Chief Executive Officer

We do whatever it takes to help change the future of disabled and autistic children by providing diagnosis, equipment, services and support to help them lead a full and active life.
A world where all disabled children and their families have choice, opportunity, dignity and understanding.
Practical and emotional support through compassionate and efficient services.
Whatever It Takes.
To change the futures of all disabled children providing access to the services, equipment, therapies and treatments they need.
To increase awareness and understanding of the needs of disabled children across the UK.
To enable disabled children to lead an active and independent life reaching their full potential.
To enable disabled children to lead ordinary lives.
Founder and former Chief Executive of the Caudwell Group (including high street retailer Phones 4u), John is one of Britain’s most influential entrepreneurs and philanthropists.
John’s vision for a sustainable and efficient children’s charity has inspired thousands of supporters across the UK and he remains the charity’s largest single benefactor and most passionate supporter. By personally paying the charity’s annual administration and management overheads he enables the charity to offer complete transparency to its supporters, with 100% of direct donations going directly to the children and families who need it.
John is also a prolific fundraiser, regularly completing physical challenges and staging events to inspire and encourage the support of others.
A successful entrepreneur and former Director in the Caudwell Group, Trudi has been the driving force at Caudwell Children since its inception in 2000.
In her role as Chief Executive Trudi has orchestrated the charity’s continued growth, developing it from a small local charity to a national organisation and become an influential voice within the voluntary sector.
During the formative years of the charity Trudi would personally visit each individual family to assess the most effective way the charity could help; this insight into the unique challenges faced by families caring for a disabled child provided the basis for the charity’s core services and set a path for the charity’s future development.
As a leading disabled children’s charity, Caudwell Children was recognised as the second largest voluntary provider of specialist equipment in the UK and is widely regarded as one of the fastest growing children’s charities.
Caudwell Children has supported over
children and families
Caudwell Children has provided over
worth of services
Caudwell Children has supported children with over
different medical conditions
Caudwell Children was founded in 2000 to improve the lives of disabled children
Started as the philanthropic vehicle for the successful Caudwell Communications Group (Phones 4 U, Dextra, 20:20 etc), for the first seven years of its existence Caudwell Children was run by a team of dedicated Group employees who worked in their spare time to deliver services for children across the North Midlands.
Trudi Beswick, a Director in the business, personally visited each family in the evenings and weekends to assess the most efficient way that the charity could help, and by garnering the support of the 8,000 Group employees as well as suppliers and customers, raised the funds needed to deliver services to a growing number of beneficiaries.
As the need for this unique kind of support grew, the charity organically expanded to the surrounding regions.
The support provided by the employees, suppliers and customers in those early years provided a vital platform from which to re-launch the charity once the business was sold in 2007 and it had to ‘stand on its own two feet’ for the first time.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspects health and adult social care services in England to make sure that they provide safe, high-quality care. If a service needs to improve, CQC will take action to make sure this happens. Find out more at www.cqc.org.uk.
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Financial Officer
PA to CEO
Director of Executive Projects
The Trustee’s role is voluntary and designed to support the Chief Executive by ensuring the charity is solvent, well-run, and delivering the charitable outcomes for the benefit of the public for which it has been set up. Our Board of Trustees have been carefully selected to represent a broad cross-section of the community and each applicant is then voted on to the board by the other members.
Chairman Emeritus and Philanthropist
Chairman
Managing Director, Galvanic HR
Parent/Beneficiary
Consultant, Mishcon Private
Consultant Paediatrician
Beneficiary