The Himalayas including the Karakoram and the Hindu Kush have been central to my life and I have a great respect and affection for the people who live amongst them or at there margins. I am aware of the deprivations that many face in these areas especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. I am particularly interested in the mountain health project that the Foundation is beginning to develop in Chitral; whose mountains and inhabitants I hold in the highest regard.The Abaseen Foundation UK is a charitable trust established under a declaration of trust on the 4th December 2002 and registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales on 7th February 2003 (Registration Number 1095882). The status of our compliance with the Charity Commission can be seen by clicking here.
The Foundation's objects are for such exclusively charitable purposes for the benefits of the inhabitants of Pakistan (hereinafter called the "area of benefit") in particular but not exclusively by the provision of financial assistance, advice and goods and equipment to the Abaseen Foundation in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
The Foundation is managed by a Board of Trustees who meet quarterly. The Foundation undertakes four principal strands of activity in pursuit of its charitable objectives: health, education, research and humanitarian relief. Each strand is led by an individual trustee under the overall direction and oversight of the Board. The Foundation does not employ anybody and keeps its administrative expenses to a minimum.
As a registered charity its annual accounts are independently examined and it files an annual report and its independently examined accounts with the Charity Commission each year.
The Foundations professional advisors are:
Accountants and Independent Examiner
Moore & Smalley, Chartered Accountants & Business Advisors, Kendal House, Murley Moss Business Village, Kendal, LA9 7RL
Bankers
National Westminster Bank Plc, 68 Church Street, Lancaster, LA1 1LN
HSBC, 35 Market Street, Lancaster, LA1 1JQ
United National Bank, 79 Thomas Street, Manchester. M4 1LQ
Trustees
Helen Bingley - Chief Executive
Helen Bingley is a founder member of the Abaseen Foundation and is Managing Director of Bingley Consultancy Ltd, a business that has been established to support senior managers in the NHS with strategic change. Prior to this Helen worked as Head of Teaching and Learning in the Centre for Ethnicity and Health at the University of Central Lancashire. Helen qualified as a nurse in 1979 and took up her first management post in the NHS in 1984 gaining promotion through the different management levels in the NHS. Helen is a Trustee and supports the Treasurer of The Abaseen Foundation UK with financial management.
Rose Anderson - Co Chairman & Health Lead
Rose Anderson leads on health issues on behalf on the Foundation. She is a former nurse who retired from the NHS in 2005 and now works as a management consultant. Rose has been involved with support for Nahaqi Hospital since Dr Zaman first arrived in the North West of England. Initially a training programme was provided for two nurses from Nahaqi who visited Blackpool Victoria Hospital. Soon there was a much wider circle of supporters and when the Abaseen Foundation UK was formed Rose became a Trustee and latterly has taken the lead for health. In January 2007 she visted Nahaqi Hospital and the earthquake villages supported by the foundation.
Arshad Javed - Co Chairman
Arshad is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Blackpool Victoria Hospital. He comes from Peshawar in Pakistan and graduated from Khyber Medical College. Having completed a training programme in Orthopaedics and Trauma in the North West of England, he went on to acquire a clinical fellowship from Sheffield, UK. His interests include travel, music and cricket and is an avid follower of the autumn season, and he can often be found walking around the Lake District in October and November time.
Andrea Ferguson – Secretary
Andrea Ferguson works as a Project Support Officer for One Connect Limited (a strategic partnership between Lancashire County Council & BT) and has been involved with the foundation since it was established. She has visited Pakistan on many occasions to visit various projects receiving funding and to help evaluate the use of funds being sent to Pakistan. Andrea has also been involved in helping to raise funds for the charity through organising events in the UK. Andrea is married to Mark Ferguson and lives at Borwick near Carnforth.
Mark Ferguson – Treasurer
Mark Ferguson is an Infrastructure Specialist at BT, where he studied towards an MSc in Telecommunications Engineering. He has been actively involved in fundraising activities for the foundation since 2005 and was part of the evaluation team visiting Pakistan in 2006 after the earthquake. His interests include travel, reading and cooking.
