Jay Sharma 

Chair 

Alison McLaughlin

Secretary and Trustee

Born and brought up near Edinburgh, Alison started her career in Banking at the age of 17 completing both her Chartered Banker exams and MBA before moving to Harpenden where she has been with her husband and 3 grown up children happily involved in community life for 27 years. She retired in 2021 after 39 years involved in corporate banking, international finance, risk, compliance and governance. These are skills she hopes to put to good use while supporting HCCC. Other local charity work has included NCT, Young Enterprise, Our Lady of Lourdes Toddler Group and St Dominic PTA. She likes nothing more than to be in an aqua session or zumba class at the gym or having ‘family fun days’ at the theatre or playing board games around the table.

Zsuzsanna Berenyi

Trustee and Volunteer/Team leader

Zsuzsanna was born and brought up in Budapest, Hungary. After finishing her studies, she moved to the UK and started working with children. After six fulfilling years she changed to the corporate world and started a career in IT. First specialising in cyber security culture and awareness, and now in cyber risk management. Having worked with children and in challenging roles managing teams, projects including governance, controls and risk management in her current role, she hopes to put those skills into use here at the Child Contact Centre as well. Outside of work she likes to keep fit, regular at the gym, kayaking and cycling. Fun times for her include going to the theatre, festivals or travel to see new places.

Victoria Edgar

Trustee 

I have worked with children and families in many different guises since I was 17 years old.  I qualified as a social worker in 2007 and spent five years working with families who were struggling in a large inner London borough.  I have also worked for several years as an independent Social Worker assessing parents and kinship carers in care proceedings and supporting relatives as they settle children within their home.  In 2017 I qualified as a solicitor and now specialise in Child Protection and Public Law working for a London local authority advising social workers and bringing matters to court relating to safeguarding vulnerable children. I have three young girls of my own and am learning first hand the joys and struggles that parenting brings. 

Ric Belfield

Trustee, Data Protection Officer 

Has lived in Harpenden since returning from Kenya in 1988. He was educated at Kings School Macclesfield and after graduating from Nottingham University trained as a Chartered accountant with Deloitte Haskins and Sells. He has an eclectic career including Retail, Hospitality, Aviation, TMT and Education and is currently developing an online school for Looked after Children. He is a member of The Chambers and The Cornhill Club. His Charity work includes 10 years fundraising for Kids Out and he became an HCCC Trustee in 2019. He is married with 3 grown up children and one granddaughter. He enjoys reading (well listening to audio books) walking, following sport primarily cricket, rugby and football), traveling, sailing and golf and is a founder member of the Five o’clock club. 

Eilis Sutherland

Trustee and Treasurer

Raised in London, Dublin-Ireland and New York, Eilis returned to University College Dublin from where she graduated with a Law degree, a PG diploma in Business Finance and a specialised Masters in Banking & Finance. A career in international banking in Hong Kong, Taiwan and London followed before moving into banking software. In recent years working in Business Development at Ashridge Executive Education. Eilis settled in Harpenden over 25 years ago and has 2 children. She has a great understanding of how difficult raising children on your own is having split with her husband 15 years ago but luckily has maintained an amicable relationship and he with his children. She has volunteered throughout her life with a special focus on the intellectually disabled because of her sister. The Special Olympics, WARC, and the NCT were a few of the organisations and she was the co-founder of the PTA for Highfield Pre-School. Eilis loves music, especially live music, reading, baking, walking, swimming, socialising and living life to the full.

Jessamy Kinghorn

Trustee 

Jessamy grew up in Harpenden before moving to Birmingham for university where she enjoyed roles in media production and public relations, developing a specialism in healthcare. She worked with NHS hospital trust boards in the Midlands for more than ten years before returning to Harpenden in 2013 where she has continued with local and regional roles in the NHS. She currently works across the East of England, involving organisations and communities in improving services and reducing health inequalities. Outside her NHS work Jessamy leads the children’s ministry at Bethany Community Church in Harpenden through which she has helped run the town carnival Santa’s Grotto and other community events. She is passionate about giving children the opportunities to feel loved, valued and connected, and supporting children and families to build positive relationships and thrive.