Sophie wardell (chair)
When Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees (CWR) became a charity in 2020, five Trustees were appointed. Sophie has previously worked for the British Council, National Trust and, more locally, the Cheltenham Trust. However, her passion for supporting refugees began with her role at Free Word, a small London-based charity that encouraged asylum seekers to take part in storytelling and writing workshops. Meeting refugee families was a big part of what Sophie loved about the job and led her onto volunteer for Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees in 2018 and now to take on the role of CWR’s Chair of Trustees.
emily webb
Emily is Head of Programmes at Good Chance Theatre, an international charity creating theatre with displaced artists and connecting communities through art. She has run Good Chance’s Dome theatre in refugee centres around Paris, was one of the producers of The Walk with Little Amal reaching 1 million people across the world, produced international Afghan kite flying festival Fly With Me reaching over 60 cities and towns worldwide, and led From Here On working with over 300 young people across Europe.
She grew up in Cheltenham and is delighted to be raising her own family here. She was thrilled when Little Amal was able to visit Cheltenham, thanks to The Everyman, CWR, GARAS and others, and is excited now to have a formal role with CWR as a Trustee.
Oliver gadsby
Oliver Gadsby has been a CWR volunteer since 2020. He brings previous experience as a charity trustee, as well as from professional roles running businesses and membership organisations. He will support our governance and good practice, and help to develop our financial planning and reporting. Above all, though, he is focused on improving the life chances of the people he meets at the CWR Hub: the real inspiration for our work!