The Winchester Beacon is led by our Chief Executive and our volunteer Board of Trustees. Together they work to define and deliver our strategy to help break the cycle of homelessness by enabling people to rebuild their lives through independent living.
Each member brings experience, knowledge and a passion to contribute towards the charity’s positive work to tackle homelessness in Hampshire.
We welcome enquiries from people interested in joining our Board. Please email admin@winchesterbeacon.org.uk.
Vicky Hemmings
Chair of the Board
Vicky joined the Board in 2022 and was appointed Chair in February 2025. Vicky has a MSc in Business and Organisational Psychology and is a registered member of the association of business psychologists. She has over 20 years consulting experience supporting banks, financial services and pension operations. As an independent management consultant, she has led large programmes of work and coached several organisations to achieve operational efficiency and effectiveness. More recently, she has worked in central government leading, supporting and sourcing the wrap around services for temporary accommodation and shelter for unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the UK.
Vince Kerr
Company Secretary
Helping people experiencing homelessness has always been a cause Vince has been committed to. Therefore, upon retirement late last year following 40 years in the telecommunications industry, Vince took the opportunity to join The Winchester Beacon in order to help those in need. During his working life, Vince has been involved in the deployment of large-scale telecommunications infrastructure in many countries throughout the world, which has involved him in establishing and running businesses, managing teams and board level strategy development. Vince joined The Winchester Beacon Board in September 2023.
Fiona Gibbon
Treasurer
A range of studies from dance to languages led unusually to a career in accountancy in London and Paris. A big move to Hampshire in 2002 and life in the charitable sector emerged from working at home with four young children. With more time becoming available and a strong desire to make a difference, Fiona is pleased to join the Board, helping in all matters financial.
Julian Gerry
After a long corporate career in IT, Julian sought opportunities to provide some ‘give back’ to the community: involvement with The Winchester Beacon represented a perfect opportunity to make that difference. His experience ranges from managing teams of people and projects, through corporate communications and site management. He was appointed to the Board of The Winchester Beacon in May 2022 and has provided invaluable support to a number of projects including the installation of individual resident bathrooms at our main site.
David Close
Following David’s recent retirement after a long career in the Military (RAF) and Civil Service he now has more time to give something back to the community. For David, The Winchester Beacon gives an opportunity for him to provide help and support focusing particularly on his experience in Food Safety and Health and Safety management. David has given hands on support including the provision of first aid and fire training to staff.
Tracy Jones
Tracy started volunteering at The Winchester Beacon in 2016 and joined the Board in 2018 as the Data Protection Lead reviewing the implementation of GDPR. She was Chair of the Board from December 2019 to January 2025.
Tracy enjoyed a 30 year career in the General Insurance industry becoming a Chartered Insurer and successfully completing her LLB (hons) and Post Graduate Diploma in Law. From 2011-2015 Tracy led a team handling large and complex insurance claims from global organisations. This included the coordination of natural catastrophic events. From the UK hurricane in 1987 at the beginning of her career to the Hurricane Katrina (2005) and NZ earthquakes (2011) Tracy has helped organisations recover and transform. Now semi retired, she brings a wealth of experience of risk management and senior leadership to the Board.
Mike Dickson
Mike has over thirty years of experience in corporate business working for multinational companies and private equity partnerships in the UK and APAC. His expertise is in strategic development, operational excellence and transformation. In addition to his corporate career, Mike is passionate and heavily involved in the social sector working with two homelessness charities, and as a board advisor to a non-profit higher education provider. Mike holds a BSc (Hons) from Oxford Brookes University, he is also an accreditated Mediator and has recently completed an Executive MBA with a London University and Global Business School. Mike joined the Board in April 2025.
Sharon Collins
Sharon is a passionate advocate for ending homelessness for good and joined the Board in May 2025. With a 25+ year career specialising in social housing, care and latterly health, Sharon has led transformative, system-wide collaborations that give people the dignity, stability, and support they need to thrive. Her work includes co-producing Inclusion Health Hubs, redesigning mental health “step-out” pathways from hospital to home, embedding mental health practitioners directly into frontline homelessness prevention services and work across the Criminal Justice System to end the practice of prison release into homelessness. Sharon’s approach is person-led, partnership-driven, and unapologetically ambitious — because everyone deserves a safe place to call home.