About Care after Combat
Care after Combat is dedicated to providing vital support for former
and serving British Armed Forces personnel within the justice system.
Our mission is to ensure the wellbeing of veterans and their families through a comprehensive and empathetic approach. From our headquarters in Newark, we coordinate operations throughout England and Wales, leveraging a robust network of volunteer mentors to deliver essential assistance.
Join us in our commitment to making a difference.
Who We Are
The Care after Combat team consists of a small number of full-time and part-time staff, each bringing a wealth of military, clinical and justice experience. With our diverse expertise, we’re able to provide a service that meets the specific needs of veterans in the justice system.
Our operations cover Central England and extend to wider regions, thanks to our Regional Coordinators and strong Volunteer Mentor network. Together, we are united in our determination to support veterans, providing them with the tools they need to succeed.
Our Commitment
We believe in equality of opportunity for all, regardless of race, gender, disability, belief, sexual orientation, age or socio-economic background. Our aim is to foster a culture of inclusion and diversity, where everyone connected to our charity feels respected and valued.
Our extensive experience within the justice system, coupled with strong partnerships with other agencies and military charities, significantly enhances our capacity to deliver effective support. Our only motivation is the success and wellbeing of our service users.
Meet our Team
Our team plays a crucial role in fulfilling our mission. Each member brings unique skills and a shared passion for supporting veterans.
Here’s an introduction to the people who make it all possible:
Our Senior Management Team
The senior team at Care After Combat keeps everything on track with their leadership and vision, steering us towards our mission.
Dr Jane Jones – Doctor of Health & Social Care Practice
CEO, Clinical and Research Lead
Jane is the CEO for Care after Combat. Jane has an in-depth understanding of mental health and well-being, particularly psychological trauma, taken from a career working across specialized mental health and forensic settings. 1989 – 2000 Jane worked alongside the Armed Forces Mental Health Services in the UK and overseas providing healthcare for serving military personnel and their families. 2000 – 2017 Jane co-developed and delivered psychological programs for the National High Secure Healthcare Service for Women and Male High Secure Personality Disordered Services Rampton Hospital. This work was adopted across medium and low secure services across the UK and abroad. 2017 – Jane developed and delivered the Veteran Care through Custody service specialising in the needs of military veterans in the Justice System and led on a partnership between Nottinghamshire Healthcare and Care after Combat, working across five prisons in the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire area.
Evonne Williams
Operations Lead and Executive Officer
Evonne is a Veteran, having served in the Army, Intelligence Corps.
On leaving the Army Evonne worked in the Railway Industry as a Training Officer and in the charity sector as a Youth Worker, whilst also becoming involved in local politics.
Evonne spent over 20 years in local government with her last role being Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Skills. A keen volunteer Evonne was also Chair of Governors for a Primary School and Trustee of a Community Association.
Our Charity Presidents
Our Charity Presidents provide leadership and vision, guiding our strategic direction and ensuring we stay true to our mission.
Bill Bones
Honorary President
Our Patron
Care After Combat’s charity patron is dedicated to providing support and assistance to veterans in need.
Sir Andrew Pulford
Patron
Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford joined the Royal Air Force in 1977 as a Support Helicopter pilot. During his flying career he accumulated over 5000 hours on both Wessex and Chinook helicopters, serving primarily in Germany but including exchange tours with the Royal Navy’s Commando Helicopter Force and the Royal Australian Air Force. He has seen operational service in Northern Ireland, the Falkland Islands, Lebanon, the Balkans and the Gulf.
Sir Andrew enjoyed a wide variety of junior ground appointments including staff posts in Headquarters Northern Ireland and the British Army’s doctrine organisation, and two years as Personal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Air Staff. As Station Commander of Royal Air Force Odiham, he commanded the UK Chinook Force through a period of unprecedented operational activity, including large scale deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq.
His senior appointments included: Director of Air Resources and Plans; command of the Royal Air Force’s Air Transport, Air-to-Air Refuelling and Surveillance forces; two years as Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations); and three years as Deputy Commander Capability at Air Command, responsible for all RAF personnel and equipment procurement matters.
Sir Andrew took command of his Service as Chief of the Air Staff in July 2013 and served a full 3 years in post, overseeing the Royal Air Force’s contribution to operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, and leading the successful Air input to the Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015.
He joined BAE Systems as Senior Military Adviser in 2017. He is a Deputy Lord Lieutenant in his native Nottinghamshire, a trustee of the Falkland Islands Memorial Chapel and Honorary President of No 209 (West Bridgford) Squadron RAF Air Cadets.
