Beverley Housing Charity has welcomed a new Chair to its Board for the next three

years. The leading Beverley-based almshouse charity can be traced back to as early as

1434 and now provides a range of traditional and modern almshouses to over 180

residents.

Incoming Chair Mr Paul Brooke is CEO and Founder of Specifi, a UK market-leading

events company across the built environment sector. Mr Brooke joins Beverley Housing

Charity bringing over 35 years of property knowledge, starting with architecture and

construction, then working across project finance, development, and facilities

management at Director level. He has worked on numerous public infrastructure

projects across Hull and East Yorkshire before establishing his own businesses,

including Specifi, where he remains CEO.

Mr Brooke takes on the post with both professional and personal experience of why

good housing plays a major part in ageing well. He succeeds Mr Richard Miles, outgoing

Chair, who served the charity for more than eight years as a Trustee.

Mr Brooke said:

“Living in Beverley, it’s so easy to pass the assets and homes the charity has developed

with the generosity of local people, including the likes of Charles Warton and Ann

Routh, who left gifts of land, property, and funds. The charity is what many would call a

sleeping giant and a vital contributor to social need in the area. I was shocked to say

that I didn’t know of the charity until I was introduced to its impact back in 2022,

despite living in the area for many years. When you hear the history, visit the properties,

and uncover the ongoing potential as well as the impact today it’s hard not to want to

contribute and leave your own mark on this remarkable story. I hope that during my

tenure as Chair, a big part of my role will be to achieve a greater understanding of our

impact on the town and its people.”

Andrew Barber OBE, CEO of Beverley Housing Charity, said:

“We have spent the last three years working closely with Mr Miles to establish strong

and robust governance structures which provide modern foundations for future and

long-standing growth. Mr Miles volunteered for the charity for over eight years, with the

last six as Chair. During that time, he has overseen the work of the charity through a

pandemic, the development of new homes, major remodelling of some of our

properties, a move to a new accessible office, and, in his final year as Chair, securing

Homes England funding for the first time in our history.”

Mrs Sue Barley, the Charity’s Vice Chair, will also be standing down as her term of office

concludes. She said:

“I’ve been part of the charity through a positive era of change. We’ve gone on a journey

from being Trustee-led to Executive-led, and that has been a breath of fresh air. It has

seen the charity go from strength to strength. What pleases me most is that our

resident engagement has flourished during that time. I feel proud to have been part of

this journey.”

In the next six months, the charity will be advertising for two volunteer Directors to join

its Board. Anyone wishing to express an interest can do so by visiting the website and

using the ‘Contact Us’ section: www.beverleyhousingcharity.org.