Trustees and council
BILD Trustees
BILD has a board of trustees who are responsible for helping BILD achieve its aims. and for ensuring that this is being done ethically, efficiently and within resources.
The trustees are (in alphabetical order):
Alice Bradley
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Jackie Downer MBE pen
portrait coming soon
Jill Gramann
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Linda Hunt pen portrait coming soon
Mark Gray pen portrait
Neil Lockwood (Chairman) pen
portrait
Nigel Beail pen
portrait
Peter Lyons pen portrait coming soon
Vidar Hjardeng
pen portrait coming soon
Pen portraits
"I’m a new trustee, in post only since September 2005. My first contact with
BILD was in the 1970s when I started teaching children with learning
disabilities. I began writing for BILD about ten years ago and also became a
trainer.
I’m Scottish and live near Glasgow at the moment, but I’ve lived and
worked in England, Wales, Canada and Thailand. My work has also taken me to
several countries in Africa and Asia. I’ve worked in schools, higher education,
community projects and voluntary organisations.
My new role as a trustee is
interesting and challenging. I’m particularly interested in working alongside
people with learning disabilities and families so that we can move forward
together."
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Almost ever since my youngest son was diagnosed with severe learning
disabilities almost thirty years ago, I have tried hard to improve the quality
of life of people with a learning disability and their families and carers in
Worcestershire [my current home]. This has been as a member of the Curriculum
Planning Group at Lea Castle School of Nursing in the 1980s, Chair of Governors
of Blakebrook Special School, and Chair of the Hansel and Gretel Support Group,
which included building a day centre for pre-school children with special needs.
I am excited at being appointed as a BILD Trustee [in 2007] because I believe that my skills and experience, which up to now have been deployed on behalf of people with a learning disability locally, can be equally effective nationally. I am looking forward to helping the organisation to grow in an increasingly competitive environment; focus on its core goals and above all influence national policy.
Professionally I work as a market research consultant; my organisation provides advice and services to a range of organisations to help them thrive and overcome challenges, and I am eager to be able to use these skills for BILD.
My hobbies and interests include languages and travel, especially Latin America, genealogy, and walking my ‘Staffie’ Megan. I am also deputy chair of a magistrates' bench in Worcestershire and have a particular interest in youth justice and how the criminal justice system treats those with a disability.
My
name is Mark Gray and I became a BILD Trustee in 2007 and was elected to Vice
Chairman in 2008.
I have had contact with BILD throughout my professional career from 1981 first
as a Registered Learning Disability Nurse, then as a Social Services manager and
more latterly as a National Training Research and Development Officer for a
National Charity. I’m now a freelance Health & social care consultant, clinical
psychologist and trainer and pleased to be putting something back to the
organisation that has supported and informed my practice over this period.
I am also Vice Chair of the National Learning Disability Nurses Network NNLDN
and was a founder member of the advocacy group CHANGE from when it was the
committee for the multiply handicapped blind to the start of the organisation it
is today.
I’m the author of several books around multiple disability issues and I like to
think I will bring the voices of the profoundly multiply disabled and those with
sensory impairments who have little or no formal communication, to the table at
BILD.
This has been and remains my area of professional expertise and passion, but I
also bring to the board my private sector business skills, NHS, local authority,
& charity sector experience at national & local level.
The challenges for BILD over the next few years will be immense, particularly
with the unprecedented political interest in people with learning difficulties
and their families. Not least in regard to improving access to quality health
care services and supporting individual human rights. Along with the rest of my
fellow trustees you can be assured that we wish to provide the best possible
support and governance to the Chief executive and his team.
“I started involvement with BILD in 1986 when
(as Director of Finance of Kidderminster Health Authority) I became Honorary
Treasurer of BIMH (now BILD).
Those were different days for the Charity sector and now the role of Trustee of
a medium-sized charitable business is rightly a serious responsibility.
I became Chairman in 2003 and the last three years have, arguably, been the most
dynamic in our history. The whole of the charitable sector’s relationship with
Government and the public sector is under revision and I expect the next three
years to be even more dynamic and interesting.”
"I am currently Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Head of Psychological
Services for Barnsley Learning Disability Service and Honorary Chair in
Psychology at the University of Sheffield.
I am a member of the Executive Committee of the European Association for
Mental Health in Intellectual Disabilities, Secretary of the Institute of
Psychotherapy and Disability and Vice Chair of the British Psychological
Society's Faculty for Learning Disability.
In 2004 I was appointed by the UK Minister of Health to the Mental Health Bill Implementation Advisory Group at the Department of Health.
My clinical work includes providing psychological interventions to meet the needs of people with learning disabilities who present with a wide range of problems. I specialise in work with clients who self injure, those that offend or have significant mental health problems.
I have a particular interest in the provision and evaluation of psychological psychotherapies for people who have intellectual disabilities and have pioneered outcome research in the area. I have published a lot of papers on issues that effect people who have intellectual disabilities."
BILD council
Members of BILD council:
Barbara Coles Family carer adviser
David Crowson Observer (Mencap)
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Lesley Dee Post school education adviser
Jackie Downer MBE Adviser to the chair on learning disabilities
David Ellis Observer (SCIE)
Jane Ellis Morgan Enabler to Michael Ratcliffe
Linette Farquarson Black and minority ethnic communities adviser
Peggy Fray Family care adviser
read an article
Michael Gunn Law adviser
Chris Hatton Research adviser
Jane Jones Communications adviser
Grenville Knight Membership representative
Biza Kroese Clinical psychology adviser
Karla Lawrence Enabler to Jackie Downer
Ann Lewis Education adviser
Phil Madden Social work adviser
Michael Ratcliffe Adviser to the chair on learning disabilities
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Ashok Roy Health adviser
Fiona Ritchie Commissioning adviser
Philippa Russell Children's services adviser
Marc Saunders Nursing adviser
David Stewart Education adviser
David Towell Social care policy adviser
BILD trustees are also part of the council.
Meet some of BILD council members:
Left:
Jackie Downer, MBE adviser to the chair on learning disabilities
Right:
Michael Ratcliffe, adviser to the chair on learning disabilities, and
Diana
Morgan, enabler to Michael Ratcliffe
"Membership
of the BILD Council allows me to play a part in the excellent work undertaken
by the organisation. Sitting as Mencap's observer to the Council, I provide the
feedback to my organisation that keeps it informed about BILD's work.
My experience of learning disability extends across the health service,
social services and the voluntary sector. Training as a learning disability
nurse and nurse tutor was followed by a social work degree upon moving to Wales
in the early 70's. Part of the management team that helped deliver the All Wales
Strategy for people with learning disabilities in the 80s. I joined Mencap as
Director of Mencap Cymru in 1991. I have since held various appointments in
Royal Mencap. My current role is that of head of research and systems in Mencap
Community Support.
Other professional interests include past membership of the UKCC for Nursing and Midwifery, membership of the review into nurse education and membership of the Welsh Office panel that sought to improve the health of people with learning disabilities in Wales.
I am particularly keen to support BILD in its commitment to involve people
with learning disabilities in its governance"
List of Michael Ratcliffe’s involvement:
- Michael has been voted in as a Governor member for the newly formed South
Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare Foundation Trust
- National Forum member Vice –Chair and on the planning strategy
- Member of Learning Disabilities Task Force
- Part of Health Care Commission Inquiry (post Death by Indifference)
- Supports a men’s health group for Shropshire Service Users
- Partnership Board member
- Takes part in Liaison meetings with commissioners and directors of services
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Last updated: 01/09/2008