The Team

I've worked in the Adult Social Care sector for 15 years and worked with people suffering from severe mental illness, at very difficult times in their lives.

Throughout my professional career I was committed to working with people with mental health needs and their families in order to help them make meaningful change in their lives. For many years I was a Relate Counsellor.

Since retiring, I have worked with Charitable Trusts and Community Interest Companies such as Middlesbrough and Stockton Mind as a volunteer Trustee and/or Director.

I am also a committed member of the Anglican Church, and take my Christian faith very seriously. 

I've been married for 52 years, have four adult married sons, and seven grandchildren. My hobbies include gardening, reading, studying classical literature and social history and spending time in the countryside when time allows. Challenging trips abroad get fitted in as well!

Becoming a Trustee of Middlesbrough and Stockton Mind was an opportunity to be involved in something a little different, to try to use my knowledge and experience for the benefit of others and thereby ‘give something back’.

To date I'm fortunate enough to have very little personal experience of mental health problems and at the time of joining had little knowledge of the implications of mental health issues and the impact they have. I'm now aware how wide ranging these problems are and of the value of providing support to those directly and indirectly affected.

During my time as a Trustee I've seen Middlesbrough and Stockton Mind grow significantly to become a large and well respected organisation and it's satisfying to witness the fantastic support the staff and volunteers provide to the local community.

I've lived in Redcar all my life and have been a Boro season ticket holder for most of that time. I also enjoy most other sports and travelling with my wife Chris mostly to France and Spain. 

I joined the Middlesbrough and Stockton Mind trading company in October 2010, and then the board of trustees of the Charity in October 2011.

My interest in mental health stems from some personal experience of how the tragedy of suicide affects family and friends. From working in the NHS for most of my career, I know how poor mental health and mental illness affects so many people and has an impact on so many aspects of their lives.

I like being out on my bike, walking the dog and gardening despite keeping hens. I enjoy dressmaking, free machine sewing and textiles, and cryptic crosswords. Recently I have started and really enjoy painting in water colours.

I have been a trustee of Middlesbrough and Stockton Mind since January 2011. I have had limited personal experience of mental health issues but have always felt that mental health and well-being were insufficiently recognised or supported. I am therefore keen to support the worthwhile work of Mind.

I have worked in senior marketing roles since 2000. I am a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and achieved Chartered Marketer status in July 2011.

Since coming to the North East in 2002 and meeting my wife, I now class myself as an honorary Northerner. I enjoy spending time with my family but now and again indulge in my own hobbies including running, surfing, playing piano, guitar and drums and even a bit of plastering.

I have been a mental health services user since I was 16 which is something I still continue to this day. The services that I have accessed over the years have fundamentally changed and improved my life and now being in a position as a Trustee to close that loop and start being able to give back is something that I’m lucky to be able to do. I joined the board in December 2018.

Outside of my work with Middlesbrough and Stockton Mind I run my own business as a consultant to the Life Sciences Industry and exercise religiously, but I promise I’m not as dull as either of those things make me sound!

Having trained and practiced as a corporate/commercial lawyer for a number of years, I had reached a point where I was motivated to use my time, experience and skills to give something back to the local community.

My attention was drawn to Middlesbrough and Stockton Mind as a result of having family who work within the mental health sector, I had seen closely over the years how reduced resources had affected the health and wellbeing of those in Teesside – an area where I had grown up and moved back to.

The lion’s share of my time I enjoy spending with my young family. The remainder of the time I try to get out cycling (weather permitting), snowboarding and travelling.

I joined as a Trustee of Middlesbrough and Stockton in 2020 having served for nearly thirteen years as the CEO of Darlington Mind.I have worked for VCSE organisations in senior roles for over thirty years in areas of mental health, disability employment support and dementia. I am a lay representative for NHS England assisting with GP training and am an elected public Governor for Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Mental Health Foundation Trust. I am also a Trustee for Stockton & District Advice & Information Service.

I joined as Chair of trustees for Middlesbrough and Stockton MIND in September 2019. I particularly wanted to join an organisation that I felt aligned to both its purpose and values. I really felt that when I went to Middlesbrough and Stockton MIND as well as meeting an engaged and positive Board and the great people in the organisation.
I am a leading UK Board and Leadership coach since 2000 and am known for my work around Authentic Leadership with a published book in 2019. My coaching focus has always been based on my approach of the transformative effects our mental wellbeing can have on our lives and has been ever present since my first degree in psychology.

In addition to the above, I have personal experience with my own family of how mental health issues affects people and the devastating consequences of not having good mental health support.

Prior to joining Middlesbrough and Stockton MIND I was a Board member for NYLEP as well as the Diversity champion and chaired the Skills Board. I am also a trustee for Refuge, a national charity that supports people experiencing domestic abuse.

I have three children, two dogs and a cat and enjoy spending time with all of them. I enjoy walking, cycling and recently started horse riding again. When I am not outdoors, I enjoy reading and particularly learning new things.