Rosemary Macdonald moves to national role

We are proud that after leading the way in Wiltshire for 12 years our Chief Executive Rosemary Macdonald has become Chief Executive of UK Community Foundations.

She will lead the umbrella organisation that represents the UK’s 46 community foundations. She had been interim CEO at the London-based body since March.

In Wiltshire Director of Development and Marketing Fiona Oliver and Finance and Operations Director Vicky Hickey will remain as interim co-chief executives until a new CEO is confirmed.

During her time in Wiltshire Mrs Macdonald launched the Surviving Winter Appeal, which has run for ten years and last year raised £90,000 for elderly and vulnerable people in fuel poverty.

She also founded the One Degree More fund, which has helped hundreds of disadvantaged young people study at university or in further education, and has overseen major community projects in Swindon and Salisbury.

Apart of her role she formed working relationships with the Dioceses of Bristol and Salisbury, Churches Together in Trowbridge, Wiltshire Police, Swindon Borough Council, Wiltshire Council and Salisbury City Council. She was awarded a British Empire Medal for her contribution to charitable work in 2019.

Mrs Oliver said: “Rosemary will be missed by all of us here and by all of the partners we work with. But we have a very strong team that has performed magnificently during the pandemic, raising almost £900,000 for our Swindon and Wiltshire Coronavirus Response Fund and distributing more than £560,000 to more than 150 groups already. It is very much business as usual here and I know Rosemary will be proud of that.”