Our people
Leadership Team
Jane Howorth MBE
Founder & CEO
I was hatched in Hampshire, grew up in Berkshire and moved to Devon in 1995. At 19 I saw Panorama ‘Down on the Factory Farm’ and that was it – I knew I wanted to help commercial laying hens – and I collected my first flock of 36 (I went for 12) from a local well-hidden farm in 1995. Fast forward a few years and I feel the luckiest person alive to be doing what I do.
Gaynor Davies
Head of Welfare
I worked as a head veterinary nurse in a two-centre practice in Kensington and moved to Chulmleigh in August 2008 when I began volunteering for the BHWT helping with the daily care of the hens. I had never even picked up a real chicken before this but became a chicken convert. Jane offered me an office job in February 2009 and I now look after the Operations and Welfare side of the charity, liaising with farmers and working out the logistics for rehoming days. I’m also a qualified A-SQP (Avian Suitably Qualified Person), which supports my role in ensuring the highest standards of welfare for our hens.
Francesca Mapp
Joint Head of Operations
I’m a proud Devonian having been born and raised here, so securing a job that is based in the county I love and combines my love of animals is a dream come true. I’m most often found out running or walking down country lanes with my labrador, Shadow, and two daughters who keep me very busy! I joined the BHWT in 2016 and love working for a small charity where I can really make a difference.
Julie Galliford
Joint Head of Operations
I was born in Somerset and grew up in Devon where I have stayed, living very rurally just on the Devon/Somerset border. Commercial hens have always been a huge passion of mine since I learned about their situation aged 11 and I realised my dream of keeping my own ex-commercial hens thanks to the British Hen Welfare Trust! My two passions are animals and making a difference to people's lives and I have been lucky enough to volunteer for Samaritans, work in the mental health sector and spend my free time with my dogs, cats, chickens and ducks. My role in the British Hen Welfare Trust is a great chance to combine all my passions and do my bit to help hens on their way to a lovely retirement!
Adele Hall
Operations Consultant
I was born in Sale in Trafford and did my first rehoming in January 2006 for Lancashire, having moved in 2003 to the Rossendale area. In those days, people travelled from far and wide (sometimes from Scotland) as the charity was spread so thinly in terms of rehoming points. My work experience in Accounting, IT and Admin drew me into gradually helping manage the charity. I have alpacas, dogs, donkeys, bees and, of course hens; all of which keep me busy alongside my enjoyable experience of working with this lovely team of people.
Rehoming, Education & Welfare Team
Louise Seddon
Rehoming & Deputy Volunteer Manager
I’ve always had a desire to protect the weak and vulnerable in society, which started with volunteering at a Citizens Advice Bureau when I was a Trainee Solicitor and developed into prosecuting RSPCA animal welfare cases in court. I first volunteered for the BHWT in 2005 and am now helping our wonderful team of volunteers save thousands of hens from slaughter each year. I’m also a qualified A-SQP (Avian Suitably Qualified Person), which supports my work in promoting good health and welfare for the hens that we rehome.
Rachel Jenkins
Rehoming & Volunteer Assistant
I have lived in Devon all my life and have always loved animals of any kind. I’ve been lucky enough to have various pets over the years but never lived anywhere that has enabled me to have any hens, so a job at the BHWT suits me well. I work within the rehoming team, with all that involves, and enjoy speaking to the many rehomers and volunteers that I encounter, helping to organise retirement homes for the thousands of hens we rehome each year.
Alison Leggett
Rehoming, Education & Welfare Consultant
My original background was everything equine. I had a slight change in direction and was appointed manager of an Animal Management Centre and, in my 20 years there, I was able to oversee the development of a new centre, expand the animal collection, and work closely with students. Following our move to Devon, I wanted to continue my involvement in welfare and the care of animals. I was fortunate enough to join the BHWT five years ago and am proud to hold my current position, which is centred on rehoming, health, and welfare for hens. I’m also a qualified A-SQP (Avian Suitably Qualified Person), which helps support the veterinary and welfare side of my role.
Nicola Myers
Volunteer, Rehoming & Welfare Assistant
I have lived in beautiful Devon all my life and I have two grown up children. My background is in education, and I have always had a passion for animals. I have two free range rescue rabbits, George and Alice. It makes me feel so happy when I watch them hopping around the garden enjoying life. I began volunteering with BHWT in 2023 and I am proud to say that I work for this amazing charity, helping to make a difference to hens’ lives.
Bex Barnett
Rehoming, Education and Welfare Assistant
I moved to Devon with my family when I was nine and have lived here ever since, growing up on a smallholding surrounded by nature. I’ve always loved animals, and have had rescue hens since 2009, so joining BHWT really feels like it was meant to be! I studied Zoology at university, gaining my BSc, and have volunteered with animal charities in the UK and internationally. After several years of working in charity retail for the RSPCA, I’m incredibly lucky to now combine my career with my passion for animal welfare and help these wonderful girls enjoy the retirement they deserve.
