Our Board of Trustees

I was born in Scotland, brought up in Wales and have now lived around London for over 45 Years . I have worked for music companies all my working life in the finance and administration departments of three different companies one major EMI and   two independent classical companies Naxos Music and Harmonia Mundi and retired from full time work in 2023. Dementia has always haunted my family over decades where one by one my aunts uncles and cousins and eventually my mother succumbed to the illness . I found it difficult to look after my mother and work until I found a day centre  Dementia First which made my life a lot easier for several years until I had to put my mother into a residential care home.

Penny is widowed with two sons, she attended Agricultural College and qualified as a farm secretary, past occupations include Beecham Pharmaceuticals Research Farm, higher level teaching assistant and ICT technician in local primary school and kept accounts for her husband’s business. Experience of committee membership includes social club, co-ownership housing, PTA, school governor and currently chair of the local residents’ association.

I have worked in the dementia field both professionally and in a voluntary capacity since 1990 and am particularly passionate about supporting carers.  I cared for my mother who was diagnosed with dementia in her early 60s, when she came to live with us and our then very young family.  I currently work part time managing a local charity supporting older people where I facilitate a monthly support group for dementia carers.  I also facilitate a monthly county wide support group for Rare Dementia UK and am a trustee for my local Voluntary Action and also a Carer Support Charity.

I am widowed with three grown-up children and one granddaughter. My husband suffered with a rare dementia from 2013 until his death in 2019 and spent many happy hours at The Byre under the care and understanding of the Dementia First team. I was born in Kent to a Naval family and my early years were spent in the Far East. I studied Business Studies in English, French and German and worked in the Haute-Loire in France, the Marine and Press fields in London. When I married and had the children I worked locally, managing Front of House at a local theatre until I retired. Since my husband’s diagnosis, I have been involved with Alzheimer’s and Rare Dementia support groups and visiting people in their homes and care homes, providing a friendly face and companionship, through my local church.

I am married with two grown children and one grandson, my husband is now living in a nursing home suffering with the full range of complications due to diabetes and for the past 19 years vascular dementia which first manifested in his frontal temporal lobe.  I was born and grew up in Australia where I trained as a nurse specialising in Oncology.  I came to Britain in 1973 and began married life in 1974 in Liverpool where we stayed till moving to Surrey in 2019 to be near family.  Our daughter now lives permanently in Australia and our son in Ashstead.  I have worked in many aspects of nursing within the NHS, commercial and community ending up in-charge of elderly care facilities until my retirement to care full time for my husband. I have been involved in community life through various organisations Lions Clubs International, Domestic Violence and Church.  

I was married to Pam for 41 years before losing her in 2023. She had fought a long battle with vascular dementia spending her final five years in the Coppice Lea nursing home. She is survived by our two children and four grandchildren. I was born and brought up in Bletchley which is now a suburb of Milton Keynes. My mother was stationed at Bletchley Park serving as a code breaking assistant between 1943 and 1946. My earlier working career (like hers) was spent in IT and then in 2005 following a redundancy I retrained as a Loss Adjuster, and still practice this on a part time basis. I have been involved in the local dementia community for the past 10 years and helped in the setting up of a dementia café in Redhill. Through church connections I have also been involved in debt counselling and gift aid finance. In June 2024 I married Lorna who was widowed after her husband died of cancer in 2021. We spend time here and in Northern Ireland where Lorna has lived for some years.

Chris has worked as a mental health nurse for over 30 years across a range of settings and first specialised in dementia care as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in 1999. Other roles have included being Lead Nurse for older people,  Head of Education and Development, Head of Nursing Community and Specialist Services and was seconded as the National Dementia Fellow with Health Education England. Chris is the Consultant Admiral Nurse based at East Surrey Hospital since 2016. In his clinical role he supports patients and their families/carers of patients who are either present with new confusion/delirium or living with dementia,  working with clinical teams across the whole hospital. Chris has co-authored a number of publications and book chapters on dementia care as well as presented at a number of national and international conferences.  He is an Ambassador for John’s Campaign and a Dementia Friends Champion.   Chris is also Specialist Mental Health Advisor for the CQC.