WETWHEELS FOUNDATION - Key Persons
Alan is a seasoned Royal Navy officer (joined Sep 84) and RYA Yachtmaster (Ocean) and Cruising Instructor, with considerable senior leadership, sea going, maritime operations, SAR and aviation experience, including Command, and has operated across the spectrum of operations from tactical to strategic.
Well versed in defence and international relations, his recent career saw him serve at the highest strategy and policy levels, both in the Ministry of Defence and the British Embassy in Washington, DC.
Latterly, Alan was Head of Operations in a maritime headquarters, accountable for the safe delivery of a complex operational programme involving air, surface and subsurface assets in the highly congested sea areas along the South Coast of England, coordinating with other users and leading the RN's response to any SAR operations in the region.
Andy Fell is an independent disability and assistive technology consultant with almost 20 years extensive experience of all disabilities and age groups.
Andy has worked with a wide range of charitable organisations including Guide Dogs for the Blind - where he was Head of Assistive Technology; emergency services, blue chip companies and various government departments including Job Centre Plus.
Among current roles he is a Senior Associate Trainer for the British Dyslexia Association and a National Disability Awareness Trainer for RYA Sailability.
Andy has been connected to the sea all his life. He took up sailing at a very young age that led to him joining the Merchant Navy aged 16 as an apprentice Deck Officer.|
When qualified 4 years later he sailed on trampships, liners, bulk carriers and a Ultra Large Crude Carrier covering over one million nautical miles.
Andy then joined Her Majesty's Coastguard in 1983 and spent 14 years in the operations room at Dover Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre dealing with many thousands of incidents including being one of the UK officers on duty on the night of the tragic loss of the Herald of Free Enterprise.
In 1997 Andy became the Coastguard Sector Manager for East Kent (and covering for East Sussex.)
Once retired from The Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Andy became a Launching Authority for Dover Lifeboat.
Andy is also a judicial office holder and works part time for Her Majesty's Court and Tribunal Service.
Join us onboard Wetwheels South West as we are joined by experts from Cornish Seal Sanctuary.
Dale is a local Whitby lad who became a regular participant on Wetwheels Yorkshire as a keen sea angler. Dale has since become a volunteer crew member and organises our regular social meetings and, through his role as our Compliance Officer, ensures that all mandatory checks are in place for both volunteer crew and the vessel itself.
Dale was a key driver in securing a Changing Places facility at Whitby Marina.
Dave Taylor has been involved with the channel for the past 25 years principally as a
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Consultant
- Trainer
- Vice - Chair
David Parkinson is an established consultant, trainer and coach whose experience includes posts as charity chief executive and chair of multi-agency public committees. He has been working independently across commercial, public and voluntary sectors for the last 18 years.
David has arranged programmes of training and mentoring for 1,200 charity chief executives, involving commercial sponsors, and provided courses on leadership, personal effectiveness and presentation skills for the Met Police, Essex Probation Service and a supermarket graduate programme, among others.
He also provides commercial voiceovers, and has recorded several books for Audible.com.
I have been boating since I was 11 and running fishing charters for the last 4 years. I am currently employed at Pencalenick school where I am responsible for teaching life skills within the boarding school.
I have established WWSW to bring together my combined knowledge of working with people with disabilities and my boating experience to bring new experiences to people living with disabilities.
Join us for our 1-hour experience around Dover Harbour Taking in all the sights and the history in and around the port of Dover and getting up close to the visiting ships and truly unique view of Dover from the Water We are proud that our boat can comfortably take all abilities and up to 3 electric or manual wheelchairs.
I'm very excited to be joining the Wetwheels team! I have a passion for all things nautical and maritime, and love to spend time on the water. Wetwheels will be a great opportunity to share that interest with others from all backgrounds. I've spent 30 years in General Practice medicine, and have interests in sailing and aviation. I've been involved with the Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST) and Flying Scholarships for Disabled People (FSDP), both charities that make it possible for people of all abilities to sail on a tall ship or fly a plane. Now that I am based in Cornwall, I'm very happy to be involved with Wetwheels, helping people to experience the joy and fun of being on the water!
Job Titles:
- Office Admin / Volunteer Crew
Elspeth started her love of water on the canals whilst on holiday as a child, she then went onto being a lifeboat crew member with Severn Area Rescue Association. After moving back to Kent , she joined Kent Search and Rescue.
Elspeth is Mum to William, who also loves the boat. She started Dunn Virtually, in 2019 providing administrative support to business owners.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Solicitor at Hugh James
Gemma Osgood is a clinical negligence solicitor at Hugh James in Southampton. She has over 15 years' worth of experience in this type of work and has worked with many disabled clients and their case managers over the years to help them get compensation for their injuries.
Gemma's work means that she is able to make a difference to those individuals whose lives have been affected as a result of negligence, and is something that she finds extremely rewarding and enjoyable.
