Our experienced and dedicated staff team, which includes a number of Project Trust Returned Volunteers, support our young people at every stage of their Project Trust experience.
Heloise Allan
Development Director
A qualified secondary English teacher, Heloise has over fifteen years’ experience working in the voluntary and education sectors in the UK and internationally. The inspiration behind this work started on the Isle of Coll when Heloise was selected as a Volunteer to teach in Vietnam (2003/04). She has also been lucky enough to live and work in Senegal as part of her degree programme and Rwanda as a VSO Volunteer working on a national HIV prevention strategy.
Karlijn Bakker
Administrative Assistant
Karlijn has worked in administration for nearly 30 years, 13 years of which have been with Project Trust. She is a Dutch national who spent one year as an au pair in Scotland as a teenager which gave her an understanding of what it is like to engage with a culture different from her own at a young age.
Claudia Bettson-Burdett
Senior Volunteer & Schools Coordinator
Claudia joined Project Trust in 2023 after returning from travelling through parts of Africa, India, Nepal and Europe. It was on this trip that she decided to leave her legal career and work to share her passion to help others explore the world and discover their potential. She is committed to supporting and encouraging Volunteers to make the most of their opportunity and fully immerse themselves in new cultures and communities.
Tom Chambers
Fundraising Support Coordinator & LGBTQ+ Coordinator
Tom has been Edinburgh-based since 2016, first as university student and events organiser for the Classics Society, and then as a tutor under the government’s NTP scheme during the Covid-19 pandemic. Tom volunteered with us in Xinjiang province (China ’15/16), has travelled the Trans-Siberian railway, and spent six months living in Slovakia. He joined the team in 2023 and works part-time, alongside tutoring students unable to access mainstream education and completing a research Master’s degree in Queer Archaic Greek poetry.
Robert Cooke
Volunteer & Schools Coordinator
Rob is a qualified secondary Languages teacher with five years’ experience in the classroom. After leaving school, he went backpacking through South-East Asia, which developed a love for other cultures. As a result, Rob then completed a degree in Language Studies and moved to Badajoz (Spain) to work as an English teacher. Whilst there, Rob mentored disadvantaged Spanish students looking to study abroad and improve their English skills and explore other cultures.
Emilia Davie
Volunteer & Schools Coordinator
Emilia is a qualified teacher with an MA in Business Management and Literature which has led her to explore careers in advertising technology, marketing and education, working in Italy as well as different parts of the UK. After travelling through Europe, South and Central America and Asia, Emilia decided to return to her hometown in Scotland and transition from a career in Secondary English teaching to pursue her passion of making education and travel accessible and enriching for all. She is dedicated to fostering a more interconnected global community as her personal experiences of living, volunteering and working across the world have proven travel can be a catalyst for positive change.
Ingrid Emerson MBE
Chief Executive
Ingrid previously worked with Raleigh International, where, after six years, she was awarded an MBE for her outstanding work in a scheme promoting volunteering opportunities for inner-city young people. Following Raleigh, Ingrid worked at Groundwork in North Wales for eight years until joining Project Trust as our Chief Executive in 2008.
Meg Gower
Fundraising Coordinator
Meg joined the team in early 2023 through the Rank Foundation’s Time to Shine programme and has quickly found her stride in fundraising and development. She has led several innovative campaigns to secure essential support for Project Trust’s work. As a Returned Volunteer from Ghana (2015/16), Meg brings first-hand experience of living and working internationally to connect with our Volunteers. She actively supports their journey through pre-departure training and debriefing sessions, ensuring each Volunteer feels empowered for their adventure and beyond.
Janice Henderson
Hebridean Centre Manager
Janice has worked with Project Trust for 14 years, starting as Housekeeper and now managing the Hebridean Centre (bunkhouse and office) and Summer Staff. Janice’s role involves maintaining and caring for Project Trust properties, including the Hebridean Centre, as well as the staff and all the young people who travel through it.
Kat Kalatey
Volunteer & Schools Coordinator
Kat volunteered with Project Trust in Ghana 2017/18 and has remained involved with charities active in Ghana since then, returning numerous times to visit projects there. Kat is currently studying for a Social Science (Geography) degree with The Open University. She has enjoyed teaching in both Ghana and the UK – very different experiences – and is very excited to help give young people the opportunity to see the world in a different way.
