Our People
The Board
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Mark Bevan
DirectorI started out thinking that wanted to be an economist. It didn’t suit and I retrained, working first in residential care, then in the community before joining a large charity in a business development role, to have a greater impact on more lives.
I moved on to policy work, to do more for more people. I headed up Amnesty International in Scotland, and lead campaign work in an environmental charity and went on to be MD of HRH the Prince of Wales network of socially responsible businesses in Scotland. I helped to merge that organisation with another before joining the Scottish Council for Development and Industry for a year as CEO.
The lure of policy work and progressive economics provided opportunity to influence the lives of many, with some significant levers. However, the distance from those whose lives were influenced was always an itch I tried to scratch. Bringing those with lived experience to tell their stories directly to those who controlled power and decisions was always the best, most powerful and satisfying part of the work for me.
Along the way I have been a Trustee in a couple of organisations and acted in an advisory capacity to the Boards of others.
So, to my current role as CEO of Leuchie House, the first time I have planned a career move. I consciously sought a role in which I could work for a national organisation, which delivered its purpose in a way which brought me into daily contact with its community. At the same time, I wanted to work in an organisation which had enough credibility to use its voice and experience to influence policy and the allocation of resources.
So, I find myself today trying to be what I might call a pre-conomist i.e., helping to influence the priorities against which our scarce resources are ultimately allocated. Short breaks being a case in point!
I am enthusiast, optimistic and lucky. I’m very motivated by purpose and I’m a strong believer in marrying passion to knowledge to create change. I think if we can make life better, then we have a duty to do so. Oh, and I love cycling, just for the sake of it.”
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Moira Oliphant
DirectorMoira retired from the Scottish Government in 2017 after a 37 year career in various departments. Her last post was head of the Carers Unit with responsibility for policy regarding adult and young carers, most recently the Carers Act.
Moira is now a self-employed gardener. She is also a volunteer gardener at the Seaview Respite Unit in Edinburgh for children and young people with complex needs. Her other volunteer roles are a befriender and a simulated patient at Napier University working with student nurses.
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Laura Bannerman
Director, ChairLaura recently retired from full time work in local government. She held a range of posts in Strathclyde Regional Council, Tayside Regional Council and Dundee City Council. She worked as an Interim Chief Officer for the Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership during the three year period leading up to her retirement during which time she was very involved in establishing the strategic and partnership arrangements for the new body.
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Penny Stafford
DirectorAs well as having been a parent carer over the past 21 years to her son Adam who has physical and learning disabilities, Penny also has experience of caring for her mother who has dementia and past experience of caring for a partner with addiction and mental health issues. She has been involved in various carer groups over the years and consequently has developed a good knowledge of carers issues and experience of representing carer views to policy makers and within service planning groups. Penny has previous experience of serving as a board member for various charities including for local carers, Women’s aid and mental health charities, as well as serving on a Housing Association Board. She is a member of the Short Breaks Fund Better Breaks Grants Advisory Panel and was recently appointed to the Scottish Government’s Disabled Children and Young People Advisory Group.
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David Eade
Director, TreasurerDavid’s family began taking children with special needs for short breaks in their home in Helensburgh in the early 1990’s. After a move to Kinross in 2000 David’s wife Helen started working in the Children’s Hospice as a palliative care paediatric nurse and David and their two children became volunteers with CHAS. The family carried on offering short breaks in the new area for a number of years until the partnership between the local authority and Barnardo’s ceased. By this time David realised that full time volunteering was not sustainable so his family became short break foster carers, working for Action for Children, giving children with extra support needs and carers a break. David has also worked as a classroom assistant in a special school, a support worker for a young adult on the Autistic spectrum at college and at a residential school for primary children with emotional and behavioural issues. David is now retired but Helen continues to work, providing care in the home for children with life limiting conditions.
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Margaret Petherbridge
DirectorMargaret has been working within Social Work Services for a number of years and in the last few years has been supporting the implementation of Self Directed Support. Margaret is experienced in working with partners within the statutory, private and voluntary sectors and also manages a small team in the Falkirk Short Breaks Bureau, which arranges short breaks for adults with support needs and their carers. Margaret is currently chair of the Social Work Scotland Self Directed Support Practice Network.
