MEET THE TRANSOM TRUST TEAM – WHO WE ARE
Let’s introduce you to the Transom Trust Team who represent four different churches across Hastings, St Leonard’s and Bexhill.
To find out more about our team members, please click on their picture for their personal profiles.
OUR TRUSTEES
Let’s introduce you to the Transom Trust Team who represent four different churches across Hastings, St Leonard’s and Bexhill.
Steve Young
(Trustee/Support Team)
Steve Young
Steve spent most of his working life as a civil engineer both in the UK and abroad. Latterly this involved working for the UK government on the international aid programme.Steve retired around 6 years ago to take up a role in church administration and leadership with King’s Church Hastings and Bexhill.
Steve has been involved with Transom Trust as a trustee for 3 years and has had pastoral responsibilities for the last couple of years. He has been encouraged to see new residents coming into our properties directly from the streets and gradually adjusting to a more settled lifestyle. The opportunity to work alongside, and to learn from, other colleagues with wide experience in helping the homeless has been something that Steve has particularly valued.
Julia Acott
(Trustee)
Julia Acott
Julia was born in Hastings and lives next door to her childhood home.
She continues to counsel there, and lives with Peter and adopted son Daniel, plus with 7 rescued cats.
Julia is widowed and remarried to Peter, and she has 3 other children and 4 grandchildren.
She is also a musician and plays the piano at church and for pleasure.
Julia founded and led Alternatives Trust East London from 1994 to 2019, working with vulnerable families and those with No Recourse to Public Funds.
This charity work involved providing practical, parenting and counselling support, and starting social enterprises to enable disadvantaged people to step into work.
To serve her clients better, Julia developed counselling skills to become a UKCP registered psychotherapeutic counsellor (MBACP accreditation), and a counselling supervisor.
Julia also has an MA in Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Julia was an Elder in her church in Newham for 38 years.
She is also a trustee of First Fruit, a charity in East London, which provides supported accommodation, and employment and training, for the homeless and the long-term unemployed.
Julia wants to brings her skills to Transom Trust.
Veronica Burt
(Trustee/Support team)
Veronica Burt
I have been a nurse for 20 years, both in Jamaica and the UK. I have experience working in general and mental health settings, and I am currently working in the community looking after people with long-term conditions. I moved to the UK in 2005, and to Hastings in 2017, and maintain close and supportive relations with my mother and four siblings, who all live in Jamaica. I was brought up in a Christian family, and I have always enjoyed (and benefited from) being involved in church life.
I currently worship at Christ Church, Ore where I have the privilege of serving as a church warden.
I had a sense of God connecting me up with Transom Trust.
I joined the Trust via contacts at Christ Church, Ore who have experience of working with homeless people.
To me, being part of Trust is a natural extension of my role as a nurse and my personal and voluntary activities.
I hope to serve with the Trust for some time to come, and I plan to take each day as it comes.
I fully appreciate that the pastoral support role will be challenging at times, but also one that is satisfying – bringing God’s hope and practical care to our residents, so helping them progress towards independent living.
Sue Jenner
(Trustee/Finance and Support Team)
Sue Jenner
I have been going to King's Church in Bexhill for a while and have been a Christian for 15 years.
I have discovered that being a Christian doesn't always mean having an easy journey through this life but I do know God helps me in all situations. This is even though I have to sometimes remind myself of this. He is always steadfast and the best friend you can have. I have had various complications in my life.
As a result, I feel am able to empathise with, and also have a desire, to help people who struggle with their own problems. This is why I wanted to become a support worker with the Transom Trust.
I have had various working roles in my life from working with horses, caring, administration and book-keeping.Up until last year had been a property manager/landlord looking after 26 tenancies for 14 years.
On the whole, this work was very enjoyable. However, at times it was very testing as many of the tenants had a multitude of different problems. I miss the work apart from the middle of the night call-outs! I also love spending time with my wonderful family and also enjoy dog-walking and gardening.