James Fraser
James is a mental health nurse by training and moved to Essex in 1984 from his home in Central Scotland to pursue a career in rehabilitation of the mentally ill. His career then developed in management and he held a variety of senior posts in Essex and East London, latterly as Deputy Director for South Essex Partnership Trust. In 2005, for family as well as career reasons, he relocated to Cumbria, and for 2 years worked as Deputy Director for Cumbria Partnership Trust. In 2008, he transferred to NHS Cumbria (PCT) where he works as lead Mental Health Commissioner on a part time basis. James is married to Irena, and with their son Nik live in Kendal.
David Gill
David is one of the founder members of the Abaseen Foundation who supported and mentored Mukhtiar Zaman when he was a Consultant Chest Physician at Blackpool Victoria Hospital when returning to Pakistan was a mere pipe dream. David believed in Mukhtiar's dream to return to Pakistan to develop health and education for people in the North West of Pakistan. David is a qualified accountant (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) and has 20 years senior management experience in the NHS.
Sadia Arshad Javed
Sadia is a housewife who comes from Pakistan and has good knowledge of the health and education provision in North West Frontier of Pakistan. She has been actively involved in various fund raising activities for the foundation and has a keen interest in travel and good food.
Nick Kennedy
Nick is a Chartered Accountant by profession and started his career in industry. He was involved in industrial distribution and the printing industry, where he became, to the best of his knowledge the only colour blind accountant who was an expert on colour control. While working in industry he became involved as a non-executive director and then a Chairman in the NHS, with a total of 17 years service. After his retirement from this he became involved in various charities and in one or two small consultancy opportunities. He is currently involved with three schools in various governance roles.
Nick was brought up in East Africa and has also worked in Iran. He lives in Blackburn where he is a strong believer in the importance of communities working and living together.
Nicola Lowe - Research Lead
Dr Nicola Lowe is a senior lecturer in Nutrition at the University of Central Lancashire. She is a trustee and research lead for the foundation. Research currently taking place at the Emergency Satellite Hospital in Nahaqi includes a study of diet and bone health in postmenopausal women. We have recently secured funding to extend this to investigate diet and health in young, pregnant and lactating women, with a specific focus on Vitamin D and trace minerals.
Paul Matthews
Paul, who is 60 years old, has been married to Ann for 37 years. Recently retired from UCLan, previously employed by Young Enterprise, the Prince’s Trust and BT Expertise - specialist in fundraising research, interim management and third sector issues. Chartered Marketer and member of the Institute of Fundraising.
Paul discovered the Abaseen Foundation whilst at UCLan and thought that the charity was refreshingly different with a completely unique purpose run by some incredible individuals. "I am honoured to have been invited to help".
Mick McKeown
Mick McKeown is a mental health nurse who used to work in the NHS and now works as a lecturer and researcher at the University of Central Lancashire where amongst other things he works on a community engagement project called Comensus. He has lived all his life in Liverpool and is a passionate supporter and season ticket holder for Liverpool Football Club. Mick is a trade union activist for Unison and sits on their National Nursing Sector Committee. The Liverpool Community and Hospitals branch of Unison have become supporters of the aims of the Abaseen Foundation as an important part of international solidarity in health care. Somewhat incredibly, Mick is 45 but claims to be 28. He lives with his partner Lynda, daughter Rachael and cat Smudge. Mick likes to run, and you can occasionally sponsor him to raise money for us here at the Abaseen Foundation.
Inayat Munshi
Inayat is a founder member of the Abaseen Foundation. He is a great spiritual inspiration and influence and also acts as 'guardian' of our finances.
Rob Paine
Rob Paine's career in education involved teaching at all levels from secondary level in schools to all levels at University, and latterly in a management role which involved travelling throughout the Indian sub continent. In retirement he is now happy to use his skills and expertise to progress education in Pakistan with the Abaseen Foundation.
Hafiza Suleman
Hafiza has recently joined the Trustees and provides a much valued insight into the life of women in South Asian communities. Hafiza is a solicitor at Holden's Solicitors in Lancaster where she trained before qualifying in 2008. She is a dedicated member of the Family Department.
