About Us
The Livewell Foundation was incorporated by the Charities Commission in 2017 with the purpose of making a real difference to the people of Plymouth and South West Devon.
The Foundation administers the charitable funds for services run by Livewell Southwest CIC. It also awards grants to support community projects and initiatives to help improve health and wellbeing, prevent ill health or reduce social isolation within Plymouth and South West Devon.
We use our knowledge of the local area, as well as our desire to improve the health and wellbeing of the community we work within, to distribute funds to fantastic causes and initiatives on behalf of our donors.
The Foundation provides a flexible, personal and responsible way for donors, both individual and organisational, to invest in the local community, safe in the knowledge that all due diligence has been undertaken.
Board of Trustees
Pictured: Some of the Livewell Foundation's board of Trustees.
From left to right: Geoff Baines, Rachel Marshall, Chris Davies (Chairman), Jill Davies and Morris Watts
Jill Davies
Jill has an extensive understanding and keen passion to support communities and community groups having worked abroad, and managing and supporting a number of community entities in the South Hams area. Jill has excellent first-hand experience in seeing how small investments in community activities and development can make a big difference to vulnerable individuals.
Jill has 16 years’ experience in working for the South Hams Community and Voluntary Services (CVS) where she started as Groups Development Officer supporting new and existing third sector organisations before being promoted to Chief Executive in 2009.
Jill possesses a broad and deep level of knowledge of the charity and community sector, is well versed in charity governance and has supported many boards of trustees and grant making panels in her role within the CVS.
Jill is also currently studying for the Institute of Chartered Secretaries (ICSA) Certificate in Charity Law and Governance.
Jill joined the Livewell Foundation board in 2019 and is Vice Chair.
Nakul Puri
After gaining a degree in Biotechnology, Nakul’s career began as a Post-Doctoral fellow at Wye College, University of London, where his research focused on the mechanisms of disease resistance in model plant systems.
Nakul’s passion and ability for numeracy led him to then step into the world of finance and accountancy where he worked closely with the senior management of a number of FTSE 100 companies including the Direct Line Group and Legal and General. Over 15 years, Nakul’s roles included Senior Planning Analyst, Corporate Planning Manager and Strategic Planning and Forecasting Manager.
Nakul is a CIMA associate member and has volunteer experience as treasurer and secretary for a residents’ association.
Nakul joined the board of Livewell Foundation trustees in 2019, is currently Treasurer and is particularly passionate about employee mental health and helping people to “work well”.
Rachel Marshall
Rachel is well known in the business community having lived and worked in the City for over 30 years; commencing her career at Plymouth Sound Radio (now Heart FM) where she spent over a decade undertaking a range of roles including Office Management, sales and promotions and presenting on the breakfast show. Following that, Rachel invested time in the public sector working within youth offender teams and Children’s Centres within Cardiff and Plymouth City Centres. Rachel then transitioned to the third sector as Operations Coordinator within a charity supporting people affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence. This role included volunteer recruitment, training, project management, quality standards accreditation and fundraising. In 2019 Rachel joined shipping company, Brittany Ferries as Office Manager and quickly rose to Head of UK Agency; assisting in leading the company through the Covid pandemic and Brexit. Latterly, in 2023 Rachel was headhunted to a newly created role as Head of Operations, People & Culture for a London based Chartered Accountancy in a hybrid format to deliver growth and diversity across the company.
Rachel was appointed trustee to the Livewell Foundation in 2019.
Morris Watts
Morris completed 31 years’ service in the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, progressing through the ranks to Chief Superintendent. For a three-year period, he was Plymouth's Senior Police Officer actively engaged in the establishing of the City Strategic Partnership, leading on the themes of safe and strong communities.
Morris was appointed as the Plymouth Domestic Abuse Partnership Manager and was responsible for establishing a city-wide strategy and action plan to improve service to victims of domestic abuse and their families. A particular success was the establishment of a service user forum known as SEEDS which received national recognition as a model of effective engagement.
Morris has been a Non-Executive Director for Livewell Southwest CIC since 2011 and has a particular interest in the themes of older people, carers and the community.
Morris has been a trustee with the Livewell Foundation since its inception in 2017.
Geoff Baines
Geoff Baines qualified as a social worker and has worked in health and social care services for more than 30 years. His roles vary from direct care, to commissioning and strategic leadership, both regionally and nationally. He became Livewell Southwest’s Director of Professional Practice, Safety and Quality in September 2013.
Geoff has extensive safety and quality experience. He was director of the external change team appointed to respond to the Health Care Commission’s investigation of Budock Hospital in Cornwall in 2006.
He also helped coordinate NHS England’s response to Winterbourne View in 2011, has been chair of the National Strategic Health Authority addressing national learning disability and safeguarding developments, and was head of patient experience across the south of NHS England.
Raised in Plymouth and its surrounding areas, Geoff graduated with a degree in Social Policy and a further Masters Degree in Business Administration from Plymouth University in 2002.
Geoff joined the board of Livewell Foundation trustees in 2019.
Ollie Jackman
Ollie is a busy professional business owner. He is passionate about his local community and helping people thrive.
As a Director and Co-Founder at growing local telecoms provider Agile Comms, he works closely with organisations to help them communicate and collaborate better. The business is based on the shared values of the co-founders, providing honest, dependable advice and partnerships.
Alongside the day job Ollie is a Director at The Devon and Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, he fronts an 8-piece party band, he runs fundraising events and he enjoys trail running events across the westcountry. Ollie lives near Plymouth with his young family.
This is Ollie’s first trusteeship and he brings a fresh, engaging voice to the team.