Kim Warren
(Trustee)
Kim Warren
I joined Transom Trust as a trustee in July 2025. I am a member of St Helens church Ore and been a member of this church family since I moved to Hastings in 1998 as a newly qualified Occupational Therapist.
I am delighted to join Transom Trust, as I am enthusiastic about helping people who have suffered with challenging circumstances in this life to regain hope and to live life to the full.
My work as an Occupational Therapist has strong links with the aims and ethos of the trust, providing a home, helping people to become more independent and focus on their strengths to enable them to face the challenges of daily life.
My motivation comes from knowing I am unconditionally loved by Jesus, which drives me to share this love by wanted to help others.
Jesus said in John 10 v 10 ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.’
I pray that this becomes a reality for the people we serve at Transom Trust.”walking and gardening.
OUR PASTORAL SUPPORT TEAM
Our Pastoral Support Team provide one-to-one support to our adult male residents in our supported housing in St Leonard’s and Bexhill.
They are Christians who are:
- encouraged and motivated to make a real difference in the lives of vulnerable people
- available for 2 hours a week
- ready to play your part in addressing homelessness
- patient and able to befriend and mentor one of our residents (to help them progress to independent living within 2 to 3 years)
- available to share their faith with our residents through their actions (and words when prompted by Residents)
- ready to signpost our residents to other sources of support (as needed).
We support our team by providing:
- a supportive and experienced team for you to join
- the required DBS check
- a full induction and relevant training
- a range of “tools” (guidance and links to resources)
- “on call” personal support from our project team.
Rob Worthing
(Housing Manager)
Rob Worthing
Rob was a solicitor specialising in civil litigation for 30 years and he had planned to retire to have a rest. Although the local church and Transom Trust have conspired against this plan, he still manages to play some sport and join his wife Sue on the water from time to time, be it on a canoe or a sailing dinghy.
His encouragement would be for our residents to find work and hold down a job, as this is an important support goal for them to achieve. Rob is also the Trust’s Housing Manager, responsible for ensuring our supported accommodation is maintained to a high standard.
Andy Garlick
(Operations Manager.)
Andy Garlick
Andy was a Civil Servant for 22 years (mainly with the Department of Work and Pensions), followed by 15 years employed with Battle Baptist Church (13 years as a church leader). He joined Transom Trust in November’20 as their part-time project manager responsible for providing close and full support for the vital Pastoral Support Team, as well as across all areas of the charity’s operations.
His experience with Transom Trust is very enjoyable, learning so much about all the issues relating to rough sleeping while ensuring our excellent pastoral support team are equipped with everything they need to carry out their vital and challenging role of supporting our residents.
The biggest encouragement has been to see how residents have developed as people and taken positive and tangible steps towards independent living, and to see the encouragement that gives to our hard-working pastoral support team. Andy works in a very supportive environment, and have learnt lots from those around me with so much experience, knowledge, passion and skills with caring for vulnerable people.
Rob Williams
(Support team)
Rob Williams
Rob retired about 3 years ago after working for 7 years within the fraud department of an insurance company. Prior to that worked in various roles within Sussex Police for 38 years.
Rob joined Transom Trust in November’20 as a pastoral support worker. His role has proved quite challenging due to some of the issues that have arisen. However, he has been well supported by the Transom Trust team, who have always been available and willing to help with advice and practical support.
Rob is encouraged by the regular team meetings where there is time to discuss and pray about the support issues that arise and need resolving.
Jenny Pascoe
(Support team)
Jenny Pascoe
“I was brought up in a Christian family in inner London.
Most of our activities centred around our Baptist chapel in Camberwell, where I enjoyed being a member of the Girls Brigade and youth club.
When I was nine years old, I gave my heart to Jesus and He has been my faithful friend and guide ever since.
He has been central to my life. A great comfort in times of trouble and I've experienced many answered prayers.
I trained as a nurse at Kings College Hospital and have since enjoyed many areas of nursing.