Fra MacIntyre
International Programme Manager
Fra volunteered with Project Trust in 1993/94 in Sri Lanka and first became a member of staff in 1997, managing several country programmes in Asia and South America. Her current role is to facilitate the administration of the International Programme Department, including arranging the logistics of residential courses, Volunteer travel and health screening. Her experience as Volunteer herself, as a member of staff and also as a parent of a Volunteer, gives her a unique insight into the Project Trust experience.
Sam McDonnell
Country Coordinator
Sam is a Returned Volunteer (South Africa 2016/17) and since then has gone on to study at University Achieving a first class BA(hons) in Community and Youth Work, qualifying as a JNC recognised Level 6 Professional Youth worker. Inspired by his time with Project Trust working with children both in the classroom and a residential care home, Sam has gone on to working with children for a combination of 7 years in a variety of settings including specialist residential care and most recently spent 4 years at Durham Area Youth delivering a range of youth services and giving back to the young people in his home community.
Jil McMeekin
HR & Policy Director
Jil is a CIPD qualified international HR professional with extensive experience in generalist and international HR gained in the UK, Europe, and South America. Within Project Trust, Jil is responsible for people policies and compliance. Jil is Project Trust’s Company Secretary.
Sheila McNeil
Finance Director
Sheila joined Project Trust in 2021 and brings over 20 years’ experience in charity accounting as well as a number of years in private sector finance. She has a wealth of knowledge in relation to grant funding and enjoys the challenge of the many facets of accounting for charitable funds.
Ellie Moore
Volunteer & Schools Coordinator
Coming Soon…
Sara Morrison
Volunteer & Schools Coordinator
Sara volunteered with Project Trust in Honduras in 2016/17 and has stayed involved since then, working as both Summer Staff in the Hebridean Centre and as a Summer Intern delivering school talks in London. Her experience in Honduras, and the skills and abilities she developed there, have influenced everything she has gone on to do since – from studying French and Mandarin at university in Edinburgh, to teaching English at a university in France, and most recently coordinating a community development volunteer base with TESOL and women’s empowerment programmes in Costa Rica.
Alex Page
International Programme Director
Alex has over 25 years’ experience of project and programme management in the charitable sector. His main focus has been international development, especially poverty alleviation, youth engagement and environmental conservation. In his early career he led remote expeditions to conserve coral reefs and rainforests around the world. More recently, he was Raleigh International’s Country Director in Tanzania and Chair of Scotland’s International Development Alliance.
Vicky Royle
Volunteer & Schools Coordinator
Vicky is a qualified English teacher with an MA in Education and International Development. She has a passion for inspiring young people to grow through experiencing life through the lenses of travel and volunteering. In 2010, she spent time in Tanzania as part of her gap year; she was quickly inspired by the impact that volunteering could make and was especially motivated by the role of education in alleviating poverty within rural African communities. She has since continued to work and volunteer in the development sector, returning to Tanzania multiple times whilst also experiencing life in Uganda and South Africa.
Sarah Parker
Digital Engagement Co-ordinator
Sarah grew up as a child in Malawi and spent her gap year volunteering in Thailand. She has since spent two years living there with her young family, growing her passion for travel and for increased opportunities for young people to experience the diverse cultures around the world. For the past 7 years she has been involved in Digital Marketing and E-commerce and is passionate about engaging young people through our digital channels and expanding awareness and support for Project Trust.
Amy Schofield
Senior Country Coordinator
Amy is a Returned Volunteer from South Africa 2014/15. She studied Global Studies and Philosophy where she spent 6 months studying at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. As a result of her time abroad she decided to continue working with young people in education and has since worked with students at Nottingham Trent University, Into University, The Scouts and now works as Country Coordinator with Project Trust.
Peter Wilson
Volunteer and Schools Engagement Manager
Peter is a qualified Youth Worker with over 30 years experience of working with young people in a variety of settings and roles. He joined Project Trust in 2009 and has worked across all departments including 7 years in the International Programme Team supporting Volunteers in their placements and now managing the Volunteer and Schools team. Peter’s passion for working with young people stems from his interest in outdoor education and his own experiences in completing 2 international placements in Namibia in 1998 and Belize in 1999. Peter is dedicated to creating opportunities for young people to experience different cultures, communities and gain real life experience to take forward into education or employment.
Eleanor Wood
Finance Assistant
Eleanor has extensive experience in finance, bookkeeping, and payroll administration. Eleanor provided external support on Project Trust’s bookkeeping and accounts for many years before joining the staff team as an employee in 2017 and feels lucky to have been involved with Project Trust for over 25 years.