VOLUNTEERING IN HEALTH - Key Persons
Ali is a UK Property Lawyer for the Ministry of Defence and became a Trustee for Volunteering in Health in 2018.
Alwyn joined Volunteering in Health as a volunteer driver and helped out on the transport desk in 2017 following a career in the police.
She became a trustee in 2019, wanting to specifically support volunteer recruitment and retention.
For 21 years, Ann was employed as the Headteacher's Personal Assistant in a large secondary school in North London.
She was part of the Management Team at the school, where she led the administration staff.
Ann retired in 2003, and in 2007 moved to Teignmouth with her partner Andy.
She joined Volunteering in Health just six months into its beginning, where it was just the Manager and her.
She organized the day-to-day running, dealing with phone calls, answering emails, writing letters - anything that was needed!
Ann has seen the charity go from strength to strength.
I started with ViH in November 2022 as the Volunteer Coordinator. I come from Shaldon but have lived away for 25 years, working in the Charity Sector in Northern Ireland and Kenya specifically around Disability.
I joined ViH in July this year as a Hospital Link Worker based at Dawlish Hospital. This role is about supporting patients during their time in hospital and identifying areas which they may need support with once discharged from hospital. This could be arranging home help or a befriender, getting some shopping in and making sure the home is safe and warm to return to.
I have worked in various roles including education, fundraising, health care within primary care, hospitals, and a local hospice.
As our Link Worker, Gordon meets with most new referrals to the charity to find the right support for them.
He took on this role in 2018 after volunteering at our Reminiscence Sessions for several years.
He started work as a Computer operator in 1973 in Cambridge. His hobbies include photography, car maintenance, DIY and genealogy.
Jeannette joined Volunteering in Health in 2014 as our first Hospital Link Worker before becoming the first Wellbeing Co-ordinator in 2016.
In 2018 she became the first Wellbeing Co-ordinator in the area to train to facilitate the Helping Overcome Problems Effectively (HOPE) course, which has been a great success and is now rolling out across
In 2018 she also took on the added responsibility of becoming the Team Leader for all client-facing staff. Jeannette enjoys kayaking and spending time with her three teenage children.
Julie has been volunteering for Volunteering in Health since the very beginning when she joined as a transport desk administrator.
All those years on the transport desk mean that she knows the service and our clients and drivers inside out!
Julie took on paid employment in 2015, setting up a Telephone Befriending Service, where she and a small team of volunteers call lonely people each week for a chat.
More recently she has now taken on more responsibility by taking on clients who have completed the HOPE course and supporting them over the phone with wellbeing calls.
Having benefitted from the HOPE course herself she can co-facilitate.
As someone who has experienced our services from all angles, Julie does a lot of public speaking for the charity, sharing her story as a way of illustrating what we do.
You can find Julie in the sea, she loves sea swimming and swimming with a group called Healthscape.
I joined ViH in July 2021, I came into the voluntary sector after volunteering with Devon Rape Crisis and Home Start. My role involves working with clients one-to-one over twelve sessions to work towards positive, sustainable goals to help improve their lives. I have worked with clients with ages ranging from 20 to 102! Each course of well-being is tailored to the specific needs of the client, this can be helping to manage anxiety and depression, and find ways to engage with others, with diet and physical health issues. We have had great results with wellbeing and our clients often go on to join other parts of our services including taking part in HOPE. I am currently training to be a HOPE facilitator and help run a new group for past cohorts called Keeping Hope.
I recently completed an English degree and I am passionate about the power of words! I often encourage clients to journal and I have written articles for the Mid-Devon Advertiser on behalf of ViH. I have three wonderful children, and we love long walks with our ageing Labrador.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair ( Health and Safety )
Manuela moved to Teignmouth after her daughter was born in 2008 and they are now living the dream in a little fishing cottage on the back beach.
Manuela is a keen walker, knitter, crafter and cook.
She is part of a local board game group and loves a bit of "Nordic Noir" and a glass of red with friends.
Manuela's professional background lies in Human Resources and Health and Safety.
She currently works as a full-time consultant for companies and charities in Devon, Dorset, Cornwall, Gloucestershire and Somerset.
She provides advice and guidance to organisations across a number of industry sectors, getting involved with legal compliance, training, engagement projects, restructuring, strategic development, and day-to-day people management.
Manuela moved to Teignmouth after her daughter was born in 2008 and they are now living the dream in a little fishing cottage on the back beach.
Job Titles:
- Finance Officer
- Office Manager
I moved to Devon in September 2013, whilst I was still working as an IT Project Manager for a large international software company. Following a decision to change my career path, I left this role in March 2018 and embarked on retraining in accountancy. I joined VIH in August 2018 as the Accounts Administrator, working part-time for the charity as I completed my AAT Bookkeeping qualifications. I completed my qualifications in June 2019 and shortly afterwards I was promoted to the role of Finance Manager, overseeing all aspects of the financial side of running the charity.
I joined ViH in September 2022 as their Services Coordinator for Transport and Home Help Services.
I moved down to the South West from Northamptonshire in 2018; I arrived in Teignmouth in 2020 and was working as a carer and volunteering at The Alice Cross Centre.