Board of Trustees

What is STAR’s Board of Trustees?

STAR’s Board of Trustees is the governing body of STAR as a national charity. The role of the Board of Trustees is to ensure that STAR’s resources are used to pursue the organisational aims and objectives of STAR safely and lawfully.

What do members of the Board do?

The Board of Trustees meets quarterly and its responsibilities include translating the aims and objectives of the charity into action, maintenance and oversight of STAR’s funds and appointing and managing STAR’s Chief Executive.

Who can be a Trustee?

You can! The majority of Trustees are recruited because they bring specific skills to the Board. We want STAR students to be represented so places are reserved for current student members. To be a student Trustee, you just need to:

  • be passionate about STAR
  • be keen to learn about charity governance including finances, fundraising and organising the Annual General Meeting
  • have experience of being a STAR member: campaigning, awareness raising and providing practical support for refugees and asylum seekers
  • be interested in making a real contribution to STAR and ensuring that it is accountable to its members

We would love to hear from you if you are interested in joining the Board, or want to recommend someone you know – please contact the national office.

Who is on the current Board of Trustees?

Current STAR Trustees are:

James Osborne, Chair & Treasurer

James’ background is as a fundraiser, but he is currently studying full-time with the Open University, focusing on international development and the environment. As Secretary, his role is to help organise and minute trustee meetings and the AGM. He has worked and volunteered for a range of charities, including Oxfam, Third World First, and the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture.

Beryl Randall, Trustee

Beryl joined the Board of Trustees in summer 2010. She has been Director of Employability Forum since 2008, an independent organisation that promotes the employment of refugees. She initially joined the organisation from Reed Executive in 2001, where she gained experience in high street recruitment and welfare to work programmes. Beryl is a mentor through the Leaders Together programme, a Common Purpose student and has founded a support group for leaders in the voluntary sector.

Diane Roome, Trustee

Diane joined the Board of Trustees in 2011. She has recently retired after 20 years as Headteacher of Gayhurst Community School, a large, inclusive primary school in Hackney, East London. She is committed to equal opportunities and has a strong interest in and experience of the role that schools and after-school provision can play in supporting refugee families access community support.

Natyra Avdiu, Student Trustee & Secretary

Natyra is a fourth year law student at the University of Southampton who is passionate about human rights and in particular, the rights of refugees and asylum seekers. She has been a member of Southampton STAR since 2007, has attended various events organised by STAR and manages Southampton STAR. Additionally, she has volunteered for Bail for Immigration Detainees. She is currently the STAR Student Trustee and Secretary and is working as an intern with the AIRE CENTRE. Her dissertation focuses on asylum law and having studied refugee law at the University of Oslo it is her ambition to practice in this field.

Tom Godwin, Student Trustee

Tom is an MA student at the University of Liverpool studying International Relations who is devoted to volunteering, campaigning and furthering the rights of refugees in the UK. He has previously volunteered for Refugee Action in Liverpool, joined STAR Liverpool in 2010, and hopes to use his thesis to explore the social construction and place of the refugee in the international system. He runs STAR Liverpool’s weekly Conversation Class, fundraising events for STAR and local asylum charities, as well as a monthly Circle of Silence protest in Liverpool city centre, opening up dialogue with local people about asylum in the UK.

Christina Lumsden, Student Trustee

Christina is in her third year at the University of Manchester studying Physics with Philosophy. She first developed a passion for supporting refugees and asylum seekers when attending a drop-in in Swansea. This naturally drew her to join STAR once she started university and she has never looked back! Christina is currently president of Manchester STAR and through strong links with local refugee organisation she is working on exciting campaigns and extending practical help for refugees and asylum seekers such as a permanent night shelter. One of her greatest ambitions for 2012 is to organise a successful Northern Conference to give academics, students, refugees, asylum seekers and those working with them the chance to discuss together and learn more about what it means to be a refuge.