Our Trustees

Alison Gilmore

Trustee

Email: admin@blackpoolcarers.org

Alison has been managing the prestigious Imperial Hotel in Blackpool for 10 years (with the exception of 18 months where she trained as a sparky-but that’s another story!). Hotels have been her life and she trained in hospitality in Blackpool before taking her first hotel management position in Cardiff. Her career has taken her all around the country until she ended up back in her beloved town. Her business acumen has been recognised on numerous occasions, being awarded “Hotel of the Year” in her previous company,and “General Manager of the year” in her current role.

The Imperial is the most famous of Blackpool’s hostelries and has itself won many awards over the last 10 years, currently holding the title of “Best Hotel” in the recent Culture and Lifestyle Awards. Alison herself has embraced the town in her 10 years and is recognised locally for her work in Tourism. She says “Blackpool is a truly magical tourism destination with some of the best hospitality staff in the world. However many of these people have to deal with challenges at home and they juggle their careers along with caring for their families; they are amazing people who manage to keep a warm and genuine smile on their faces for our visitors. We must support them as much as we can”.

Barbara Cummings

Trustee

Email: admin@blackpoolcarers.org

I have been Hospital Director at Spire Fylde Hospital for two years. For the first year I lived in Lytham and then moved to Poulton-le-Fylde, both of which I have enjoyed exploring along with getting to know Blackpool. I have a particular interest in culture and history and I have found the town fascinating.

My role at the hospital involves the oversight of all clinical and administrative services. Along with the support of my management and hospital team, we focus on our mission to bring together the best people who are dedicated to developing excellent clinical environments and delivering the highest quality patient care. Private health care is an intricate business with many developments and changes and I pride myself in ensuring that the team make caring their passion and keep things simple. We are looking forward to our 35th anniversary of providing health care to privately insured, self-funding and NHS patients in the local community and beyond.

My background is in business planning, contracting and commissioning, performance management, waiting list reviews, estate management and business intelligence. I was formerly Director of Planning and Performance at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kings Lynn and then Managing Director of Aptus Consultancy Ltd involving the provision of board level experience for short or long term assignments in the health service.

I look forward very much to working with the team at Blackpool Carers Centre. I will bring my management experience and my sense of humour to the table!

Linda Endicott

Trustee

Email: admin@blackpoolcarers.org

I joined the Carers Centre in 2005 after caring for my husband who lived with Motor Neurone Disease. During my time as a carer I found that approaching social services and healthcare services for my husband’s needs proved a simple process although handling the funding between the two was confusing for me.

I joined a meeting at a Blackpool hotel relating to a hope for a Carers Centre and decided to see what this was about. I went along to a number of meetings and found myself on the Committee and then Board. What I believe I offer is keeping our feet firmly on the ground, believing in the fantastic opportunity we have of assisting carers, of all ages, to keep their heart and heads in their caring role whilst providing some little respite during their caring role and of course afterwards.

Paul Jebb OStJ MA BSc(Hons) DipHE RN

Chair of Trustees

Email: admin@blackpoolcarers.org

Paul qualified as a nurse in 1996 and worked in numerous posts within nursing including Modern Matron and Senior Nurse Manager, as well as a period in operational management. Then in 2010 Paul became the Assistant Director of Nursing & Head of Patient experience at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS FT. From October 2014, Paul undertook a secondment to the National Patient Experience team at NHS England as Experience of Care Professional Lead. Paul has been involved and led on numerous quality improvement initiatives throughout his career, and has gained the extra mile award by the motor neurone disease Association, in 2012 Paul was winner of a national Patient Safety Award, and in 2014 Paul and his team won a national healthcare communications award for best engagement. Paul is also an ambassador for the Mary Secole Statue Appeal.

In February 2014 Paul was honoured to be offered an Honorary Senior Lectureship at the University of Central Lancashire. Paul is also a member of an NMC advisory panel to give strategic direction to the NMC Executive team and to improve the dialogue between the NMC and leaders in the professions and to ensure expertise is brought to bear on NMC work. Paul has interests outside the workplace and has represented the Royal College of Nursing at local, regional national and international levels, is a member of Nursing Standard Editorial Advisory Board. Paul also judges several national awards including the Nursing Standard Nurse Awards.Paul has also been the Assistant Chief Nurse (Head of Workforce) for St John Ambulance (England & the Islands), and has held other voluntary roles. In 2012 he was honoured with the award of ‘Officer of the Order of St John’.

Sarah Lambert

Trustee

Email: admin@blackpoolcarers.org

After leaving University with an Honours and Masters Degree, Sarah has worked with children and young people all her career starting as a teacher and moving on to being a Head teacher of a nursery school. For the last 16 years she has been a senior manager in Children’s Services for Blackpool Council where she was the lead for early years and childcare, parenting and family support, family learning, Children’s Centres and the Young Carers contract.

Whilst with the Council she led and implemented many large scale projects across the Borough. Having recently written a successful £45 million Big Lottery bid for families who have children from conception to three years old, she is now seconded to the NSPCC delivering the work of the bid.

Steve Cassidy

Trustee

Email: admin@blackpoolcarers.org

Steve Cassidy has been a Beaverbrooks employee since 1994, and joined their Property Department in 2000. His association with the Carers Centre started in 2010, volunteering at our Youth Clubs and supporting Young Carers on trips and activities. His expertise and knowledge as Property and Estates Manager proved invaluable in expanding our Retail Operation.

He was appointed to the Board of Trustees in May 2013 and became a director of our Trading Company in July 2013. He is a massive Blackpool FC fan and keen (but very average!) cricketer and is currently enjoying the challenge of developing and facilitating the construction of our new premises, Beaverbrooks House.

Tony Ward BSc (Hons), MBCS, Ch. Eng.

Trustee

Email: admin@blackpoolcarers.org

Tony headed a number of R and D projects that contributed towards BAe becoming a systems company. This was recognised with national roles chairing the EPSRC Systems Engineering Committee, leading the allocation of an annual £50 million budget of research grants to all UK universities, and sitting on the DTI’s IT Advisory Board. Prior to that Tony ran teams flight testing Jaguar and Tornado. Latterly Tony was responsible for IT strategy for the Military Aircraft Division and finally managed a programme of Business Process Engineering across the company for a number of years.

Since retiring from BAe Systems Tony has held roles in a number of community organisations engaged in improving services for older people and promoting intergenerational activities in schools. He was chair of the Wyre Senior Forum, vice chair of Wyre Together and represented Wyre on the Lancashire Fifty Plus Assembly.