BowlsWales Board Members
BowlsWales is governed by its Board of Directors, which is ultimately responsible for the management and conduct of the organisation. Our Board Members help set the strategic direction to enable us to work towards achieving our vision at BowlsWales, namely to manage, develop and grow our sport.
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Richard Palmer
Born and raised in Llanelli, Richard now lives in Foelgastell with his wife and young daughter.
Richard’s 30-year career history includes time in the third sector, health and local government. He has been at Data Cymru for almost 20 years where he leads on Human Resources, Organisational Development, PR & Marketing and Language Services.
Richard started playing Short Mat Bowls in 2011 with Salem SMBC in Carmarthenshire. As a keen and competitive bowler, he has picked up several county titles and has represented Wales at the British Isles Short Mat Championships for the last five years, winning the A-series Pairs in Aberdeen in 2015.
As a member of BowlsWales, Richard is keen to ensure that all forms of Bowls are promoted and supported for the benefit of all – particularly those grass-roots bowlers without whom the sport wouldn’t exist.
Tom Hancock
Originally from Newport, Tom grew up in Rhiwderin and attended Bassaleg School, he currently lives in Caerphilly with his partner and two children. Tom is a Director of a Hair & Beauty Wholesaler with over 15 years’ experience in the industry, he is hoping to bring his skills and experience in Business management and Finance to the BowlsWales Board.
A keen Bowls player, Tom began his career nearly 25 years ago at the age of 10, playing at his local club Pontymister Welfare B.C with his Grandfather and Grandmother. Whilst playing for the club he enjoyed many successes, most notably numerous County Titles and representing Wales at Junior International level from the age of 15. After an enjoyable time at Pontymister Welfare and making Lifelong Friends Tom relocated to Crosskeys Welfare B.C where his love for Bowls continued to grow, At the age of 21 Tom was crowned Welsh National Singles Champion and picked up a Bronze medal at the 2010 World Champion of Champions.
Tom is thoroughly looking forward to working with the Board, contributing to the ongoing development of Bowls in Wales and spreading the word that Bowls is a sport that is available and accessible to all.
Zoe Thacker
Zoe was born in Dorset and, after graduating Cardiff Metropolitan University worked as a Development Officer for the Local Authority (Sport Cardiff). In 2009 she joined Wales Golf, formally Golf Development Wales, and over the course of 10 years has helped to influence corporate and strategic planning and implementation most notably via the 2020 Vision for Wales Golf.
Zoe champions equality and diversity and, in her additional role as equality lead, has taken an active lead for Wales Golf in the delivery of an inclusive golfing framework. Zoe is passionate about helping people and organisations to grow and develop, and has taken on numerous voluntary positions. Most notably as a member of the FAW Equality Steering Group, Secretary for FAB (Females Achieving Brilliance) Wales, and Secretary for LGBT Sport Cymru.
Simon Colwill
Simon lives in Gorseinon with his wife and 3 children. He is an IT Service Management Consultant and a former member of the Royal Air Force, with over 20 years’ experience of delivering IT services and capabilities.
He is a member of Briton Ferry Steel Combine B.C. along with other members of his family, with his most recent highlight playing alongside his father and nephew in the 2019 national finals triples competition. As a member of BowlsWales, Simon is keen to use his knowledge to further promote and support the game for the benefit of all those involved in Bowls.
Anneli MacDonald
Over the last 15 years Anneli has worked across the sporting landscape running national and international events including World Championships, national championships, and mass participation events. She currently works for the British Paralympic Association, leading on the pre-Games Preparation Camp for the Tokyo Paralympics. A key part of this role is working in partnership with Japanese stakeholders and National Governing Bodies in the UK to create the perfect environment for athletes to train in Japan.
Anneli lives in Cardiff but on weekends she can usually be found recharging her batteries at the beach. A keen runner and open water swimmer, Anneli moved to the UK from Tasmania in 2004 and moved to Wales in 2018.
Hannah Bevan
Hannah is a born Valleys girl who spends any possible time in the outdoors, exploring new places with her dog and surrounded by friends and family.
Throughout her career, since graduating from University of South Wales in 2016, Hannah has grown to develop a passion in sports development, equality diversity and inclusion and a genuine desire to create positive cultures and environments for others to flourish.
Hannah is excited to support the board and organisation in any way she can as well as learning about the sport as part of the journey.
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