Our member organisations elect our board.
Board members
- Sylvia Knights (Bungay Community Library) - Board Chair
- Paul Clouting (External Co-optee) - Board Vice Chair
- Debra Reay (Friends of Ixworth Library)
- Bruce Leeke, Suffolk Libraries Chief Executive (ex officio)
- Rebecca Leek (External Co-optee) - Honorary Secretary
- Liz Ditton (Kesgrave Library Community Group)
- Derrick Haley (Friends of Thurston Library)
- Tony Brown (Beccles Community Library)
- Bradley Allsop (Friends of Ipswich Library)
- Caroline Boyd (Friends of Aldeburgh Library)
- Alison Wigg (External Co-optee)
- Abhay Samel (Friends of Stoke Library)
- Diana Eastman (Friends of Saxmundham Library)
- Gracie Lewis (Young Trustee)
- Alison Watts (External Co-optee)
- Simone Mayer (Young Trustee)
Biographies
Debra Reay
Upon moving to Suffolk in the summer of 2013 Debra was delighted to find a library just five minutes’ walk from home. Debra is proud of Suffolk Libraries when talking to friends from other parts of the country who mourn the loss of their own local library service. She also believes libraries are civilising spaces, gateways to knowledge and to the imagination, portals to other worlds. She feels that libraries are deeply social, connecting and that they enrich us in so many ways. To demonstrate her appreciation and support she joined the Friends of Ixworth Library in 2016 and became Chair in 2017.
Debra grew up in the north east of England, taking a degree in English and Drama and later an MA in Urban Studies. She has worked largely in the art, community engagement and latterly entertainment sector, including Community Arts, community liaison, the first Art Officer for Lea Valley Park and as a Director of Performing Arts and later Deputy Chief Executive with South East Arts, the Arts Council’s south east regional office. After a spell in consultancy she worked with Lakin McCarthy Entertainments, booking talent into arts venues and festivals across the UK before retiring in 2018.
Sylvia Knights
Sylvia has been a member of the board since Suffolk Libraries creation in 2012, serving first on the Interim Board and as an elected board member since 2013. She was instrumental in setting up the Friends of Bungay Library, where she remains a trustee, and is very active in both the group’s activities and in promoting the library as a vital hub for the community. Taking initial responsibility for encouraging and assisting the creation of friends groups across the county, she continues to advise and assist with governance issues.
Sylvia has been a school governor for nine years, and serves as chair of governors at Bungay High School. She was instrumental in the creation and establishment of Castle East School in Bungay, a special school for pupils with communication and interaction difficulties, both schools being members of East Anglian Schools Trust (EAST).
Bruce Leeke
Bruce joined Suffolk Libraries as our new chief executive in February 2018. As the chief executive officer he is accountable to the board for the day to day management of the organisation and is also a member of the Board.
Bruce spent the early part of his career in the commercial conference sector for large publishing companies, before moving into the charity sector. He worked for the Institute of Fundraising where he was director of events, before becoming chief operating officer and then interim CEO.
He was regional director for St John Ambulance for five years, with responsibility for the charity’s activities in East Anglia and then a larger area covering 12 counties in Eastern Britain. At St John Ambulance his remit covered the work of 7,000 volunteers and first aid cover at 6,500 events a year.
Liz Ditton
Liz has been a trustee of Kesgrave Library Community Group since 2012 and as Secretary has been active in attracting funding and grants to support the library and its outreach project to extend children’s literacy development and awareness of the library within the community. A keen reader herself, Liz belongs to two book groups and submits book reviews for the Suffolk Libraries website on their behalf. Her support of Kesgrave Library ranges from selling raffle tickets to leading storytime sessions, making cakes for events and writing their press releases to volunteering for the Summer Reading Challenge. Liz’s enthusiastic commitment to supporting and promoting Suffolk Libraries was recognised in 2016 when she was one of the first to receive a Volunteer Award.
With a career of over thirty years in education, Liz has taught all ages from nursery to seniors, in all sectors, in Italy and London, including teaching Italian and in an adult literacy programme. For thirteen years she was the Teaching Head of a local village primary school. The school at the time of her retirement in 2012 was recognised by Ofsted as Outstanding, held an Artsmark Gold Award, Investor in People Distinction Award and was at the forefront of regional and national initiatives. Her aim has always been to make learning fun and extend opportunities for all.
