The Queen Victoria Clergy Fund

The Queen Victoria Clergy Fund provides relief to serving Church of England clergy and their families in financial need. It does not consider individual applications but apportions its annual charitable income among the 42 dioceses of the Church of England using an agreed formula. Each diocese applies the Fund’s grant on a confidential basis through its discretionary funds.

There are six trustees under the chairmanship of Canon Peter Bruinvels CC responsible for controlling the work, management and administration of the charity on behalf of its beneficiaries. The current Secretary is Stephanie Maurel. On 3rd May 2024, His Majesty, King Charles III became Patron of The Queen Victoria Clergy Fund.

Our Members

Canon Peter Bruinvels

Chairman of the Board

Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Council for the past 8 years has been on General Synod since 1985. A Church Commissioner and Member of its Board of Governors from 1992 – 2023, he is the Armed Forces Champion for The Church of England. A member of Guildford Cathedral College of Canons, he is a former Vice President of Guildford Diocesan Synod and a SIAMS Inspector of RE. A Ministerial Adviser on the Armed Forces Covenant, he is both a MoD Approved Trainer and Adviser on both the Armed Forces Act 2021 and Armed Forces Awareness on the Covenant, he also an Army (MoD) Civil Servant, Senior Local Government Officer and a former MP

Rosemary Lyon

Vice Chair of the Board

A member of General Synod representing Blackburn Diocese since 2010. I have served as the Blackburn representative on QVCF since 2010 and as Vice Chair since 2022. I hail from Ormskirk in Lancashire. I was educated at Ormskirk Grammar School, then Durham University where I read French and Spanish. Following a PGCE at York University, I embarked on a teaching career in London. I also studied for a p/t M.A. in Hispanic Studies at Birkbeck College.

Following a year’s voluntary service working with USPG in the Anglican Diocese of Argentina, I returned to teaching in the UK. I taught part-time for over 30 years in both state primary and secondary schools whilst bringing up our two sons and being much involved in my church. Now retired, as well as my church involvement I enjoy learning Italian, walking and my regular Silver Swans ballet class.

Tony Allwood

Treasurer

I am married with two sons and three grandchildren; one of my daughters-in-law is a vicar. My career was in telecoms, first in design and later in management. For over 40 years, I have lived and worshipped in Suffolk, serving in various roles, including churchwarden, church manager, Deanery Lay Chair, and now Diocesan Lay Chair. I have also been a member of General Synod for the past nine years.

Robert Perry

Trustee

Although Robert was born in Hampshire he has lived in Cornwall, university and first job apart, since he was 9. By profession he was a retired chartered surveyor who worked in local government for most of his career. He is, at the time of writing, Lay Chair of the Truro Diocesan Synod and worships at Truro Cathedral and a nearby parish church, and in his (limited!) spare time rings church bells and pursues his interests in the current aspects of public transport – railways, trams and buses. He has been a General Synod representative of his diocese, and Trustee of the Fund, since 2021.

John Brydon

Trustee

My main career was in corporate banking and following retirement I undertook the role of company secretary for a local and large FE College. In recent years I have reduced my voluntary commitments, but as my commercial background has proved useful I still remain as a trustee on three trusts including the QVCF.

A lifelong member of the C of E I have undertaken various roles and currently I am a lay member of the General Synod. My other main interests are gardening, wine, antiques, classical music and reading.

Stephanie Maurel

Secretary

Since assuming her role as CEO of the Corporation of the Church House and Secretary of the Queen Victoria Clergy Fund in 2020, Stephanie Maurel has implemented several strategic initiatives that have greatly contributed to the development of Church House, notably linked to sustainability and achieving carbon net zero. Following a spell in national government, Stephanie has held several leadership positions in the charity sector: including CEO of the international volunteering charity Concordia. Stephanie has also been a trustee and Chair for various charities; Stephanie was, until recently, Chair of the National Childbirth Trust.