Meet the Committee
The Committee are elected by all the full members of the Club for an initial period of three years, but may be re-elected for a further three years.
Club Chairman Denis Woulfe OBE
Denis Woulfe has been our Chairman since April 2024.
As Chair of The New Club, he has worked to modernise the club while respecting its long-standing traditions, creating an environment that is welcoming to both current and newer members. Under his stewardship, the club continues to play a central role in Cheltenham's social and cultural life.
Vice Chairman Sally Dimmer
Sally Dimmer has been a member of the committee since 2021 and was a past Chairman. She is a Patron of the Cheltenham Festivals and her interests include horse racing and theatre.
Hon. Treasurer Guy Biggin
Guy is a partner at Crowe U.K. and lives in Cheltenham. He joined the committee in 2024.
Head of House Marilyn Burn
Marilyn joined IBM from university, following which she was head hunted to help set up and run an MSc in Business Computing. At 40 she changed careers, and is now a Chancery barrister with chambers in Lincoln's Inn, specialising in contentious probate and property litigation. She has lived in Cheltenham since 2015 and is a popular and dynamic Head of House.
Dr Moira Hamlin
After initially working as a publisher, Moira studied psychology and following the award of a PhD (Clinical) she pursued a career both as a practitioner and as an academic, becoming Head of the Psychology Department in Bristol NHS Trust. She rose to become Vice Chairman of Dorset and Somerset Strategic Health Authority. Moira's other area of interest and expertise is the criminal justice system. In addition to having been a magistrate for 17 years, Moira was also Chair of the Avon and Somerset Police Authority for 10 years and Deputy Chairman of the National Association of Police Authorities for 4 years. For 10 years (5 as Vice Chair) she served on the University of Bristol Board.
Hon. Secretary
David Mills
David Mills was born in Johannesburg and following a university and military career, became the Company Secretary of the Chamber of Mines of South Africa. Having then lived in New Zealand and spending five years in Rome, he moved to England in 2015. He has been a member of The New Club for two years and is a very welcome new member of the Committee.
Frances Patterson
With a background in Pension Fund Management, Frances Patterson was Head of H.R and a Board Director of Mercer UK, the actuarial consulting arm of Marsh McLennan inc. She specialised in mergers, acquisitions and the divestment of less profitable parts of the UK business and, as a Worldwide Partner, travelled extensively for the group, particularly in Europe and the USA. Frances moved from Surrey to Cheltenham in 2020 and became a member of the New Club in 2021, joining the Committee in February 2022.
Christina Potter CBE
Christina Potter was a lecturer in computing, then went through several senior management roles to become Principal and CEO of Dundee & Angus College. She served on the Board of St. Andrews University and in 2015 was awarded the CBE for services to Higher and Further Education in Scotland. Christina has been on the committee of The New Club, Cheltenham for two years and lives happily with her husband Tom in Cheltenham.
Jane Moyle
Jane was expecting her life to be as a housewife and mother to four children. But when young, she became an entrepreneur and founded a successful corporate events company, specialising in corporate tourism and events in the Heart of England and London. Having founded another very successful incentive and motivational company, which her son ran, in 1987, she won the title of 'Midlands Businesswoman of the Year'. Subsequently, she was appointed Non-Executive Director of the West Midlands Ambulance Trust, a West Midlands Arts Board member, President of the East Birmingham Family Service Unit and Governor of Malvern College. She has been a member of The New Club Cheltenham since 2018 and our Head of Marketing and Public Relations. She loves her life here, being surrounded by her family and many friends.
Patrick Brooke
Patrick Brooke retired as an equity partner at Grant Thornton UK in 2009, after a career managing a wide-ranging client portfolio across the UK and internationally. In the 1980s, he served as Finance Director of an Irish marble company that expanded into the US before being sold to a Houston-based oil firm. Since retirement, Patrick has worked as a non-executive adviser to businesses.
In the not-for-profit sector, he has held senior roles including Chair of Audit Committees at Cheltenham Festivals and the University of Gloucestershire, and governor roles at Cheltenham College, All Saints' Academy, and Hartpury University and College, where he currently chairs the audit committee. He is also a trustee of the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum and a founding member of the Honourable Company of Gloucestershire, where he served as Warden.
A Cheltenham resident since 1970, Patrick is a keen golfer and past Captain and Treasurer of Cotswold Hills Golf Club. He has been a member of the New Club, Cheltenham since 1986.
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Based in a beautiful building in Montpellier our members enjoy meeting and enjoying each others' company while pursuing a wide range of interests and activities.