Llanfair Waterdine Community Trust
Current Trustees
Matthew Croose
I moved to Llanfair Waterdine in 2015 to be with my now wife, Zoe. Since our wedding in 2019, we have been very lucky to have been blessed with 2 beautiful children named Harper and Louie.
Prior to this I grew up on my family farm located in Newchurch (not far from Kington), despite enjoying working on the family farm I decided that I wanted to try something new. Soon after completing my A levels at Lady Hawkins Sixth Form I began an apprenticeship in August 2011 with PCI Pharma Services in Hay-On-Wye.
The company operates in the Pharmaceutical sector and manages the manufacturing, packaging, storage and distribution of medicines worldwide.
My role as a NPI (New Product Introduction) Project Manager is to introduce new projects and products to the European sites. The role itself is to take the customers project from concept to commercialisation, therefore the role is very fast moving, highly regulated and challenging but is something i enjoy everyday. I have been fortunate to travel across Europe with my role and i am looking forward to this resuming.
From a very young age I took a great interest in football. This allowed me to travel across the UK playing for various teams, most notably Herefordshire Schools, Herefordshire FA and Hereford United Under 18's. I now play more locally for Radnor Valley.
I am eager to help better the local community in any way that I can. After being part of the team that voluntarily built the Pavilion (From the first block, to the last lick of paint) it was clear to me that community was at the centre of the Trusts vision and a reason i first showed an interest. I was successful in my application to become a trustee in February 2021, it will hopefully enable me to have the positive impact I desire.
My spare time spent volunteering for the community is something I am proud of and will continue to do so to benefit the parish.
Steve Knowler
My wife and I moved to Llanfair in 2019 from Oxfordshire, after our 2 children moved out into their own homes.
We own a ventilation and air conditioning business based in Oxfordshire but found we can work remotely and take a back seat in the business now, allowing us to have more time to spend on a more relaxed way of life.
We have friends who live locally, and in visiting them over the years, we discovered the areas around Knighton and felt this was the area we would like to settle.
After looking at many houses in surrounding areas, we came to Llanfair, instantly feeling comfortable and at home. Within weeks of moving in, we had met many of the local residents form attending events at Everest Hall and assisting with painting at the Pavilion.
The community pavilion construction was being completed during our first few months of arriving, and we could see that there is a community spirit within Llanfair, and upon completion a committee to manage the Pavilion was formed, upon which my wife joined.
From this we learned about the Trust, and that there was a vacancy for a Trustee. After finding out what the Trust is all about and the support and interest it gives to the community, I jumped at a chance to become part of the Trust.
In bringing up my children I was always involved in the local sports teams they were members of, to the point that I was the football manager for my sons team and a sponsor for the local cricket club.
Both my children played football and cricket to District and County level and from this I could see how important it was to have a local community, and the benefits it brings.
In owning a business for over 17 years, I have dealt with many councils, governing bodies, financial and legal matters, as well as HR. As a company we promote sustainability and environmentally friendly installations and supply and install air source heat pumps throughout the year. I feel that my experiences in all these matters could benefit the Trust and help support the community and Parish.
I feel honoured to have been accepted into the Trust and hope I can continue the good work that the existing and previous Trustees have voluntarily provided over many many years.
Will Rogers
My name is Will Rogers, I grew up on my family farm just outside Presteigne, I attended Presteigne Primary and John Beddoes throughout my school years and went on to do a college course at Harper Adams before attending Aberystwyth University where I studied agriculture.
Growing up, I had a bit to do with the Llanfair Parish as my grandparents John and Betty Williams lived
and farmed at Panpwnton Farm. Recently my wife Roxy and I, along with our son Aeron were lucky
enough to move to Panpwnton, where we have started our own farming journey and we run the campsite
that my grandparents started.
In my spare time I have been a keen member of Presteigne Young Farmers in the past and enjoyed
spells playing rugby. Unfortunately, those years are behind me, and spare time seems to be a rarity
these days! However, I still enjoy playing squash and the occasional game of golf.
I look forward to working as part of the trust team, and settling into life as a Llanfair local!
Liam Waters
I was bought up in the Parish, spent a few years at Bournemouth university where I studied software engineering. After graduating I started my IT career locally at Presteigne for an American owned automotive manufacturer.
In 2002 I married Felicity who is also local to this area and at the same time we were lucky enough to build our family home in the Village. We have 2 children Iwan and Lily who are 19 and 17. Iwan is studying Law at Cardiff University and Lily is studying to be a Personal Trainer.
As a family we are very active, we all enjoy the rugby and are keen Welsh fans.
Since 2006 I have worked for Kingspan Insulation where I spent much of my career in a technical role and for the last 10 years focused on managerial roles, where most recently became Head of IT operations, managing a team of 40 staff across the globe.
Working for Kingspan has allowed me to travel the world. Where if have visited most European countries and further afield visiting America, Dubai, India and Australia. In recent years I spend much of my time split between working from home or travelling to our sites.
I believe as a parish we are very fortunate to still have our church, a village hall and more recently a sports pavilion with lovely grounds. These facilities complemented by the community trust positions us well to grow our great community spirit. It is this community spirit which me and my family love about Llanfair Waterdine.
I have thought about joining the trust on a few occasions over recent years. I was pleased to be accepted onto the trust and feel now is the right time for me. Our children are now more independent allowing Felicity and me to participate in much of the community activities namely Boules and the Friday nights which are both doing great and brining people from different interests together. It is this which I’m keen to see continue to thrive. My wife is a member of the Village Hall and the Pavilion Management committees. She has been helping the parish for some time, so it’s now my time to step up and do my bit.
Contact Details
Matthew Croose - 07534 383116
Steve Knowler - 07971 198097
Will Rogers - 07951 419138
Liam Waters - 07584559405
Public Email : llanfairwaterdinetrustees@gmail.com