Derrick Haley
Derrick’s interest in Thurston Library began from before the library was first opened. As Chair of Thurston Parish Council at the time, he was part of the team which worked to create a library for the benefit of the whole community, developing what was originally the sixth form library. Derrick has been a member of the Friends group since its formation.
Derrick was also a district councillor from 2003-2019, leader of the council for four years and portfolio holder for finance for nine years. He was also a member of Suffolk County Council’s Health Scrutiny and Pensions committees. He was also a trustee for Bury St Edmunds Citizens Advice Bureau, including chairing the board. Derrick has experience in developing strategies and establishing and monitoring policies whilst still maintaining the vision and values of organisations.
Tony Brown
Tony worked in marketing after graduating from Oxford with a degree in English. He's worked with brands such as Beecham, Perrier and NatWest. He moved to Suffolk in 1991 when he was appointed director of Management Education by the University of East Anglia. He subsequently held senior academic and management roles at UEA, including dean of Continuing Education, and Business Development director.
He has led successful bids to national and regional funding bodies, and implemented change management programmes with, among others, Virgin and Norfolk Constabulary.
Rebecca Leek
Rebecca moved to the East of England in 2017 and feels she has found her spiritual home here. She is a graduate from Oxford University and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, has been a secondary and primary school teacher, a headteacher and an education trust CEO. She is involved with ecological business and enterprise, is a partner in an organic fruit farm and is developing a new permaculture site in North Essex.
Rebecca is currently the Executive Director of the Suffolk Primary Headteachers' Association and spends the rest of her time writing, speaking, growing and running. She ran the Suffolk Coast in two days in 2022. Rebecca is interested in systems thinking, holistic and spiritual leadership, inclusion and diversity, permaculture models and is an avid reader. She was given Matilda on her 8th birthday and read it from cover to cover in one sitting. She is a Quaker, believes in the power of community and human connection, and has seen first-hand how libraries can nourish so many peoples' lives.
Bradley Allsop
Bradley grew up in Coventry, but has since lived in a variety of places in the UK, including Northampton, Belfast, Lincoln and now Ipswich. He holds a PhD in Social Sciences from the University of Lincoln, where he studied political engagement in young people in the UK. He is passionate about engaging people of all ages in their communities and positive social action and is keen to support the fantastic work happening across Suffolk by Suffolk Libraries staff, volunteers and supporters.
Since Bradley graduated he has worked in member engagement in charities, and also holds a Certificate in Charity Law and Governance. In his free time Bradley loves gaming, D&D and cooking (he makes a mean green Thai curry).
Caroline Boyd
Caroline began her career in research, designing computer programs for aeronautics at RAE Farnborough and at Imperial College. She made a mid-career change to commercial software, running her own company, Arc Software Consultancy, developing systems for publishing, music companies and education. After she sold the company, she became the CEO and then a trustee of the Copyright Hub, a creative industries initiative to improve the application of copyright on the Internet growing out of the White paper “Digital Opportunity” by Professor Ian Hargreaves.
She is a keen library user and has also worked at Aldeburgh as a library manager, which brings an all-round understanding of the service. She is currently treasurer of the Aldeburgh Library Foundation.
Alison Wigg
Alison grew up in Kent and moved to Suffolk in 1988. She has very fond memories of her 2 children taking part in the summer reading challenge each year at Ipswich library. She is excited to join the board to support the continued development of the services that Suffolk Libraries have to offer.
Her background is in technology and leadership. She spent many years working in global telecoms, both in the UK and US, helping large multinational businesses expand their internal networks in 170 countries. She also set up and ran a programme of women in technology events to encourage and promote gender diversity in the technology area. She has been a Non-Executive on the board of the East of England Ambulance Services NHS Trust for the last 5 years.
Paul Clouting
Paul has lived in various parts of the country before work brought him to Suffolk in 1998. He is a sales and marketing professional by background who has worked in large customer facing businesses during his career. He has been a local primary school governor, a mentor for year 13 students at Farlingaye high school and has stewarded a three different football club community schemes where the power of sport was used to enrich peoples’ lives. Two of these schemes were taken into charitable trusts status.
In recent years before retiring he has been Chief Executive Officer of a Football League football club, general manager roles in the hospitality business, a turnaround expert for a venture capital company and has successfully run his own business. He is currently a board director of a top 100 golf club.
