Meet the Team

Interested in becoming a Newquay Foodbank volunteer? Get in touch with one of our friendly team for more information or take a look at our current volunteering opportunities.

Our staff team 

Zoe Nixon – Director

I’m Zoe Nixon, the Director of Newquay Foodbank. I’ve volunteered at Newquay Foodbank as a Session Manager for the past 4 years and was delighted to be appointed as Foodbank Manager in April 2023, before becoming Director.

My role is to ensure we deliver a sustainable provision in the Newquay area, including partnerships with some excellent local organisations and charities. We must provide a dignified, caring and supportive service that enables families & individuals to navigate difficult times in their lives.

Our vision is to work towards a time when food banks are no longer needed. While we are here, we will raise awareness around the issues of food insecurity and poverty, whilst breaking down the stigma surrounding food bank use.

In my spare time, I am keen on spending time gardening in my allotment. 

 

Laura Thomas – Operations Manager

 

Stacey Matthias – Support Coach

My name is Stacey Matthias. I’ve lived in Newquay for 40 years after moving here from South Yorkshire. In 2024, I joined Newquay Foodbank as the Assistant Manager and now run the operations across the charity.

After spending 15 years as an Early Years Tutor at Truro College, my daughter and I decided on a career change and became the owners of The Garden Café tearoom and function venue at Trenance Heritage Cottages in Newquay. The thing we loved most about our business was the friendships we built with our customers.

After several years running the tearooms, I briefly returned to teaching before realising I missed seeing people and engaging with the community. This is when I came across the role at Newquay Foodbank and knew I had to apply!

Working with Newquay Foodbank has given me the opportunity to support my local community and give a little something back to the great place that my family and I had grown up in. There is a reason why I’ve never left Newquay – nowhere else in the UK is better! 

We have an amazing set of volunteers that I love working with. The volunteers here make Newquay Foodbank so special and I’m very privileged to be working alongside all of them.

 

Ruby Bridge – Financial Inclusion Project Lead

My name is Ruby Bridge, I am the Financial Inclusion Lead at Newquay Foodbank. I am thrilled to have joined the foodbank. I am a mother of 3 and I moved to Cornwall as a teen and spent my late teenage years in difficult circumstances myself with a newborn, unfortunate domestic situations and financial hardship that are all too common.  After pushing myself through educational courses and consistently working hard, 12 years on I have a background in retail, finance, accounting, business and management.

I am delighted to now run the Pathways project at the Foodbank and put my wealth of knowledge and personal experience to the use of Newquay Foodbank. I adore motherhood, cooking and I have an extensive collection of plants, my garden is my ongoing personal project and sanctuary. Now the new challenge at the foodbank is here, we as part of the Pathways team, are ready to offer additional support to really target the low-income household and hardship in new ways and reach above the poverty line. 

 

Josie Purcell – Fundraising and Comms Manager

 

Nicola Craddock – Projects Manager

 

Liz Smith – Office and Administration Manager

I relocated to Newquay from Hampshire in 2005, seeking a more relaxed environment to raise my children as a single parent. Both of my children attended local schools and continue to live nearby, which has helped deepen my connection to the community. Newquay holds a special place in my heart. I love its people, its lifestyle, and the strong sense of community spirit that shines through even in challenging times. It’s this spirit that inspires me to work here.

I joined Newquay Foodbank as Office and Administration Manager in September 2025. I have a variety of experience across telecommunications, construction, education, and charity sectors, and am passionate about using my skills to support the vital work we do. I particularly admire Newquay Foodbank’s focus on intervention, prevention, and collaboration—approaches that go beyond crisis response and aim to create lasting change. I’m excited to work alongside our dedicated volunteers and contribute to the behind-the-scenes operations that help make our services possible. Together, as a team and a community, I believe we can truly make a difference.

 

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Our Trustees 

Our trustees are the people who share responsibility for leading the charity and deciding how it is run. They make sure that we have a clear strategy, that our work and goals are in line with our vision, and that the charity is run sustainably. Our board of trustees are all volunteers, bringing a huge range of skills and experience to help us run Newquay Foodbank. 

 

Richard Williams – Chair of Trustees

My name is Richard Williams. I’ve been in Cornwall since 2004 and live locally to Newquay Foodbank in St Columb Major.

I have many years experience of working in Local Government and the Voluntary Sector, finishing at a senior level in 2016. Following a short rest with retirement, I became involved with the Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum, leading a change and modernising agenda to secure it as a key infrastructure organisation for Cornwall.