This has included Marie Curie and hospice nursing and later volunteering in an African township where our nursing team cared for babies and children suffering with HIV/AIDS.
I've been blessed with two sons, two daughters, eleven Grandchildren and a Great Granddaughter and enjoyed being involved in their lives.
I volunteer at Foodbank but had been feeling that I could do more to help lonely people or those needing some support.
That very week, Andy came to St Helens Church, where I'm a member, to talk about the work of Transom Trust.
I felt drawn to learn more about this valuable work, and then decided to join the TT team.”
Jenny Dudgeon
(Support team)
Jenny Dudgeon
Jenny is married to Tim, they live in Battle, and have two sons at university.
Jenny worked as a secondary school Head of Music before having children, and then as a National Leader of Governance.
Jenny has extensive board experience serving on various charity Trustee boards, volunteers within the leadership of her local church, spends time supporting Christians Against Poverty clients, and is often spotted walking into Battle.
She is starting a PhD in Theology with King's College London in Feb 2026.
Jenny volunteers with Transom Trust because her Christian faith has led her to want to help support residents with aspects of everyday life that may be challenging.
Trish Ffrench
(Support team)
Trish ffrench
Trish is married to Tim and retired to Battle two years ago.
Born in Brighton, the family then moved to Hastings from where Trish went to college in Bradford to study Civil Engineering.
It was through college, and friends made there, that her faith in Jesus Christ grew.
After 3 years working as an engineer in Ashford, she felt the Lord challenging her to leave engineering and work full time for Him.
Trish consequently worked for the Birmingham City Mission in the inner city, then as an Outreach Worker for a church there, before she felt called to be a Church of England minister.
It was through theological college that she met Tim, and they went on to work together in job shares as Rector of various rural parishes in Suffolk and then Kent.
The job shares were essential as whilst in Suffolk they adopted two boys.
Trish hopes that through her various life and work experiences, and with the help of the Lord, she will be able to effectively support clients of the Trust.
Sue Ensor
(Support team)
Sue Ensor
I am currently retired from paid employment but I am a Trustee of the Bexhill CAP Centre and was previously a CAP Debt Coach for 7 years.
I am really pleased to join the volunteers at Transom Trust.
Our church has supported several attenders over the years, who have had housing and homelessness issues and it’s great that there is a local Christian charity getting involved in such a practical way.
Transom Trust have recently housed a few people we know and this makes it even more important to me to offer my involvement.
I also see it as another great learning opportunity for me, both practically and spiritually.
I’m delighted to be allowed to join the team especially as it means I am able to get alongside one of our own church members in his new home.
I am also very involved in St Johns Baptist Church in Bexhill, and am part of the leadership team there, together with Michael my husband.
We have been married for over 50 years and enjoy our family of 4 children and 10 grandchildren. I enjoy home making and gardening.
Alexandra Pop
(Support team)
Alexandra Pop
I was born in Romania in a Christian Orthodox family and have been living in the UK for over 15 years now.
I’m a very active person and love finding playfulness in movement.
I enjoy learning new, fun sports, and I currently train in CrossFit, with a real passion for weightlifting and running.
I also love cooking, baking, and creating healthy recipes.
In my twenties I stepped away from my faith and explored a more alternative, secular lifestyle.
From the outside it looked like the “cool” path, but in reality, I was struggling.
I often felt lost and without purpose, and I experienced anxiety, fear, uncertainty, and deep feelings of unworthiness.
Thankfully, God was patient with me and gently called me back. I’m truly grateful that I listened.
I’m now in a place where I finally feel at ease, grounded, and continually humbled by His love.
Since returning to faith, I’ve felt a growing desire to support others in meaningful ways.
This led me to take a leap of faith and transition from my previous career in hotel and retail management into social care.
Throughout this journey I have prayed for God to bring the right people into my life and that prayer was answered through The Transom Trust.
I feel that God has placed a strong calling on my heart to help others, and I am genuinely excited to join the team and support people as they begin their own new and hopeful journeys.