Ambassadors

Cassie Butler - Gould

Ambassador

I currently work as an independent wine merchant in Brighton with my husband Henry Butler. We have the oldest independent merchant in the city and we use our connections and relationships through our business to get involved with a lot of community and charity work.

I am a trustee and volunteer at the Crew Club charity in Brighton, a safe space for children, young people and the community.

I grew up very close to Raystede and have been an animal lover my whole life. I grew up with dogs, cats, horses, a rescue tortoise, hamster, rabbit and even a swan! Animals are my sanctuary and they continue to rescue me throughout my life.

I have always supported animal charities but throughout and following COVID-19, I have seen a huge increase in animal-related issues and wanted to get more involved in rescue/welfare and campaigning. There is a global crisis with more animals than ever being overbred, neglected, abused, dumped and ill-treated, this is now exacerbated by the cost of living crisis.

I feel passionately about helping all animals in need and am very proud to be an Ambassador for Raystede.

Photo: Cassie walked 70 miles with Pepper, the Raystede rescue, to raise money for Raystede.

Jason Burrill

Ambassador

Jason Burrill is a Brighton-based businessman and property dealer but is best known for being the winner of reality TV show, Big Brother, in 2016.

Prior to Big Brother, Jason worked as a body double in films, Guardians of the Galaxy and Spectre. After his win, he appeared in numerous films including The Serpent (2018), The Dark Return of Time (2017) and Essex Vendetta (2016).

Jason is a passionate supporter of a number of local charities and has been involved with Raystede since 2016, attending several special events, organising pub quizzes, undertaking a night kayak and judging the dog show at Raystede’s Summer Fair in 2022.

Jason adores animals and was devoted to his dog, Clio, who sadly passed away in 2022. We’re delighted that Jason agreed to become an official Raystede Ambassador.

David Hill

Ambassador

David is the Founder of E3 Events, based in Brighton & Hove. Before starting his business in 1998, he was one of the directors of Airtours Hotels and responsible for the live entertainment and events in over 63 hotels worldwide. Through E3, David has developed a portfolio of large events, including the leading family pantomime in Brighton, the UK’s biggest outdoor gin and food festival and responsibility for delivering the Brighton Half Marathon.

In 2012, David became Chairman of Brighton Pride and was instrumental in leading the organisation to become the largest LGBTQ Pride event in Europe.

Over the last 15 years, David and E3 have used their skills, creativity, passion and enthusiasm to play an active role in helping a large number of local and national charities, directly raising over £200,000 for their chosen causes.

A keen animal lover, with two Maine Coone cats, David became an Ambassador for Raystede in September 2023.

Christina Ewbank

Raystede Ambassador

Christina is a Past Director, President and Chief Executive of the Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce.

During 23 years with Mercedes-Benz and Smart, Christina ran dealerships in Chichester, Eastbourne and Brighton, and was also Regional Manager for Lexus Northern Europe based in Brussels. She has brought her expertise running multi-million pound businesses to the Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to her Chamber work, Christina is a director of Edeal Enterprise Agency providing fully funded business support to entrepreneurs in Eastbourne, Lewes and Wealden districts. She is also a director of Your Eastbourne BID helping promote the town centre and make sure Eastbourne remains a vibrant, attractive place for residents and visitors alike.

Christina’s passions include animals - she has two dachshunds – as well as education and sustainability and, as many of our rehomers and supporters come from the Eastbourne area, we are delighted that she is bringing her enthusiasm and knowledge to the role of Ambassador for Raystede.