Meet The Committee
The Friends of The Ivy Steering Committee is a group of local volunteers who feel passionate about their community, Wiltshire pubs, and The Ivy in particular. Committee members are residents of Heddington and Stockley from a range of backgrounds, with tenures in the village from a few months to several generations. Since June 2024 committee meetings have been held monthly, chaired by Dr Paul Moyle-Harris, where the Committee makes decisions and takes action to rally the community together to Save The Ivy.
In addition to the Steering Committee, there are also sub-groups who are always looking for volunteers. Friends of The Ivy is always open to new members, and the Committee still has space for individuals able to lend their time, particularly those with knowledge or experience in legal and tax matters, IT, or people with fundraising experience. If you are interested in lending your skills to the project, then please get in touch.
If we are successful in acquiring The Ivy as a community venture the Steering Committee will formally retire and be replaced by a Management Committee, elected by shareholders of the Community Benefit Society.
The Steering Committee was elected in May 2024 at a public meeting, and has since continued to evolve. The following people are current members of the committee.
Dave Mort, Vice Chair, became a regular customer of The Ivy Inn during the early 1980’s when he lived in nearby Quemerford, having been posted to RAF Lyneham as aircrew. Following a couple of further postings, he moved to Heddington in 1993 and has enjoyed the atmosphere, friendships and community spirit that the Ivy Inn has provided. Many years’ experience as a military SNCO has enabled him to remain focused on priorities and initiatives and to help other members of the team in achieving its objectives. Dave Denny moved to Heddington in 2017 and became a Parish Councillor in 2021. For the previous twenty years he’d owned and run his own small executive search consultancy, while living in a Sussex village. So, he has experience of both the realities of running a business in which client service is crucial to success, and the importance of a vibrant pub in village life. The Ivy was vital to building new friendships to Dave and his wife, Ann; they are determined it must not be lost! Joe Alford has lived in the village for eight years with his wife and four children. The family has enjoyed getting involved in many village events and making the most of the beautiful local walks. He is Managing Director of the Southern Academy of Sport in Pewsham, which he founded twelve years ago, and works with major sporting clubs and organisations across the region. Joe has recently finished a five-year term as Director of Rugby at Devizes RFC, and in addition to his business commitments, Joe is a part-time lecturer at the University of the West of England in the College of Business and Law. Kate Howard began her career in business marketing before moving into the voluntary sector as a corporate fundraiser for the NSPCC. Kate also trained in floristry at Lackham Horticultural College and set up her own florist business in Marlborough over ten years ago, so she brings both fundraising and retail experience to our campaign. Since moving to the village in 2006, Kate has been involved in the Open Gardens events and currently coordinates the Christmas Nine Lessons and Carols service. She believes that the history, setting, and atmosphere of The Ivy make it very special and sees saving it for the community as an exciting and important challenge. Kate enjoys walking on the hills above the Ivy and is currently tackling the Southwest Coast Path. Liz Seward retired to Heddington in 2020 with her husband. Through making many new friends at the Ivy, they recognised that it was a treasure and necessity as a community hub. She loves walking in the hills around Heddington and feels there would be no better place to return for refreshments than the Ivy. Liz worked for 10 years with Booker Health Foods eventually becoming Distribution Central Accountant. After a family break, she joined Cleves Academy, a middle school for around 1000 pupils, where she spent 20 years as Assistant Business Manager. Her role included banking, accounting, purchasing, credit control, and regular lettings of premises including a theatre and large sports hall. Russell Gange has lived in Heddington since 1999. Russell and his wife Jane were regular visitors to The Ivy, particularly after walks in the surrounding countryside with their two Labradors. Russell and Jane fondly remember participating regularly on the ‘Locals Friday Night’ when the pub was usually full! He is a retired Quantity Surveyor who had a long career in the National Railways, during which time he led commercial and estimating teams on £multi-billion programmes for railway infrastructure. Russell joined the Steering Committee to bring his skills and expertise to help save The Ivy so that it can once again be a thriving central hub for the Community. Sam Homer arrived in Heddington with his wife in 2024. They both grew up in villages and, while navigating stressful careers in their twenties, Sam and his wife made village pub walks their most treasured weekend pastime, visiting a different gastropub almost every week. Very much an “ideas person”, he has experience building and launching products and services in a wide range of industries such as pharmaceuticals, satellite communications, mobile games, and retail. Currently working as a Product Manager at a Silicon Valley tech company, he brings a diverse skillset along with a strong passion for community spirit to support Friends of The Ivy during the community purchase campaign and beyond. Tennant has lived in Heddington since 2004. After graduating from University of Bath his early career was organising large music festivals, including the now legendary Tribal Gathering event. For the last 30+ years he has run a business-to-business trade and technical marketing agency with clients in Formula 1, Health and Safety, Construction and FMCG. He also provides private IT support to a number of international celebrities. He’s been a regular patron of The Ivy Inn for 20 years and is passionate about live music. Tennant has recently stepped back from steering committee duties but has contributed very significantly to the project and continues to do so as a consultant.
