Ocean Stars in the UK

John Bunter
I have had great pleasure in being Chair of the Board of Trustees for the charity since its inception in 2005.  I have had a long affiliation with Sri Lanka, largely through my wife Dilanee, who founded the charity and have visited the country many times over the years and have an excellent appreciation of the cultural, political and economic issues facing the country.
I currently live in Fleet, Hampshire with my wife Dilanee. Our three children, who are at various stages of secondary and further education, have all taken an interest in OST and its projects in the country.  My professional background is in teaching French and German to secondary age schoolchildren.  I also have a keen interest in helping local sports clubs and made much pleasure in 2010 in taking our local youth cricket team on tour to Sri Lanka.

Matt Marshall
I developed my deep interest in Ocean Stars during a charity awareness trip in October 2009.  As a result, I then realised this was something with which I could see myself becoming involved in more deeply going forward.  Soon after, I returned to Sri Lanka again and spent around 2 months visiting the projects.  This  has allowed me to gain an understanding of the way things are in the field and hence develop a deeper appreciation of the issues which people face on a daily basis.  I feel first this hand experience has been invaluable and has assisted both myself and fellow trustees in our evaluation of project needs.

Jo Barton
I currently hold the post of Secretary for Ocean Stars and have had the privilege of being a trustee since the inception of the charity in 2005. I am married to John and we have three children, Catherine, Chris and Peter. I have been friends with Dilanee since moving to Fleet in 1991 and our children have all grown up together, so it felt only natural to become involved from the very beginnings of Ocean Stars! I have previously been involved in fundraising for other charities and have held voluntary posts on school association fundraising committees.
I work part time in the Inclusion and Achievement Department of one of the Fleet Secondary Schools and am also the Volunteer Coordinator at the school.  I have been able to use the skills that I have gained in my work and apply them to helping the children of Sri Lanka during recent visits to the country.

Maureen Johnston
Hi, I’m Maureen Johnston and I’ve recently joined the Ocean Stars Trust team of trustees.  I’ve lived here in Fleet for over twenty years with my husband Colin and our two boys Mark and Kevin.
My involvement with the Trust began back in 2005 when Dilanee first told me about her desire to do something to support the people of Sri Lanka who were struggling to recover from the disasters that had afflicted their lives.  Since then my involvement with the projects, and especially the people there, has steadily grown to the extent that they are now among my main concerns and interests.
As a teacher at a local infant school it has been possible for me to work with our children and parents in support of Ocean Stars projects.  I have also been able to travel with three of the teams who have gone in recent years to visit projects and teach in the pre-schools in Batticaloa.  It is those experiences which fuel and inspire my involvement and which encourage me to want to do more.

Dilanee Bunter
Hi I’m Dilanee Bunter and I was born in Sri Lanka and lived there until I was 15 years old. When the Tsunami happened on 26th Dec 2004, I felt I wanted to do something personal to help the people of Sri Lanka rebuild their shattered lives. Friends and relatives in Sri Lanka introduced me to various post Tsunami relief projects and so the Ocean Stars Trust was born. I work as a teacher and a counsellor for the Education Other Than at School (EOTAS) Service of Hampshire County Council.

Bron Lambert
My name is Bron Lambert, and I am the trustee who coordinates the annual gift catalogue. Married to Richard since 1977, we have three grown-up children; Alexandra, Bill and Toria. I have known about and supported Ocean Stars since its beginnings, and was part of Team 2008, which visited Sri Lanka in Autumn of that year.  As a result, this made me want to do more to help this great cause.