Abhay Samel
I have been chair of the Friends group for several years, with members nominating me suggesting my energy and ideas have been the driving force of the group which only has a few but committed active members. I am one of the founding members of the group and have been chair since it was formed in 2014.
My passion is for libraries and their role in helping everyone in the community access their services, regardless of their age and background. I am passionate about literacy and the role libraries play in helping people to access reading materials and information. However, I also have a vision for the wider potential of libraries, often helping to run coding sessions at the library for children. I also frequently instigate conversations focusing on how the library can launch and develop new activities and events.
I am an active supporter of the library and Suffolk Libraries. I completed the Orwell Walk in 2014 and 2015 to raise funds for the Friends Group and have volunteered for the Summer Reading Challenge.
I believe my skills and experiences, coupled with understanding of the wider Suffolk Libraries vision and the challenges faced by our smaller community libraries will me in an excellent position to contribute to the ambitions and aims of the Board of Directors.
Diana Eastman
I grew up in London and enjoyed a 23 year career in banking and finance in the City at a major high street bank rising to the position of Project Manager. I then moved to Suffolk in 1998 with my husband and spent over 17 years in the logistics industry at Felixstowe retiring as an Administration & Finance Manager in 2015.
I became a Town Councillor at Saxmundham Town Council in 2019 and was Chair of the Council for 2 years from 2022 to 2024. When Covid-19 struck I helped to form the IP17 Good Neighbour Scheme to support the community of Saxmundham and the surrounding villages through the pandemic and was Chair of Trustees for two years. I am a Director of SADCIC (Saxmundham & District Community Interest Company) which runs the Fromus Centre in Saxmundham – a community centre which is used by a wide range of community groups for meetings and activities. I became a member of the Friends of Saxmundham Library in 2022 and am into my second year as Chair.
The qualities I could bring to the Board of Directors of Suffolk Libraries are a good head for finance and the need for sensible financial planning, effective project management skills, experience of the charity and voluntary sector – the libraries in Suffolk would not be able to function so effectively without the volunteers who give so many hours of their time.
Like so many libraries in Suffolk, Saxundham Library has become a vital hub for its community providing a wide range of services in a warm, safe and welcoming environment. I would love to play my part in helping Suffolk Libraries grow and prosper in the years ahead and continue to be that vital hub at the heart of every community.
Gracie Lewis
Gracie has always lived in Suffolk, and was first involved with Haverhill Library through the Summer reading challenges as a child. Her love of reading has continued to grow and has inspired her to undertake a Masters degree in Creative Writing and Publishing at Anglia Ruskin University in order to explore the world of book production. She also holds an undergraduate degree in Fashion Journalism from London College of Fashion.
She is thrilled to join the Trustee board at Suffolk Libraries and is looking forward to sharing her ideas about projects that will champion the services offered and encourage other’s love of reading in the communities across Suffolk.
Alison Watts
Alison first became actively involved with Suffolk Libraries when her husband enlisted her to provide an extra pair of hands at some fund-raising events held by the Friends of Bury Library. Then she took part in Spanish conversation sessions held in Bury St Edmunds Library. Both of these experiences brought home to her what Suffolk Libraries contribute to community activity and involvement.
Alison worked for many years as a partner in solicitors, Ashtons Legal, in Bury St Edmunds, before taking early retirement to spend two years living in the French Alps. Since returning to Suffolk, she has got involved with various local activities, including helping to run a local tennis group and a village choir, as well as spending two days a week baby-sitting grandchildren.
Simone Mayer
My name is Simone Butler Mayer. I have recently become a young trustee for Suffolk libraries. When was young I use to struggle with reading only reading for school and the Summer Reading Challenges at Woodbridge Library, but as a young adult I have rediscovered my passion for reading through audio books. I think it is important to talk about the fact that books are not just accessible in print form and to raise awareness. I really enjoy reading autobiographies and discovering about other people’s lives.
Outside of my role with Suffolk Libraries, I volunteer for various local organisations, improving and advocating for change within local health services and also help to run a support group for young adults with disabilities. I am also involved in my church community, taking on various roles. I am incredibly passionate that the resources of libraries remain available to all. I look forward to starting my journey as a young trustee for Suffolk Libraries.