Gemma grew up on the Isle of Wight and has always had a passion for sailing and being on the water from a young age. She raced competitively for many years, and currently races a Folkboat with her husband, actively competing in various events across Europe. In 2019 Gemma finished 5 th in the Folkboat Gold Cup, and in 2011 she was awarded first lady helm in the XOD fleet at Cowes week, finishing 21 st out of 146 boats.
Geoff was paralysed in a swimming accident in 1984 and uses a wheelchair. In 1995 he became the inaugural Chairman of RYA Sailability. In 2007 he became the first disabled person to sail single-handed around Great Britain. In 2009 he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean unassisted. He was awarded an MBE for "Services to Disabled Sailing" in 2010 and named ‘Yachtsman of the Year' shortly after. He was made a Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire in 2012. He is a Council member of the RNLI. He is patron and ambassador for several charities for people with disabilities.
Geoff has 20 years experience in marketing & PR working for international accountancy firms Deloitte & Coopers & Lybrand. He holds a degree in Antiques and Auctioneering. He is the author of "Walking on Water" and is a professional speaker. In 2011 he founded Wetwheels
Glyn has skippered Wetwheels over many nautical miles years since retiring from P&O in 2018.
Glyn is often accompanied by his wife Mairi or his granddaughters Molly or Rebecca who are working to become crew in 2022
Greg is a director of Wetwheels Torbay CIC and a commercial skipper.
Previously working in the care sector, Greg changed careers and has been a commercial skipper in Torquay for many years. His passion for both boating and the glorious Torbay coastline shines through with every trip.
Greg is now excited to merge both of his career strengths moving forward with Wetwheels Torbay.
James has made Wetwheels Torbay a reality !!
Always loving the sea from a young age, James was fortunate to retire and looked forward to enjoy his time afloat from his boat in Torquay. Unfortunately the month after retirement he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND). Today he needs 24-7 care from 2 carers and is permanently attached to a ventilator to keep him breathing. He can't move any muscles and can only communicate with an eye gaze computer.
James' desire was to leave a legacy so others, not ordinarily able to access the sea by boat through illness or disability could enjoy the immense pleasure it brings. With the support of his wife, Joanna and his two teenage boys, Sam and Monty he decided to donate funds to enable a new build for Wetwheels from Cheetah Catamaran.
James is always happiest on and around the water, including his honeymoon navigation the Caledonian Canal. By day he is the Sales Director for the European branch of an American Software company.
After "retiring" from 15 years with Kent Search and Rescue and NSARDA Kent, James brings a wealth of voluntary and charity experience to Wetwheels South East.
I grew up near Cape Town, South Africa and turned my childhood passions for fishing and diving into a career at sea. With more than 15 years' experience, I am a Master Mariner who started on commercial ships and have spent the last 12 years onboard large motor yachts. Now living in Cornwall, I am looking forward to contributing to Wetwheels Southwest and sharing my love of being at sea.
Laura has recently joined our board of Trustees. She has volunteered for wetwheels Solent for the last ten years and describes herself as incompetent crew!
Her day job is as a Partner in the law firm Trethowans, where she deals with intellectual property and IT contracts.
Outside of work, when not on Wetwheels, Laura enjoys all things water related - cold water swimming, diving, SUP-ing and sailing.
Mairi holds a Sunsail Competent Crew Qualification and RYA Day Skipper theory certificate, a qualified scuba diver she has spent many years in the past diving from the family boat off of the Scottish West Coast.
She enjoys spending part of every summer sailing in the Greek Island aboard a chartered yacht with her husband Glyn.
Mairi particularly enjoys our Harbour Trips and shorter Coastal Trips where there are more opportunities to stop, enable our passengers to drive the boat and talk with everyone onboard else about the sea and coastline as they share their experiences with each other.
Michelle is responsible for managing the overall day to day running of Wetwheels Torbay.
After leaving the Royal Navy, Michelle ran her own hotel business for 10 years before settling in Torquay and starting up Torquay Watersports in 2021.
The RYA School Principal and with a wealth of marine expertise and knowledge, Michelle was thrilled to be asked to take the helm of Wetwheels Torbay as the Operations Director.
She very much looks forward to using Wetwheels Torbay as a vehicle for "giving back" something to a sector which has been her lifelong passion.
Neil has been with Wetwheels for 4 years as a volunteer Crew member. Numerous Stour Estuary Seal trips, a few Goodwin Sands and White Cliffs trips. I have also crewed on private charters. Some of the community engagements include Several training exercises with the Dover RNLI Lifeboat & taking Wetwheels to Imperial Wharf London. I have done a Disability Awareness course & annual Wetwheels refresher training. Neil has a long nautical history ia a retired P&O marine engineer with 10 years deep sea on container, bulk, methane & LPG carriers.
As a young man I was a merchant seaman and was lucky enough to travel to many far flung places around the world and get paid for it! In middle age I sailed dinghies and windsurfed. Now retired and living in Falmouth, I have time to contribute more to the community. I crew on board FSTS Hardiesse, a sail training vessel for teenagers and with Turn to Starboard, the sailing charity for military veterans.
Paul Brown is our primary skipper and boat manager.
