Meet the team

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Mary Kahn, Founder & CEO

Mary has worked in a variety of roles, as a nurse in both NHS and in a local hospice, and 20+ years within the healthcare industry in sales and marketing. Mary has also managed a small business and helped several small businesses locally with planning, marketing and coaching. She loves spending time with family and friends and is passionate about her garden, yoga, walking and cooking. In 2017 Mary had breast cancer and this life changing episode in her life has given her the energy to set up this charity to help others affected by cancer locally.

Yvonne Hodges, Trustee

I am a local GP and 3 years ago I found out what it feels like from the patients side. It has been a very steep learning curve and I want to do anything I can to make the journey easier for others.

Kevin Townsend, Finance Manager

Kevin with his wife Anne has owned and run catering businesses and restaurants for nearly 40 years in the South West until their retirement in 2013. He now does voluntary work with ALCS and another local charity offering his services as treasurer. His passion is music and composes and records in his home studio.

Georgia Robson, Trustee

Georgia sadly lost her mum to pancreatic cancer in 2015, before ALCS had been founded. She understands the absolute necessity of a charity such as ALCS in terms of improving cancer patients’ and carers mental well-being and only wishes that her mum had had this sort of unique and wonderful support system when she was fighting her battle.

Nick Hodges, MBBCh PGCME DRCOG MRCGP GP, Clinical Lead

Nick is a GP Partner at Axminster Medical Practice. He was born in Kilmington and, aside from a brief stint at Cardiff University, has lived in Devon all his life. On days off he can be found tending to his small apiary in the garden.

Donna Drew, Client Support Manager & Communications.

Donna was diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer age 31 in 2016 and has been volunteering for the charity since the beginning as she felt a need for a support group in the local area. In November 2019 she fulfilled a dream and started working for the charity as Marketing & IT support, then taking on the role of Client and Communications Manager in 2023.

Lesley Brook, Client Support Manager

Lesley is a registered nurse who has had a long and varied career in the NHS, independent and charity sector.

Prior to joining ALCS Lesley worked in palliative care managing a children’s and young adult’s hospice in Hampshire.

She is delighted to join and contribute to a local charity offering invaluable support.

Ally Richards, Volunteer & Facilities Co-ordinator

Ally has a background in Human Resources and has spent most of her career working within local government.

New to the area, Ally is keen to use her people and organisational skills to make a positive contribution to the charity and local community.

She is a passionate rugby fan, loves walking with her young flat coated retriever and being with friends and family,

Kate Vernon, Engagement Lead

Kate is a marketing manager in the IT industry and hopes to bring her marketing skills to Axminster and Lyme Cancer Support. She had breast cancer at the end of 2017 and understands the needs of those meeting similar life challenges, and the importance of local support.

Hannah Witt, Trustee

Hannah is a senior business development and innovation manager for an international development consultancy focused on health systems strengthening and resilience in developing countries. She grew up in the local area attending primary school in Axminster and secondary school in Lyme Regis. Through the experience of a number of her loved ones she is acutely aware of the need for ALCS and brings her passion for ensuring those in developing countries have access to quality health and social care across to the local context of ALCS’s work.

David Elliott, Chair of Trustee

Following a career in financial services, I now work with the voluntary sector. In addition to my role as a Trustee of ALCS, I am Treasurer of two CofE churches, The Quiet Space, which is community space in Poundbury, and Dorchester Strollers, my local ‘Walking for Health’ group. I am also a member of the Salisbury Diocesan Synod and have recently been elected to the Bishop’s Council.

Kath Gigg, Vice-Chair of Trustee

Kath spent her early career (17 years) with British Gas rising from graduate trainee, through sales and management training to Regional Director. Arrival of a daughter and twin boys saw her retrain as a secondary mathematics teacher whilst also lecturing in the Open University Business School. The OUBS won and a return to full time work saw her assume responsibility for the Post Graduate business programmes in Ireland and latterly world wide.

In parallel she established, developed and eventually sold an early .com business retailing artisan made West Country cheese (www.thecheesegig.com) via a monthly cheese club. KMG management consultants followed – working with small mainly food producers and larger clients e.g. SCC, South West Food and Drink and IKEA where she traveled worldwide coaching country management teams.

She moved to South Somerset in 1999 and subsequently Lyme Regis in February 2020 where she is an active member of the gig club, keen swimmer and nordic walker.