Directors and Trustees and Patrons

Steve Cliffen
Co-Founder, Chairman and Director

Steve has been involved in Special Educational Needs for well over 30 years. Initially for 12 years as a teacher in the East London before moving to Switzerland to become Head of Special Needs at the International School of Geneva. On returning to the UK Steve worked as a Head Teacher in Norfolk and Bournemouth before becoming Principal and then proprietor of Coxlease School in Hampshire.

Fund raising expeditions to India and Africa gave Steve the opportunity to visit schools and projects where he was able to see at first hand dedicated staff working with needy children in the most testing conditions with very little funding. The influence of these experiences combined with involvement in UK based charities led to the vision of creating a ‘foundation’ that would support worthy causes in a variety of ways.

The vision became a realistic when Steve ‘retired’ from the ‘coal face’ of the teaching profession and sold Coxlease School in 2006 - the following year The Cicely Foundation was founded.

As Director of the Hay-on-Wye Outdoor Training Activity Centre in Wales, a Trustee of the National Association of Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties Schools (NAES) and a Trustee of a special school in Yorkshire and work for Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), Steve is still actively involved in a wide range of education projects.

Maureen Cliffen
Co-Founder, Vice-Chairman and Director

Maureen has had a tremendously broad and varied professional experience. After attending school in South East London, Maureen trained as a teacher and worked in local primary schools before gaining international experience working in Geneva, Switzerland. Work at special schools in Norwich and Poole, a comprehensive school in Swaffham, a primary school in Merley, a teacher for Travellers and Dyslexic Advisory Teaching work in London and Dorset completed an extremely wide CV.

After a period studying counselling, Maureen is now heavily involved in the work of The Cicely Foundation.

Maureen has a passion for helping others and because of her experience in education it was inevitable that founding The Cicely Foundation, along with her husband Steve, was going to be the source of great pride. This, of course, was strengthened when the foundation was named after her mother Cicely Lee who died of Leukaemia in 1983 at the age of just 53 years.

Becky Lee
Company Secretary, Director and Trustee

Becky is a highly experienced charity sector administrator having run a successful and highly regarded corporate membership scheme for the Friends of London Transport Museum for the past 16 years. During this time she has been jointly responsible for raising over £2 million. Her general administration skills, efficient and effective communication and a first rate eye for detail are proving most beneficial to the organisation and running of the foundation.

Becky has given generously of her limited spare time being involved in voluntary work at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup.

Becky enjoys spending time with family and friends and lists keep fit, reading and walking as her favourite pastimes.

Becky is another ‘South East London Girl’ and is Steve and Maureen’s sister-in-law and was Cicely Lee’s daughter-in-law.

Tony James
Treasurer, Director and Trustee

Apart from a short spell in accountancy Tony has dedicated his professional life to managing and teaching in London special schools. This career, which commenced in 1977, is still going strong and Tony is currently working with special needs pupils in Stepney, East London. His extensive experience of working in areas of great cultural diversity and high levels of deprivation provide valuable insight for the operation of the foundation.

Tony was born and bred in Wallingford, Oxfordshire but has lived in South East London since the 1970s. He is widely travelled and a great watcher of rugby and an active skier.

Bob Wilson OBE
Honorary Patron

Bob made over 300 appearances for Arsenal FC and was ever present in the ‘double’ winning year of 1971, when he was voted the player of the season.

After retiring as a player, Bob became Arsenal’s goalkeeping coach and started what was to be a 28 year career in broadcasting. He fronted sports programmes for both BBC and ITV including the much admired and remembered Football Focus. In 1998 he presented the England v Argentina World Cup match which was watched by a record 26 million viewers.

In 1999, Bob and his wife Megs set up the Willow Foundation in memory of their daughter Anna. Willow is now a well established national charity and helps provide over 3000 special days for those aged 16-40 suffering from life threatening illnesses.

In 2007 Bob was awarded the OBE for his charity work. Bob and Megs now reside in Christchurch, Dorset.

Brendan Heneghan
Director and Trustee

Brendan is the Principal of the William Henry Smith School a residential special school in Brighouse near Huddersfield which meets the needs of challenging pupils. Born and raised in St Helens near Liverpool, Brendan is an ardent Everton supporter and a great follower of both codes of Rugby.

Tragically his wife, Julie, died in 2006 after a long and brave battle with Leukaemia. Brendan, his three daughters, family, friends and colleagues were able to raise £3000 towards Leukaemia research, identification and treatment. The link with Leukaemia based charities will continue through Brendan’s association with The Cicely Foundation.

Brendan’s highly professional approach and attention to detail combined with astute judgement make him well placed to positively assist the activities of the foundation.

Billy Cliffen
Trustee and Director

Billy is Maureen and Steve’s son and completed his Engineering Degree in 2009. He is currently combining casual work, travelling and volunteering prior to looking for career based employment. Billy has completed two placements at Cicely Peace Matunda in Tanzania. The contributions Billy makes to The Cicely Foundation are an asset, representing a young person’s view on society today and its associated problems.

Billy is an accomplished skier whose other interests include surfing, cricket, football, hill walking and squash combined with a being an avid reader and a well developed appreciation of different types of music.

John Langridge
Director and Trustee

Having taught for over 30 years in schools across the country, age range 4 to 18 years, John took early retirement in the summer of 2008 to spend more time in the Alps and to become involved in the Foundation. His responsibilities in schools have been mainly pastoral and in physical education. A great organiser, John has been significantly involved in large and original fundraising activities for schools and charities. He is well known for his compassion and support of others.

Although his passion is skiing, he follows all sport. John lives in Dorset with his wife Fiona and they have three sons.

Lyn Moreland
Honorary Press Officer

Bournemouth born, bred and educated Lyn was formerly a Local Government Press Officer for ten years, during which time she gained her Diploma in Public Relations, having studied PR, Marketing, Advertising, Media Studies, Communications Practice and Research & Behavioural Studies.

In the past 10 years she has raised thousands of pounds for charities by taking part in a 10,000 ft sky-dive, Cycled 400km through Egypt and joined a group who spent five days trekking along the Great Wall of China. She is married to local GP Brian Moreland and works part-time for the medical practice in Boscombe and has two school aged children.

Maggie McAleer
Director and Trustee

Maggie is a Chartered Member of the institute of Personnel and Development and has held senior Human Resources positions in both the public and private sector for many years! She specialises in Change Management and Occupational Coaching and she brings her experience in Employee Resourcing to the Cicely Foundation.

Married to Pat, they have three grown up children, Andrew, Louise and Justine. Maggie and Pat both love skiing and walking. Maggie is nifty with a sewing machine and has recently taken up photography.