Paul spent 20 years in the Royal Navy and then became Harbour Master at the Port of Dover for 5 years before helping to set up Torquay Watersports with Michelle in 2021.
Paul is responsible for writing all of the Operating Systems, Risk Assessments and Safety Management System for Wetwheels Torbay.
Paul absolutely loves the water and I guarantee you will see him out there every day in one capacity or another.
I have lived and loved the sea since a very young age and I am very fortunate to have lived on the North Coast of Cornwall all of my life.
Since my teenage years I have volunteered for many things nautical and served 25 years as Lifeboat Crew and 14 years as a Coastguard. In addition, I have been in the Ambulance Service for 27 years, where my day job is an NHS Paramedic.
Paul Strzelecki is a marine and sailing industry veteran and has recently become a trustee of the Wetwheels Foundation.
Paul has held many positions including Chairman of Henri Lloyd the company founded by his Father Henri and co-owned with his brother. During that time he led sponsorships of numerous events like Cowes Week and America's Cup and individuals like Sir Ben Ainslie and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.
He was a Director of British Marine for many years including a stint as Chairman of National Boat Shows and brings many years of experience both in the U.K. and Internationally.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Founder
- Chairman & Skipper
- Vice - Chair of York Sharks Wheelchair Basketball Club
Peter is the chairman and founder of Wetwheels Yorkshire CIC. As a professionally qualified skipper and power boat instructor Peter spends his time away from the desk, at the helm of Wetwheels Yorkshire.
A retired business owner, Peter is vice-chair of York Sharks Wheelchair Basketball Club, a founding member of the Whitby Community Alliance, Safeguarding Officer of YCTC (RYA York Cruiser Training Centre) and sits on the North Yorkshire Disability Sports Steering Group.
Philippa has spent her career in healthcare including hospitals, the community and specialist environments. Philippa delivers Wetwheels Yorkshire's 'Disability Awareness Training in a Maritime Context' to our team.
I'm a paramedic by day and understand how much mental stress can affect people's lives. My way to de stress is to get out on the water. I would find it so difficult if I didn't have fishing to help me calm my mind. I heard about Wetwheels and thought how hard it must be for those with disabilities to enjoy the same calming of mind that I enjoy. Wetwheels offers me the perfect way to help people enjoy what us, able bodied are able to enjoy frequently. I love watching others catch decent fish and to be able to help them achieve that would give me great pleasure .
Job Titles:
- Director
- Business Partner of James Ashton
Russell Smart is a long term friend and business partner of James Ashton. Having known each other for over 20 years, together they have turned Wetwheels Torbay from a dream into a reality.
Russell is a Director of Wetwheels Torbay CIC and will provide overarching governance of the company and help to ensure its long term future and success.
Russell Smart, a director of Wetwheels Torbay CIC, undertook a remarkable 155-mile walk ending on Saturday, raising an impressive 10,500 for the charity. On finishing Russell said "funds will contribute to the running costs of the new boat which i...
Job Titles:
- Director
- Sales Director of Icom UK Ltd
Sam has the privilege and honour of being one of the founding directors of Wet Wheels South East CIC
Sam is also the Sales Director of Icom UK Ltd, a company founded in 1974 providing high quality Marine, Aviation, Amateur, PMR, Satellite & 3/4G LTE two way radios to the business, leisure and hobby markets.
In his early years he was a yacht skipper and competed in various sailing events around the world, and delivered a number of yachts in the Northern hemisphere. He is also still a keen yacht and dinghy sailor competing in a number events around the UK.
He is married with two adult children, Ellie an Event Manger in hospitality industry, and Max a 2nd Officer in the Merchant Navy who was sponsored as a cadet by Trinity House.
Shane has spent most of his professional life working in IT and joined Wetwheels Yorkshire as a member of the crew in 2020 after seeing how much pleasure boating brought to his daughter Chloe, who is a wheelchair user.
I have worked in industry mainly selling Marine Safety Equipment and have owned several boats over the years. My main hobby is fishing, so volunteering with Wetwheels South West seems like an ideal way to spend some of my time in retirement, while passing on my knowledge to others.
I joined Cornwall fire and rescue service at 18, spent the first 20 years as a firefighter at Falmouth, the next 10 years I worked with and managed their Phoenix project aimed at helping young people achieve their potential. After leaving the service I founded Active Plus CIC, supporting and developing wounded injured and sick military veterans and using their skills and experiences to make a positive change for local people within their communities and see great opportunities for signposting between Active Plus and Wetwheels.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Corporate Communications Specialist
Trevor Phillips is a corporate communications specialist. He advises companies on their communications strategies, provides media training and acts as the liaison with journalists across both print and online media outlets.
Following a successful trading career in the City of London, over the last 20 years Trevor has advised a range of clients from high net worth individuals through to FTSE250 companies, although tends to specialise in the high net worth and entrepreneurial sectors where he assists in the development of smaller companies.
Trevor is a keen sailor and in addition to regular club sailing has also completed a number of offshore races.