Meet the team
Nigel Bell
Director of Business Development/CEO
Nigel is responsible for the strategic direction and development of partnerships across corporate and public sectors.
He was in the Royal Navy for 28 years, ending his career in 2014 as a qualified Social Worker. During his time in the Royal Navy, Nigel supported a generic service user group with a variety of personal issues including mental and physical health, disability and personal issues.
A large part of his career was spent supporting serving personnel and their families through trauma (with life changing injuries) experienced with the war in Afghanistan, with two years spent directly supporting those returned to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
Since leaving the Royal Navy, Nigel has been working with a local Fostering agency, in enabling foster carers to support and nurture young people, overcome a variety of personal difficulties and traumatic life events. Nigel is a Fellow of the Dartington School of Social Entrepreneurs, which has empowered him to set up this Land Based therapeutic environment.
Matt Laughton, Operations Manager
Social Worker, Young Person & Safeguarding Lead
Matt has worked with young people and adults all of his working life, initially delivering outdoor education and adventurous activities as part of the education team for Exmoor National Park Authority. Matt then worked as a parent support advisor in a secondary school in Taunton before joining the South Somerset Local Service team as an Education Attendance officer, supporting children and their families to access education. Matt then trained as a social worker, working in Somerset’s child protection, children looked after and children with disabilities teams. Matt has also worked as a supervising social worker for an independent fostering agency.
Matt enjoys all aspects of being outdoors from being at the top of a cold, wet, windy mountain to sitting in a field watching strange mystical festival creatures dance to whichever band is playing on the stage.
Matt Joined the team at ARK in July 2021. Matt says that working at ARK allows him to combine his professional knowledge and skills with his passion for the environment to support all members of ARK’s community to enjoy and appreciate the mental and physical benefits of engaging with nature and interacting with each other.
Sam Sheppard
Armed Forces Link Worker - Mendip
Sam served in the Royal Navy for 9 and half years as part of Mine Counter Measures 1 Squadron in Faslane, Scotland. Throughout his time he was operationally deployed to the Northern Gulf and was part of NATO task group to The Baltics. Sam left the Royal Navy in 2016 as a Leading Hand.
After leaving the Royal Navy Sam trained as a Boat Builder at The Boat Building Academy, Lyme Regis. Although Sam enjoyed his time boat-building, he did not feel fulfilled. Sam therefore decided to become a support worker for adults with autism and felt that this was his vocation; Sam has subsequently gained BA (Honours) Health and Social Care, through The Open University.
Sam joined the team at ARK in October 2020 combining a job he thoroughly enjoys with his hobbies of growing his own vegetables in his allotment and practical skills he learned as a boat builder. Being a Naval veteran, he had always had ambitions to support the Armed Forces Community, and from 1st August 25, Sam has moved into the role of Armed Forces Link Worker for the Mendip area.
Catherine Maxwell
Chef Educator
Catherine has joined the ARK team, with a wealth of experience in both the catering and education fields. Trained under Michel Roux Jr at London’s Michelin-starred Le Gavroche, A professional chef, qualified teacher and a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health, and has worked across restaurant, hotel, banqueting, event and contract catering. In 2008 she launched the multi-award winning Any Body Can Cook! Community Interest Company – delivering informal community projects alongside accredited learning and qualifications. Most recently Catherine has been working for Vaughan’s Kitchen and Cookery School as Head Chef, as well as working as a chef educator throughout Wiltshire and Somerset. Catherine has a particular interest in young person’s nutrition and has a post graduate qualification in paediatric obesity.
Catherine, an exceptional chef in her own right, is passionate about teaching people of all ages and needs to be able to cook delicious, healthy and budget friendly meals and promotes local sourcing; The ARK growing area provides vegetables and fruits for all seasons to prepare and cook lunches for the 50-60 (and sometimes many, many more), people onsite each and every day.
Catherine also runs many of the corporate team building days and offers workshops, courses and demonstrations for ARK as well as catering for the many fundraising and promotional events at ARK.
Natasha Rebbeck
Business & Fundraising Manager
Tash started out as a volunteer at ARK, after completing one of our Health & Wellbeing courses. Volunteering on her days off gave Tash a great insight into the attendee side of ARK, and when an administrative position was advertised she was excited to apply!
Tash lives locally with her Royal Navy husband and two daughters, and a mad chocolate labrador, all of whom keep her extremely busy outside of ARK!
Jon Richards
Armed Forces Lead
Jon served in the Royal Navy for 23 years, initially in the Fleet Air Arm, then in the Royal Navy’s Welfare Branch, where he qualified as a Social Worker, ending his career as the Practice Supervisor at RNAS Yeovilton. During this time, Jon supported Serving Personnel and their families with a wide variety of personal, work related and social issues.
Leaving the Service in 2015, Jon went to work in fostering where he really enjoyed working alongside young people and their foster parents, supporting them with providing safe and nurturing environments where young people are able to thrive in all aspects of life.
Jon joined the ARK team in January 2024 as the Armed Forces Lead with the task of establishing an Armed Forces Hub within Somerset. Jon has a passion for working within mental health and has recently been working with a local charity (also part of Open Mental Health) who specialise in Peer Support. Jon loves being outdoors and is looking forward to using his learning and experience in the ARK environment. Jon is also a massive science-fiction fan and is always happy to be drawn into chats over a cuppa!
ARK at Egwood CIC Board of Directors
Peter Forgham (chair)
Jonathan Naughton
Rosemary Evans
Nigel Bell
Amanda Bell
GubGub and BoBo
Catherine, Billy The Kid,
Bertie and Teddy
