stakeholders Group and has researched the world’s leading deployments of next generation broadband networks. Nigel is a member of the Estates Committee, Finance Committee, and Governance & Nominations Committee, which he chairs. He is the School’s Nominated Compliance & GDPR Governor and a Truro School Foundation Trustee. Nigel was recognised in the 2012 Birthday honours with the award of MBE for his services to regeneration in Cornwall and the UK.

Term of Trusteeship expires January 2025.

Gerald Chegwidden

Old Truronian

Gerald was born in Redruth and was a pupil at Truro School. He has spent his life in engineering, both civil and military. Having obtained an MSc at Southampton University in Irrigation and Land Drainage, he has since worked for international consulting engineers. Amongst other things he has been involved with dams, river training schemes in Pakistan and Bangladesh and the Thames Tidal Flood Defences. Since retiring to Cornwall he has spent much of his time sailing and skiing in America.

Term of Trusteeship expires January 2024.

Tim Bunting

Friend of Truro School

Tim’s unparalleled knowledge and insight into charitable giving in the UK is of enormous benefit to the Foundation. He has over 15-years-experience working in the third sector, 10 years at senior management level, predominantly within income generation, marketing and communications. He is currently CEO of Cornwall Air Ambulance and was previously at BBC Children In Need, where Tim had responsibility for all commercial partner relationships, with a portfolio of over £13.5m. Alongside working with global brands including Apple and HSBC, he also has responsibility for all licensing, trading and e-commerce activities.

Being married to Claire, a state school head teacher, also gives Tim (and consequently his fellow Foundation Trustees) an insight into this educational sector.

Tim and Claire have two children and they enjoy living on the north Cornwall coast.

Term of Trusteeship expires January 2024.

Kim Conchie

Former Chair of Governors & Old Truronian Parent

Kim Conchie is an Old Truronian parent, Kim’s association with Truro School began when Henry CO11 joined, followed by Charlie CO13 and Florence CO17.

Kim was also a governor of Truro School for 7 years, retiring as chair of governors in 2020.

Kim graduated from University College, Cardiff with joint honours in English and Economics. He now runs two micro-businesses from home in Falmouth and is the co-founder of Navas Drinks Ltd. He took up the post as Chief Executive at Cornwall Chamber in April 2012, is vice chair of Cornwall Community Foundation and a director of Cornwall Arts Centre Trust.

In 2019 Kim was appointed to the Falmouth Place-shaping Board and in November 2019, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Cornwall.

In addition to his working life, his wife Sarah and three twenty-something children, his garden, Falmouth Rugby Club and walking the coast path are sources of great enjoyment.

Term of Trusteeship expires January 2025.

Robert Cowie

Former Governor & Old Truronian Parent

Rob is a Chartered Accountant and was formerly a partner in Francis Clark, Chartered Accountants, in Truro when he retired in 2015 after 42 years. He still carries out some consultancy work for the firm.
Rob lives in Truro and two of his three children attended the school. He was a governor of the school for 27 years until 2020, and a former trustee of Methodist Independent Schools Trust (MIST). He remains a co-opted member of the MIST Finance Committee.

Rob is a trustee of Cornwall Air Ambulance and chairs their finance committee. He is also a non-executive director of Kernow Grain Limited.
Rob’s interests include golf, travel and researching family history.

Term of Trusteeship expires January 2024.

Jeremy Eddy

Current Parent

Born in Redruth, Jeremy and his brother attended Truro School. Having obtained a BSc in Urban Land Management, and an MSc at UCL in European Property Development and Planning, Jeremy is now an International Director with JLL, a global property advisory business, specialists in European retail and development. He lived and worked in France for five years and then London for a further 15 years before returning to Cornwall. He now lives in Mylor and has two children, Orla CO22, and Ben, at Truro School.

Term of Trusteeship expires January 2025.

Peter Munro-Lott

Old Truronian Parent

A parent of three former Truro School students, Peter is a keen advocate of the school and maintaining its ethos. Professionally he was a naval aviator operating across the world at sea and ashore and is now an independent aerospace and maritime consultant. He holds an MA in Defence Studies and is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Peter spent 6 years as a trustee of the disaster relief charity ShelterBox, leading on governance, openness and accountability at a crucial period in the charity’s development. He is keen on sport in all guises and is happiest on the water with his family.

Term of Trusteeship expires January 2024.

Bethany Scarsbrook

Governor and Old Truronian

A co-opted governor appointed in 2021, Bethany is a Barrister with St John's Chambers in Bristol, specialising in family law practice. Bethany attended Truro School from 2003-2008. As an undergraduate, she developed her passion for family law and children's rights and finished top in her year for the subject. Bethany then received a scholarship enabling her to become a postgraduate, successfully reading for the BCL at St Anne's College, Oxford, where she submitted a dissertation considering Gillick competence.

Before joining St John's Chambers, Bethany completed pupillage in London, where she obtained extensive experience in financial remedy disputes.

Term of Trusteeship expires January 2025.

Peter Stethridge

Old Truronian

Peter spent his childhood in Cornwall and was educated at Truro School (1960-1967), the University of Wales Cardiff and Camborne School of Mines. He is a Chartered Engineer by profession and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers. The main part of his career was spent in local government holding several posts with Cornwall County Council, including those of County Surveyor and Chief Executive. Peter’s career included, working on the planning and construction of many of the major bypasses and new roads built in Cornwall in the 1980’s and 1990’s, the strengthening and widening of the Tamar Bridge, the development of the European Objective 1Programme for Cornwall and general local government management.

Peter is a former governor of TS, chairman of the Buildings Committee, a member of the finance committee and the governance & nominations committee. He is a former trustee and chairman of the Royal Institution of Cornwall, a former trustee and vice chairman of the Cornwall Community Foundation and a former member and chairman of the Truro Cathedral Council.
Peter and his wife, Elizabeth, attend Truro Methodist Church and having now retired, his time is mainly centered on family, the visual arts and sailing.

Term of Trusteeship expires January 2025.

Richard Thomas

Chair of Governors

Richard is a Chartered Building Surveyor, former owner and now consultant of RTP Surveyors which has offices in Falmouth and Bodmin.

Brought up in Altrincham, Cheshire, Richard attended Altrincham Grammar School and later obtained a bachelor of Science degree in Building Surveying at Leicester and started his surveying career with Strutt and Parker in London before moving to Cornwall in 1983. For a short while, Richard worked with Stratton and Holborow before establishing his own practice, now RTP Surveyors, in 1986, managing and overseeing its growth into the largest independent firm of Chartered Building Surveyors in the county. In 2018 Richard sold his interest in the practice but remains a consultant to the firm.

Retaining a strong interest in building surveying and estates, Richard sits on the Methodist Independent Schools Trust working party for Property Matters and also sits on the Place Shaping Board for Falmouth and has a specific interest in local matters being chair of the Falmouth Business Improvement District.
Richard is a firm believer about giving back to society and until its closure in 2019 served as vice chair on Cornwall Sita Trust, who donated over £13m to community and heritage projects in the County funded by monies raised through Community Landfill Tax charges.

Richard is a qualified arbitrator and his professional work in a consultancy capacity is generally expert witness mediation and building pathology.

Richard lives in Constantine with his wife Sara and attends the church there. They have two, now grown, children both of whom were educated at Truro School, Patrick attended from 3 – 18 and Milly studied through the Sixth Form.
In his spare time, Richard’s leisure pursuits involve generally keeping fit, photography, cricket, and playing the saxophone ‘badly’.

Term of Trusteeship expires January 2024.