group Trustees

Chris moved to Exeter in 2016 with his wife and toddler and they chose to live in Heavitree because they fell in love with park. It was a great decision, they now have 3 kids and basically live in the park during the summer! In 2018 and 2019 Chris took on the running of the Parklife Coffee Van and opened it during the weekends between April and October. Spending time serving people in the park got him really excited about the impact that a permanent cafe could have on the community and he was delighted to be asked to become a Parklife trustee in 2021.

Chris spent 10 years working as a chef before making a career change to train as an accountant, the mix of catering and financial experience has come in useful in helping to get the cafe up and running and Chris now produces the quarterly financial reports for both the cafe and the charity.

Owain is a dad of three daughters and a husband to Kath. He has been living in Heavitree for over 15 years and loves the local community.

Owain is a primary school teacher and has always worked in and around Exeter. He enjoys drumming, wild swimming and camping.

Along with Kath, Owain has managed the Park Life Coffee van, and the IT infrastructure of the charity. He’s really keen to see people from all walks of life come together to use the café and community building to strengthen relationships and improve the well-being of the local community.

Kate has lived in Heavitree since 2015 with her husband and two daughters and became a trustee of Park Life soon after she moved to the area. Kate ran the fundraising for the cafe build and continues to raise money to support the various projects the charity runs.

Kate is a freelance bid writer who works from home and can’t wait to pop out to the park for a coffee once the cafe is up and running.

Kath is a founding member and trustee of Park Life Heavitree. She moved to Exeter as a student teacher in 1996 and never went home!

Kath is married to Owain and they have three daughters, they have lived overlooking Heavitree pleasure ground since 2007 and not long after moving the park like story began. Kath loves meeting and connecting new people, and is passionate about seeing community come together to support and celebrate one another regardless of age or stage.

Kath has enjoyed visiting lots of groups in the community and sharing the park life story and also learning form others about their connections and history with the park. She works as an artist and also runs art workshops for adults.

Outside of her job, which she loves, Kath enjoys cooking for people and being outdoors, whether its gardening , running on the Quay or being at the beach with friends.

Claire is a founding member and trustee of Park Life Heavitree, who oversees the monthly events and coordinates the volunteers. She has a passion for gathering people together and providing fun activities for families to enjoy in the park.

She is married to Ben and mother to three growing boys! Claire runs her own business, making curtains and blinds from home and works two days a week as a Teaching Assistant, at a local primary school.

In her spare time, Claire enjoys visiting the coast and walking on Dartmoor. Her hobbies also include listening to music, swimming and body boarding.

Peter is married to Maggie and is a retired accountant. They have three adult sons who have all now flown the nest. They spent many happy hours in Heavitree Pleasure Ground when the family was young.

Peter acts as finance lead in his roles as a Park Life Trustee and a Park Cafe Director. When not engaged on Park Life matters, Peter loves walking on Dartmoor with family and friends and cycling.

Johnny lives in Heavitree with his partner and two children who attend a local school. He spent his childhood living next to the park and is incredibly privileged to still be able to live so close.

Johnny is a senior consultant for a consultancy firm based in the UK and drinks too much coffee and spends most of his days looking at spreadsheets and speaking to clients! Outside of work, he enjoys making and listening to music and spending time with his family. He’s also decided he wants a lawn like the local bowls club…