St Mary Magdalene and Holy Jesus Trust

The Freemen of Newcastle extend a very warm welcome to two new colleagues at St Mary Magdalene and Holy Jesus Trust; we look forward to a continued excellent working relationship.

Chairman, John Lee OBE

John became Chairman in January this year having been a Trustee for 4 years. He worked for Newcastle Council for 26 years in Food Hygiene, Health and Safety, Pollution Control and Housing. He first became aware of the Trust when he carried out an inspection of the former Residential Care home in the late 1980’s. In 2003, John became the first Chief Executive of the newly created Your Homes Newcastle, the housing company set up to manage Council Housing in the City and continued in this role until he retired in 2016. During this time, he was awarded an OBE for services to the City of Newcastle. John has extensive experience across the charity sector having previously been a Trustee for several organisations including Dementia Care, Norcare and the Theatre Royal as well as being Chairman of a construction company for 2 years. John told us “There is in my view, so much more that the St Mary Magdalene and Holy Jesus Trust can do to enrich the lives of residents and make a greater contribution to the City. I hope that in the near future we will be able to outline plans for more housing and how we can offer more for existing and future residents”.

Chief Executive, Jon Mitford

Starting a new job in the middle of a pandemic was not something that any of us planned, but despite the odds, Jon Mitford took up his role as Chief Executive on 21st August 2020. Jon brings a wealth of skills and experience in the housing sector. As Managing Director of Leazes Homes - a charity that was set-up by Newcastle City Council and Your Homes Newcastle in 2009 - he joined the organisation with nothing on its balance sheet, and in 11 years built the portfolio to around 800 homes including around 200 homes specifically designed to meet the needs of older people. His priority is to work with all stakeholders to build on the Trust’s unique legacy for quality housing in a community setting and to present plans for additional services and new homes to existing and new beneficiaries. We very much look forward to a successful working partnership with John and Jon.