NEW CHAIR OF SOCIAL INVESTMENT FUND BOARD

Having reached the end of his term, the Very Reverend Tim Barker is stepping down as the Chair of the Social Investment Fund (SIF) board today, with current board member Steve Sharman (pictured) taking up the role of Chair.

Tim Barker has been a director since SIF was established as a charitable company in April 2020 and took up the position of Chair in April 2023. SIF directors can serve a maximum of two terms of three years.

SIF was set up with the purpose of using both public and privately donated funds to invest in the charity sector, and to improve joint working with government.

Since SIF was launched, a total of over £8 million has been distributed to a wide variety of charitable organisations, providing vital support to the whole Bailiwick community. This has been primarily through SIF’s small and major grants programmes, but also through an appeal launched in 2020 to support charities which were badly affected by the pandemic and which provided support to the community. Over £550,000 was awarded to charities through the appeal.

Steve Sharman, who was recruited as a director in 2024, has been appointed as Chair by the SIF board.

Tim Barker, said:
“It has been a huge privilege to serve as a director of the Social Investment Fund for six years, and as Chair for the past three years. I have enjoyed working with a great team of colleagues and learning about both the diversity of the charitable sector in the Bailiwick and how Guernsey’s voluntary organisations enhance so many different areas of our life. The islands would be much poorer without the enthusiasm of the committed staff and volunteers. The work of SIF is to assist in resourcing their work, which requires board members to make some difficult decisions in each funding round.”

Steve Sharman, said:
“It is with great pride and a real sense of excitement that I become Chair of the Social Investment Fund. I am acutely aware of the importance of the charitable sector to the Guernsey community and want to ensure SIF continues to support organisations who contribute to making people’s lives measurably better".

Watch Tim & Steve discuss this here.

Tim Barker bio
The Very Reverend Tim Barker has been Dean of Guernsey since 2015. In this role, he leads the Church of England in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Educated at Cambridge, Tim has served as a priest in Cheshire (18 years) and Lincolnshire (17 years). He was a member of the Chapter of Lincoln Cathedral, and Archdeacon of Lincoln from 2009 until moving to Guernsey in 2015. Tim is an honorary canon of Salisbury Cathedral and currently serves on the Church Commissioners’ Bishoprics and Cathedrals Committee. In Guernsey, he has previously served as the chair of the directors (governors) of Elizabeth College and remains a current director. He is a member of the Council of the Priaulx Library. Tim has a long history of engagement with the voluntary sector, having served as vice chair of the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action, a trustee of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, and chair of Cheshire Relate, in the 1990s, and chair of Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service until 2015.

Steve Sharman bio
After completing his undergraduate degree in 1991 he became a Secondary School PE teacher for eight years becoming Head of Department at a large comprehensive school in Coventry. He then returned to the University of Warwick as Deputy Director of Physical Education and
Sport. In this role he helped develop the next generation of PE teachers as well as developing business and academic research opportunities for the University with sporting governing bodies and international sporting organisations. It was during this time he furthered his studies and completed an MBA. He then worked for The Football Association delivering the National Game Strategy. He left that post in 2018 fully moving back to Guernsey where he is now the Relationship Director at the Guernsey Sports Commission. He has previously served as a Director at Elizabeth College and is a member of Vive La Vallette Charity responsible for the Bathing Pools project. He is also UEFA A Licence coach currently working with Guernsey Football Club and has been involved since its inception.