Henry Wilson MBE – Chief Executive Officer
Though I was born in Newmarket in 1965, I have lived in Haverhill – in just 2 different houses -since I was a few days old! Haverhill is in my blood, literally! In fact, we can trace my ancestry back in Haverhill to at least 1761, and I love this town.

I have a dream to see a thriving Haverhill with flourishing families and my work at REACH is all part of this passion.

As a child, my parents struggled with a constant lack of money and debt. But a strong work ethic and a stable family life sowed the seeds for the work to come at REACH.

Prior to pioneering ‘REACH’ in 2005, I worked as a photographer in the local community, photographing hundreds of weddings and family occasions, as well as the photographer for the Haverhill Echo.

REACH actually began as a Christians Against Poverty (CAP) debt centre, with me as the first ‘Centre Manager’. I helped around 40 local families in my first year in and around town, and I soon discovered that some were struggling to put food on the table because of the weight of the crushing debt.

Looking for solutions for this problem, I (we, by now) began a foodbank in partnership with the Trussell Trust in 2008.

Since those formative CAP and foodbank days, I have overseen the development of REACH as a recognisable brand helping hundreds of families every year in Haverhill and the district. The team has grown way beyond what I could ever have imagined, including the running of a financial education project.

My ‘operational’ days of debt work have long since ended and I work on building partnerships with other agencies that tackle financial hardship and other societal issues, all towards achieving a thriving Haverhill with flourishing people.

One such group is the ONE Haverhill Partnership, where I have been the Chair since September 2024 with the one aim of improving the quality of life for people in Haverhill.

I am married to Angela and have 2 grown-up children, and 4 wonderful granddaughters. Alongside a love for the family, I love gardening and swimming. And in the winter, I spend my time 'capturing memories' (more than just photography) and building family albums. Oh, and I do enjoy a glass of wine, dinner up the table, and it has to be proper coffee and tea-leaf tea – preferably!