Online Shop
Megan Conibere
Online Shop Manager
Born and raised in Devon I grew up with the countryside on my doorstep. Throughout my childhood we had rescue cats, dogs, rabbits, a horse and then around 2006-2007 we rescued our first flock of hens from the BHWT. Fast forward to 2018 I had just finished college and was looking for a job, the BHWT were hiring and so I applied. I started in the rehoming team and now here I am almost 6 years down the line as our Online Shop Manager. It feels great to be helping hens in so many ways!
Fundraising Team
Laura Elliott
Trust Fundraiser
I was born and raised in Hertfordshire and spent much of my life in London, where I built a career in the arts, specialising in fundraising for museums and cultural organisations. After moving to Devon, I was keen to apply those skills to a cause close to my heart and joined the BHWT to support its vital work in animal welfare. I’ve always loved animals and the natural world and feel very lucky to now live and work in such a beautiful part of the country. Outside of work, I enjoy writing, exploring the local cultural scene, and walking in the Devon countryside.
Aimee Myers
Community Fundraiser
I was born in Devon and my training has been within education. I have worked in specialist education provisions and have assisted with animal therapy, where I have seen firsthand the positive impact that animals can have on mental health and wellbeing. I have always felt passionate about animal welfare and feel strongly about the difference that we can make. I feel so lucky to be part of the BHWT flock, helping to give these beautiful, intelligent girls the lives that they deserve.
Marketing & PR Team
Andy Hill
Senior Marketing & Communications Officer
I was born and raised in London and spent many years touring internationally as a musician before returning to build a career in journalism, writing for publications including Time Out, Metro, CLASH and The Guardian. These days I’m based in gorgeous south Devon with my young family, bringing my lifelong passion for storytelling, keen news instincts and profound love of rural life to my role at the BHWT. When I’m not “getting chickens on the news” (as my daughter puts it), you’ll often find me holding court at the piano in one of Totnes’s many fine pubs.
Shannen Pollard
Senior Digital Marketing Officer
As a passionate bird-lover with a soft spot for chickens, I can honestly say I have the best job in the world. I’ve been an advocate for animals and their welfare for as long as I can remember, so being able to utilise my marketing skills for the benefit of ex-commercial hens is a dream come true. I grew up in the Sussex countryside before moving to London to complete my “just a girl in a big city” era. Then, in 2020, my husband and I, along with our little sausage dog, retreated to the place I’ve always wanted to call home - Devon. When I’m not helping hens, I enjoy exploring the wonders of the West Country, tending to my many houseplants, being creative with paint, clay, or my camera, and absorbing every ounce of knowledge I can! To call myself lucky would be an huge understatement; I’m both honoured and excited to be a part of the BHWT’s story.
Corporate Services
Gill Etherington
Human Resources Advisor
Born in Berkshire and currently live in Hampshire. I moved across the world briefly to live in the sunny climes of Australia, but missed the UK, family and friends, so moved back to the UK. I love animals and people and live with my two teenage daughters and my two cats. I have been in HR for 25 years and my experience spans across start-ups, SMEs and global corporations, across varied sectors, both nationally and internationally.
Amy Hamilton
Data Protection and GDPR Consultant
Board of Trustees
From social media posting to interviews with celebrities, our marketing and PR team never quite know what they’re going to face when they start the day! If you’ve got an idea for a story or something quirky we may not have come across, this is who you’ll be speaking to.
David Marek
Chair of the Board of Trustees
I’m from Edinburgh but live in Cheshire where Sarah and I run the hen rehomings from Nantwich. We adopted our first hens in 2015 and were hooked! A few months later we began volunteering and haven’t looked back, adding to our flock regularly and becoming more involved in the charity, wanting to help as many hens as we could. I became a trustee and joined the charity's board in 2020 taking up the position of chair in January 2021. With a professional background in corporate IT I'm now able to combine this with contributing to the governance of the charity as well as overseeing the technical aspects of the BHWT's websites.
Dr Sophia Fannon-Howell, PhD FCVM
Trustee
I live in leafy Surrey with my family, 3 cats, and a flock of hens from the BHWT, which have been part of our household since March 2020. My connection to hen welfare started in my teens, which also inspired my choice to become vegetarian. I proudly joined the BHWT as a trustee in 2023, determined to leverage my extensive corporate expertise to advance the charity's vital mission.
In my professional life, I lead Digital Innovation for a major energy company, with over two decades of expertise in data, analytics, and digital. I am passionate about solving complex problems with data and AI (artificial intelligence) to drive business value and strategy at pace.
I am also a strong proponent of diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a focus on encouraging and supporting women and girls in STEM and technology fields.
Sam Hopps
Trustee
I rehomed my first hens from the BHWT's Surrey site in 2019 - 3 scraggly ex-caged girls. I fell head over heels for them, and 3 soon turned into 6. Running out of space in my coop, I started volunteering at the Surrey site so I could help more girls. In 2022, I moved to Devon, just a stone's throw from Hen Central, and I now coordinate rehomings from there. I've worked in communications across the charity sector for years, including at Age UK, Macmillan and Mind. As a trustee, I use my professional background to support the BHWT's communications and marketing functions, helping them reach more people and rehome more hens. I currently have 8 ex-commercial hens and a rescue cockerel scratching around the garden and helping with the weeding.