I have long been interested in the causes of poverty and constantly sought solutions for those who find themselves in this situation. I was aware that Newquay Foodbank was a driving force in combatting food poverty in the North Cornwall area and knew it would be a great place for me to direct my skills and energy.

 

Claire North – Vice Chair and Volunteers Lead

Proud to be Newquay born and raised, I have lived back in Newquay since returning home after gaining my university degree in Natural Sciences. I initially started volunteering as a volunteer officer for a local environmental conservation charity. I have also worked in a variety of roles for 13 years supporting young people and vulnerable adults in undertaking environmental conservation and horticultural tasks across mid-Cornwall.

After this, I joined the National Trust in West Cornwall in 2014 where I now lead visitor experience and operations at three properties near Helston and Penzance. I also support 6 staff and over 130 volunteers in welcoming visitors to our places and looking after our historic buildings, collections, gardens and parkland.

I have volunteered as a session volunteer at St Columb Major for over 3 years and joined the Board of Trustees at the end of 2021.

I am currently studying for an MA in curation with work. In my spare time, I enjoy gardening, travelling, coastal walking and sea swimming.

Beckie Wilton – Treasurer

 

 

Howard Wardle – Secretary

After 14 years of founding and building Eastbourne Foodbank I retired to Newquay in May 2026 to be near family and to enjoy all that Cornwall offers. During the time in Eastbourne I was honoured to be awarded an MBE for my work across the community challenging poverty.

In my early career I worked as a computer analyst/programmer, technical support manager and then managing consultant for a French Computer manufacturer. With my wife and young family we then moved to Eastbourne to manage a 60 bedroom hotel and conference centre. During this time the church I was involved with supported me to go to theological college and then to lead the church for 18 years. It was during this time I started a CAP debt project and established the Eastbourne Foodbank with Trussell.

I have wide experience of both strategic and operational work and have led both voluntary and paid teams.

In my role as Secretary of Newquay Foodbank I hope to use my experience to support the work and help develop strong compliant foundations.

 

 

David Pettigrew – Health and Safety Lead

I grew up in a mining community in South Wales, where strong community spirit and supporting your neighbours were part of everyday life. After joining the Royal Navy in the mid-1970s, I went on to build a 30-year international career in industry, specialising in safety risk management and organisational resilience.

As a trustee at Newquay Foodbank, I bring a lifetime of leadership experience and a deep commitment to helping people. My background gives me a grounded understanding of hardship and the importance of reliable support. I’m dedicated to ensuring the foodbank operates safely, responsibly, and with compassion, so that employees, volunteers and anyone turns to Newquay Foodbank are properly informed and treated fairly.

 

Natalie Dow – Leadership Lead

I’m Natalie and I am a Leadership Coach, Consultant, and Facilitator with over 20 years of experience in helping people and organisations thrive. 

I have spent most of my career supporting leaders in health and social care to create positive change and achieve great results for the populations they serve. My work includes coaching, leadership development, team development, and facilitation. I specialise in developing collaboration and partnership working, which aligns perfectly with the approach at Newquay Foodbank.

Joining Newquay Food Bank as a Trustee was an easy decision for me as I was keen to be a part of helping our local community and tackling food insecurity in Newquay and the surrounding areas. I was drawn to Newquay Foodbank’s vision and commitment to providing emergency food and support with compassion and dignity, whilst working towards a future where food banks are no longer needed.

When I’m not running my business, I love spending time with my family in Newquay and engaging in activities that promote well-being and connection. I live locally with my husband, our two amazing teenagers, and our two (usually sandy) dogs.

 

 

Michelle Tucker – Trustee

I have been volunteering for Newquay Foodbank since 2019, initially at St Michael’s sessions, later adding coordination of the supermarket collections teams among other activities.   I wanted to contribute to the community after moving back to Cornwall, and the Foodbank struck me as a critical resource.

Taking the step to become a Trustee was a natural progression and I’m proud to play both an operational role and provide governance oversight to an organisation that has become much more diverse and visionary than the simple provision of food parcels.

Alongside the Foodbank I’m a Non-executive Director for Coastline Housing Ltd, whose aim is to end the housing crisis in Cornwall.  Both organisations aim to improve the lives of people in Cornwall, which is something I feel passionately about, having grown up here, lived away, and then returned.  I also run a property business and am training to be an executive coach. In my spare time, I can often be found exploring Cornwall in my camper van, sea swimming and dog walking or running on the SW Coast Path.

 

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