Our Charity Trustees
Our Trustees oversee our operations, ensuring we adhere to our values and operate with transparency and integrity.
- David Rogers – Chairman
- Charlotte Dodden - Deputy Chair
- Dean Fathers - Trustee
- Philip James Hubbard OBE, DL - Trustee
- Jason Poole OBE - Trustee
- Bipon Bhakri - Trustee
- Adrian O’Donnell - Trustee
David Rogers
Chairman
I joined the CAC family following its inception in 2014, at the time I was the Governor of HMP Winchester, and we were the very first prison that the charity operated within. Jim Davidson came to visit me with Dr Nick Murdock and they explained the ethos and vision for the charity. I was aware that veterans had very specific needs that I was unable to meet, and the charity filled this void so was keen to be involved from this early point.
I was a Senior manager for 17 years and had a 32-year career working within HMPPS. During this time, I worked at many prisons including Liverpool, Preston, Feltham, Reading and Winchester. My final role was Head of Private prisons where I was responsible for managing all the private prison contracts in England.
I started my career as a prison officer at Lewes and became a middle manager five years later. During my career I saw many changes in the way that criminal justice was delivered within prisons while also seeing stark changes in the style of accommodation. In 1991 prisons were almost entirely Victorian in build and cells had not sanitation other than buckets and often we had four me in each cell. There were no TVs or gaming stations. Often there were no phones or just one on each wing which could hold 250 men. The focus was on discipline and punishment.
Modern prisons now have in-cell sanitation, TV, tablet to access education material, phone, shower and fire detection. They hold one or two men. The focus is on decency and rehabilitation with many agencies, including CAC providing this support.
I joined HMPPS as a prison officer to make a difference to people’s lives. I believe that working for CAC, albeit in a voluntary role enables me to support the wider team in delivering this.
As a trustee and now chair of trustees we have faced many challenges. We were no different to other charities and faced financial challenges. Another huge challenge was to get government agencies to take us seriously and develop and maintain credibility within the criminal justice sector. This took time and hard work from many people within the charity. Demonstrating that our model worked was key to this, and so building an evidence base became crucial. Once established we developed key relationships within prisons with Head of Resettlement and Prison Governors. We built upon this solid base and developed a good name in delivering consistency.
I am proud of my career both with HMPPS and with Care after Combat. I believe we are helping people to change their lives for the better and supporting the CJS.
In my spare time I like to travel , play sport including walking football and golf.
Charlotte Dodden
Deputy Chair
Dean Fathers
Trustee
Having formerly served as a Territorial Army Reservist in the Royal Corp of Transport for several years, when I was told about a new Charity called Care After Combat, that was going to partner with the NHS Trust I was then the Chair of, I was inspired to learn more. Jane took me to meet several of the Veterans in our service that Care After Combat were supporting, and subsequently having walked or rather yomped with them to raise funds for the Charity and mark a Falklands Anniversary, I was literally given the T-Shirt that hooked me in.
As a Champion of the Charity since its founding, when my time as Chair of Nottinghamshire Healthcare came to its term, I was invited to take a more formal role with the Charity and joined as a Trustee in 2022, with the immediate challenge of seeing the NHS re-tender their contracts. I am delighted to say, the challenge proved to be a great opportunity for Care After Combat to prove its worth and we were successful in our re-contracting process.
Care After Combat is a wonderful Charity, supporting Veterans who have given valuable service to this Country and who have earned our support. It was my greatest pleasure to see the value provided by the volunteers of Care After Combat recognised by the King’s Award for Voluntary Services.
As a Trustee of the Charity, I am expected to bring my experience of working with the Boards of NHS bodies, other public organisations, privately owned companies and other charities to the Board, to ensure the Charity’s effective governance. Working with the Chair, CEO and other Board members, I provide strategic intelligence, foresight, policy insight, and leadership support to the team. As a volunteer myself, it is always a pleasure to represent the Charity as an Ambassador too. I raise our profile with key people, make sure that the brilliance of our team and the positive impact we have are well known, and celebrate our success as an organisation in support of the people we serve.
Philip James Hubbard OBE, DL
Trustee
Phil was born in Canterbury in December 1953. He joined the Army (RAMC) in December 1970, at the age of 17 years, as a soldier reaching the rank of Warrant Officer Class One in April 1985.