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Advisors to the Board
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Lorna Gibson
Advisor to the BoardLorna is Young Carer Network Coordinator at Carers Trust Scotland. She coordinates the Scottish Young Carers Services Alliance which is a network of 38 services providing face to face support to young carers and is one of the National Carer Organisations. Previous to that Lorna coordinated the annual Scottish Young Carers Festival.
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Staff
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Nicola Lockwood
Short Breaks Fund Grants OfficerNicola has joined Shared Care Scotland as Short Breaks Fund Grants Officer, looking after the Better Breaks programme.
Nicola has worked in the third sector for over 10 years, most recently in national organisation Victim Support Scotland and prior to that in FDAMH (Falkirk’s Association of Mental Health). Nicola is also a carer for teenager who has a learning disability and ASD diagnosis, so knows well the challenges carers in Scotland face.
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Kate Hogarth
Communications Manager× -
Alison Chapman
Communications and Network Support OfficerHello! I’m delighted to have joined SCS as Communications & Network Support Officer. I moved to Scotland from West London in 1999 and since then have worked for Capability Scotland Community Based Services in Dunfermline and for six years at Befriending Networks in Edinburgh, where I was Members Services Officer. I am a serial committee member and was on the board of Volunteer Centre Fife (pre Fife Voluntary Action) for seven years. I’m currently secretary and treasurer of the Aberdour Cultural Association, treasurer of the newly-formed Aberdour Refugee Resettlement and Support Group and a member of the Aberdour Art Festival group. I also sing in a local choir and play cornet in Dysart Colliery Silver Band.
Contact Alison: alison.chapman@sharedcarescotland.com
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Julie Crawford
AdministratorJulie joined Shared Care Scotland in May 2019 as Administrator. Prior to this Julie worked at Keele University in Staffordshire for 5 years in a few varied administrative roles including Executive Administrator, Curriculum Review Administrator and Student Wellbeing Administrator. Julie also has experience of working with a non-profit organisation, working for 5 years for Rethink Mental Illness as an Admin Manager at the Healthy Minds Network in Stoke on Trent.
Julie’s role at Shared Care Scotland is to provide admin support to the team, manage the online short breaks directory and respond to enquiries.
Contact Julie: julie.crawford@sharedcarescotland.com
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Alison Brown
Short Breaks Fund ManagerAlison joined Shared Care Scotland in June 2018.
Alison has 30 years of practical experience working with the public and private sector, and for the last 20 years she has worked within the third sector, supporting and developing charities and social enterprises. Prior to joining Shared Care Scotland, Alison worked for a reuse charity, managing a consortium of 17 reuse third sector organisations to deliver a public sector contract.
Before that, she managed a reuse charity and social enterprise that provides reuse furniture to vulnerable households and offers training and volunteering opportunities to those furthest removed from the job market. Alison has experience as a charity trustee and in her spare time she volunteers with her local scout group and a local hospice.
Contact Alison: alison.brown@sharedcarescotland.com
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Kerry Donaghy
Respitality Scotland ManagerKerry joined Shared Care Scotland in June 2017 as Respitality Developer. Kerry has worked within the third sector for several years now; initially with Churches Action for the Homeless, and with Edinburgh Cyrenians in the housing sector.
She then moved into carers support and development work with PKAVS Carers Hub. Kerry is passionate about ensuring carers across Scotland can access breaks regularly, fairly and equally.
Contact Kerry: kerry.donaghy@sharedcarescotland.com
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Don Williamson
Chief ExecutiveDon has been the Chief Executive of Shared Care Scotland since January 2006. Prior to this he was the Programme Director in Edinburgh for the international leadership development charity Common Purpose, and before this was 8 years with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award as Assistant then Deputy Director for Scotland. Don has also worked in the outdoor education and environment sectors. Don was recently President of the International Short Breaks Association as part of Shared Care Scotland’s hosting of the 10th International Short Breaks conference in Edinburgh in 2016.
Contact Don: don.williamson@sharedcarescotland.com
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Amanda Moffat
Short Breaks Fund Grants OfficerAmanda has been working at the Shared Care Scotland office since September 2010, she has over 10 years secretarial experience and returning to work in the voluntary sector after a four year career break has been influenced by her volunteering work. Amanda is a trustee with FACE a Cancer Charity based in Edinburgh and is involved with Samaritans. Amanda lives in Dunfermline with her husband and 2 children. Amanda is the point of contact for any administrative enquiries about the Short Break Fund and our online directory of short break services.
Contact Amanda: amanda.moffat@sharedcarescotland.com
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