Bryan Powell

President

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Bryan was born and raised on a farm on the Welsh borders and to this day maintains his Welsh ties, including being a keen follower of Welsh rugby union.

Bryan enjoyed a successful career in H M Revenue and Customs holding a variety of posts working in Wales and the Midlands before moving to London.  He worked mainly in the compliance sector but also spent time in Head Office dealing with Parliamentary questions on tax issues, as well as working with the departmental legal team preparing cases for criminal prosecution.

In the early 1990s, Bryan joined a local amateur dramatic group in south London and through his new friends in the group he joined a local Rotary Club.  His club was very involved in the local charity sector and Bryan soon became fundraising chairman, organising Christmas collections and swimathons, and running in local half marathons to raise funds.  Through his new Rotary Club, Bryan drove a community minibus every Friday taking members of the local Mencap Gateway club to their weekly meetings where he often joined in helping to organise the activities.

Bryan moved to Chelmsford in 1999 and joined the local Rotary Club.  His new club provided Easter eggs for the Chelmsford Mencap youth club every year and through these visits he met the charity’s former President Peter Turrall.  Bryan became more involved in supporting the charity, through fundraising and networking with local businesses and organisations.  Bryan was invited to join the Board as a trustee in 2006, a post he held until becoming Vice President in 2022.  From 2020 to 2022 he was Vice-Chair, supporting the Board and senior management team through the charity’s pandemic response.

Throughout Bryan’s involvement with CCM, he has supported the charity with his sporting endeavours.    He is a keen golfer and after winning £3000 in a national Rotary competition he made funds available for the youth club to buy much needed equipment.

Bryan is very proud of his many sporting and fundraising achievements over the years.  He has been a keen walker, runner and cyclist with many of his efforts linked to local charities.  Over the years, he has walked around England, walked most of the national trails, cycled the Netherlands, Belgium and northern France, and run numerous marathons and half marathons, including the world’s largest run in 2000 between Denmark and Sweden when 96,000 runners from all over the world took part.  He now limits his sporting activities to golf at Colne Valley Golf Club.

Bryan’s long tenure as a trustee included his involvement in many significant initiatives at CCM including the development of a lifelong learning service, The Outreach Academy, the expansion of the charity’s children’s services, the transfer of operations back to Mencap Centre, supporting relations with other Mencap groups in the county and a variety of local community organisations, and CCM’s transfer to a charitable incorporated organisation.

In June 2024, the Board recommended that Bryan be appointed the new President of CCM and this was unanimously approved by the members of the charity.  In this role, Bryan acts as an ambassador for CCM, as well as being a key confidante and advisor to our Chair.