He was commissioned in April 1987 (RAMC) with his first appointment as a Platoon Commander at The Princess Marina College, Arborfield. He enjoyed a varied military career being employed at Regimental duty and on the Staff throughout his 21 years of commissioned service. Phil completed his service as the Commanding Officer of 203 (Welsh) Field Hospital in August 2008. During his service Phil served in the Falkland Islands (1982), Belize, Germany, the Balkans, South Africa, Iraq, and Afghanistan. In 2009 Phil was appointed as a Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Mid Glamorgan and awarded the OBE in the New-Years Honours List 2009.
Since retiring Phil has served as a Col Comdt RAMC 2009 – 2016. He was appointed as the Vice Lieutenant for Mid Glamorgan in 2020 and is one of two Vice Chairs of the Charity, Brynawel House Rehabilitation Centre.
Jason Poole OBE
Trustee
Jason served for 38 years in the Royal Navy. He started as a Mine Clearance Diver and moved on to Anti-Air Warfare Officer with service in the Tanker and Gulf Wars, Falklands, Caribbean, Baltic and Far East. Later, his focused shifted towards Joint Operational and Strategic planning with subsequent appointments in the Headquarters Naval Command, Joint Force Headquarters, and Defence Intelligence, with involvement planning operations in the Gulf, Afghanistan, Sudan and Sierra Leon. His career then progressed into defence policy and diplomatic engagement with service aboard in the Pentagon and UK embassies in Washington, Tripoli, and Tunis, as well as the Foreign Office and the Cabinet Office National Security Secretariate; during this period, he was awarded an OBE.
He is now a founding director of a Strategic Consultancy company with clients in the public and private sectors. Always keen on volunteering, Jason is a Vice Chair of his local Sea Cadet unit and joined Care after Combat as a Trustee in 2024.
Bipon Bhakri
Trustee
Adrian O’Donnell
Trustee
Meet Our Ambassadors
Our Ambassadors play a vital role in raising awareness and advocating for our cause. They help spread our message and connect us with supporters.
- Ian Campbell – Ambassador
- Alistair Scott – Ambassador
- Paul Whitehead – Ambassador
- Colonel John Baynham OBE – Ambassador
- Adrian Kirk – Ambassador
- Matt Jacobs – Ambassador
- Kevin Devonport – Ambassador
Ian Campbell
Ambassador
Alistair Scott
Ambassador
I am a certified mechanical, electrical and electronic engineer and have more than 25 years’ experience in technical engineering and senior facilities management roles.
I started my career in the British Army within the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers (REME) serving for 14 years, joining as a junior soldier before leaving as Captain.
I qualified as an aircraft technician in the military, ultimately achieving the position of Engineering Officer, whilst serving across many branches of the military throughout my career.
Following my time in the Army, I worked in the FM industry globally, holding numerous board positions, including Gatwick Airport, BAA, Liquid Capital and AkzoNobel (ICI) and Cloudfm.
Frustrated at the un-necessarily complex nature of this industry and my passion to make a difference, I founded IEM during Covid and have
seen the business grow from strength to strength every year since.
I continue my relentless service to the military, as an ambassador for Care after Combat and one of the founding members of the IWFM Veteran’s in Facilities Professional Network.
Paul Whitehead
Ambassador
Colonel John Baynham OBE
Ambassador
John served a distinguished 34-years in the British Army, marked by service, leadership, and a wide range of global operational experience. He graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and served in the Queen’s Regiment, the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment—alongside his father—the General Staff, and on exchange with 40 Commando Royal Marines.
His career included deployments to East Tyrone, the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda, operations in Northern Ireland and Iraq, and senior leadership in Somalia as Commander British Forces.
John commanded at every level from platoon to battalion and was a qualified Jungle Warfare Instructor. He earned both parachute wings and a green beret and was recognised with an investiture at Windsor Castle.
Adrian Kirk
Ambassador
Matt Jacobs
Ambassador
Kevin Devonport
Ambassador
Kevin Devonport is an Award-winning UK emerging artist, currently based at Assembly House studios in Leeds. It could be said that he has had a somewhat unorthodox entry into the Artworld as he originally learnt to paint whilst serving a prison sentence for drug offences. Art has therefore had a significant impact on Kevin’s life by allowing him to re-invent himself as an Artist. Despite not having any formal artistic qualifications, he does hold a First-Class Honours BSc in Sociology that does have an influence on much of his work. In the short time he has become an Artist he has become increasingly recognised. He won a national Koestler award, whilst in prison, for painting at London’s South Bank Centre and since has gained other awards: The Leonardo de Vinci International artist award in Florence, The Olympic art prize 2021 and The Carravagio Master Artist award presented in Milan. His work has now featured across the UK and Europe in a number of prominent exhibitions; with his story and artworks being covered extensively within the UK press.
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