Meet Our Proctors: Jane Kelly

Jane Kelly is one of our newest Proctors, looking after residents in Lower Raymond’s Almshouses.

Jane retired last January and was keen to keep busy! She wanted to volunteer and approached Newbury Almshouse Trust directly to see if there were any vacancies that would suit her skills. After speaking to us, and having meetings with some of our other proctors and our chairman, we were very happy to ask her to take on the role of proctor for Lower Raymond’s.

Born in Kingsclere, Jane moved to Newbury when she married and spent her early working career in nursing. She then moved into the Traffic Officer Service in 2005. Beginning her role there putting out traffic cones, she progressed to Operations Manager before moving up the ranks to manage the entire service, then called National Highways, before she retired in 2024.

Jane enjoys helping people and being part of a community. She’s a team player who has been both part of a team, a leader and a manager, and brings all of these skills to her vital role as proctor.

Jane has a busy life outside of the almshouses too. She has three children and seven grandchildren, the youngest of whom she looks after two days a week. Travel is one of her passions, with a Hawaiian cruise booked up for next year, although she also travels locally around the UK with her dog Bella, an 11-year-old Chug.

As part of her role as proctor, Jane visits or contacts each of the residents each week to make sure that they are ok and have no issues. These one-to-one calls have been really effective in building a community around the almshouses, and ensuring the residents know that the Trust can support them wherever possible.

If you’re interested in volunteering with Newbury Almshouse Trust, contact us today.