About Us
About MSP
Mustard Seed Property (MSP) was set up in July 2007 in direct response to a call from people in their sixties and seventies who were trying to plan for a future for their autistic adult children, who were still living at home. It was clear that there was a need in Cornwall for independent, supported accommodation for people with learning disabilities.
Bringing a practical solution to this, MSP was formed as a community benefit society (registered no. 30293R); and more recently as a charity (reference no. ZD01397). MSP raised £300,000 from a few dozen people, a local charitable trust, and a bank. We used the funds to purchase an old bed and breakfast and positively changed the lives of five families forever.
Today, we are a charitable community benefit society intent on providing the right support for individuals that need it. We are also a robust commercial investor that has been paying shareholders a financial return since 2008.
Our aim is to invest in houses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly for use as supported accommodation for vulnerable adults and those at risk of homelessness.
Currently, MSP has three properties: A six-bedroomed house in Helston, with support provided by partner organisation St Petrocs; an eleven-bedroom house in Newquay, with support provided by Newquay Lighthouse Project; and a six-bedroom house in Redruth, which will be ready in Sep/Oct for our partner United Response to house, with support provided by Karrek Community CIC.
Our Board Members
Members elect the board of directors by rotation at each Annual General Meeting on a one-member one-vote basis. The Board currently has nine members:
Qualified as a chartered accountant with Arthur Andersen. She then created a global HR Consulting business Penna Consulting PLC where she was CEO and Chairman for ten years. She currently works with a number of fledgling charities and social enterprises in Cornwall.
Daniel is CEO of Resonance Limited where he leads a growing team supporting social enterprises and charities prepare for investment in a variety of transactions including real estate acquisition and development, community share issues and direct venture capital investments. He has seen the company flourish as it has created demand-led, impact investment funds. Daniel founded Resonance in 2002 having spent several years in manufacturing as an engineer and leading a political lobbying campaign on the UK poverty trap.
Stephen is a Chartered Accountant, having trained with PricewaterhouseCoopers. For many years he has been Finance Director for a variety of enterprises, most recently at Cornwall Care, the largest provider of adult social care in the county. Since 2019, he has acted as a Finance and Business Adviser to a range of enterprises. Aside from his involvement with MSP, he is also a trustee of Emmaus Cornwall, a charity supporting the homeless, which itself is in need a property and land. He is dad to a young adult with a learning disability.
A member of MSP from the beginning, Liz is a counsellor, manager and supports people with learning disabilities. She ran her own small upholstery business for 28 years. Liz brings particular knowledge and skills in serving the people supported by the partner charities of MSP and leads on social impact and ensuring MSP delivers for vulnerable people. Liz is also a trustee director of Mustard Seed (SW), which is one of MSP’s founding partners.
Adam is a qualified and experienced counsellor specialising in working with trauma and addiction. He has worked in Family Assessment, Residential Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation, and Supported Housing. He is the founder and Managing Director of the Bideford Lighthouse Project CIC and joined MSP as a partner for the Newquay Lighthouse Project CIC.
Charles is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor and a Fellow of the Royal institution of Chartered Surveyors (and also a Senior Investment Manager at Resonance Limited).
He has over 30 years’ experience of working in all sectors of the property environment, both in the UK and mainland Europe. He was previously an Equity Partner with EC Harris (now Arcadis) and is now part of the Resonance team with a focus on delivering projects for a new impact investment fund, “Resonance Community Developers”.
Charles supports MSP on the purchase, development, and refurbishment of their properties.
Steve worked for the Probation service for eleven years at a Bail Hostel, and also worked as bank staff for ten years for Spectrum supporting Autistic adults.
Steve joined St Petrocs in 2004, initially as a weekend house manager, then graduating to service manager and now as the Associate Director of Residential Services.
Richard has over 35 years’ experience as a Chartered Surveyor working throughout the South West region. Following ten years as a partner in Knight Frank he set up Maze, an Exeter based consultancy business, dealing with residential and commercial work. He specialises in Planning and Development but typically works with corporate clients and charities on acquisition and portfolio enhancement.
Management Support
Nick works in the finance team at Resonance. Previously he worked within the finance industry for nine years, with the most recent four years spent in the finance team of a local Cornish charity. He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree, majoring in accounting, and is currently working towards becoming a Chartered Accountant through ACCA. Nick supports MSP with all finance and accounting functions, including management accounts, payment of invoices and liaising with suppliers.