NOTTSDEAF - Key Persons
Anne comes from a deaf family. She qualified as a social worker with the deaf and hearing impaired at Moray House, Edinburgh when multi-channel signs were discovered during their research into BSL.
She later worked at The Open University on ‘Issues in Deafness' and co-edited the book ‘Deaf Identities'. She continues to teach social work and provide academic support to deaf students, and she is a user of NSLIS.
She was formerly the treasurer of ‘Signs of Russia' and the secretary of the Federation of Deaf People (Nottingham). She is currently Secretary of the Jane Beech Trust and Chairs the City of Nottingham's Deaf Focus and Disability Involvement Groups. Anne is passionate about deaf people's rights to equal and high quality services and their choices to use mainstream or specialist services. She joined the NDS Board in 1999.
Carol joined the board in 2018. Her association with NDS began when she started to learn British Sign Language. She has studied to Level 3 BSL and has been volunteering with the Deaf Welfare Rights and Advice service since 2017. Carol has a legal background, practicing in criminal law. As well as volunteering for NDS, Carol and her husband run a small business together.
Her early career was in acting and singing in TV, theatre and radio. Latterly Carol studied for degrees in English Literature and Law as well as a post graduate qualifications to enable her to practice Law. Carol hopes that as a board members she will bring her experience and understanding of deafness as well as her professional background to good use to help make lives better for the Deaf community.
Fran has worked for Nottinghamshire Deaf Society since 1990, holding a wide variety of roles since that time.
She is a qualified interpreter and holds organisational responsibility for the delivery of NDS' flagship BSL Interpreting Service.
Hailing from Nottingham, Jenny is an iconic figure in the arts and disability sectors, who has been Deaf since the age of seven. Jenny has been artistic director and CEO at Graeae Theatre Company - an award-winning disability-led theatre company - since 1997. She was awarded an MBE in the Queen's Honours in 2009.
Les was born with hearing but became deaf at the age of 11 months after contracting Meningitis. He hasn't allowed his deafness to hold him back and has received multiple awards, most noticeably the MBE he received for his time and work at a mental health hospital.
Before joining the Board in 2014, Les volunteered at NDS as a Bar Manager and Treasurer. His experience as Director for the British Deaf Sports Council and continued Presidency of the England Deaf Cricket Board has proved invaluable in his role.
Les has campaigned strongly for the wellbeing and equal rights of Deaf people, he has also been involved in the Deaf Wellbeing Group and actively supported public services across the East Midlands in signing the BDA BSL Charter. He has also worked as a welder, set up his own business and spent many years in education teaching deaf awareness training and BSL and as a teaching assistant at Derby school for the deaf. He completed his career working as a Communication Support Worker at a mental health hospital.
Job Titles:
- Member of Parliament for the Nottingham South
Lilian has served as the Member of Parliament for the Nottingham South constituency since 2010. She is the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Deafness, which works to push the Government to remove the barriers facing deaf people. In this role, Lilian helped pass the British Sign Language Act into law in 2022.
Lindsey is an HR professional with more than 15 years experience. She is the Director of HR for Nelsons Solicitors and sits on the Senior Management Team, which allows her to get involved in delivering strategic HR objectives and assist in organisational development.
She is a graduate and Chartered Member of the CIP, having attained her post graduate diploma in Human Resources Management, and is now studying for her post graduate certificate in personal and business coaching to compliment the people development side of her role.
Lindsey became a Board Member in 2014 is very motivated by this cause, the potential that the NDS has to change lives and what it already brings to the community.
Sarah has been with NDS since 2001 and is the member of the team who holds responsibility for the day to day financial management of the charity.
She has her BSL Level 3 award and is a passionate advocate for the local deaf community.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Solicitor and Chief Executive of Nelsons Solicitors
Tim has been involved with NDS since the early 1980s when he took a Level 1 Sign Language course in his spare time. He joined the Management Committee in 1989 and has been Chair since 1996.
Tim is a Solicitor and Chief Executive of Nelsons Solicitors, which he co-founded in start 1983. Since then Nelsons has become one of the largest and most respected law firms in the region.
As well as his legal qualifications, Tim holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the Open University Business School.