THERA NORTH - Key Persons
Living with and supporting a loved one with autism brings a unique set of challenges and needs. This is something I'm very familiar with. Since discovering Ansar Projects and learning what the organisation achieves, I was thrilled at the opportunity to become involved.
My name is Allan Fry I am married to Marie, and have three grown up sons and four grandchildren. I have spent most of my life working in retail.
I applied to join Ansar Projects to try and make a difference and to add my retail and board governance experience to the team, and I am committed to try and make that happen.
Seeing the way in which Ansar Projects works and the job that it does makes me feel confident about the future of social care in the UK I hope that going forward I can make a real difference once this pandemic is under control.
I've worked for Ansar for over 11 years as a support worker and manager feel proud to have joined the people we support on their journeys into living more independently and having control of their lives. Being part of Ansar Projects is incredibly rewarding as we know that being the best at what we do is still not good enough and so we are always looking for new ideas, activities and projects to help supported people to achieve, succeed and make a positive impact on their communities. I'm excited to continue this journey with Ansar as more and more people join us along the way.
My name is Bilal Ahmed I have worked for Ansar projects since 2016. I started as a support worker and progressed to key worker; Senior Support Worker and I am now a Team Co-ordinator. I have thoroughly enjoyed my journey with Ansar and enjoy working closely as a team and feel the triumphs and challenges we go through serve to bond us and create a strong team ethic. I look forward to continuing my work with Ansar helping to improve and enrich the lives of the people we support, developing my skills and those of my team of staff to ensure we keep evolving and growing as a company. I am hoping to work towards being a Community Service Leader in the future.
I live in Altrincham with my partner Steve, an electrical engineer, and our 3 Labradors, Molly who is nearly 15 years old, Meg who is 3 years old and Emma (Meg's daughter) who is 8 weeks old. I'm a proud Mum to 2 sons, as both have "flown the nest" we have more time to enjoy walks, cycling, holidays and I'm currently very busy as a volunteer at Open Kitchen Manchester, a social enterprise providing meals to the vulnerable and homeless in the Greater Manchester area.
I spent the first half of my career in Barclays IT and the second half as Director of a small consultancy offering Project and Programme Management services to clients in Financial Services, Retail and Housing.
Job Titles:
- Non - Executive Director
- Deputy CIO at Big Society Capital
Christine Chang is Deputy CIO at Big Society Capital and is a member of its Executive Committee and Investment Committee.
I started working in Social Care since the late 1980's as a Care Assistant in a home for the elderly.
I joined Thera in 2006 as an Operational Manager in Essex as I believed what Thera stood for was something I wanted to be a part of. As I am still working within Thera Group, I think that was a good decision.
Christine started working in social care in the late 1980s as a Care Assistant in a home for the elderly. She joined Thera in 2006 as an Operational Manager in Essex, as she strongly believed in Thera's vision and it was something she wanted to be part of.
In 2017, Christine took on the role of Lead Director for Ansar Projects, which she believes was an amazing opportunity. Christine believes that Ansar Projects is a great team with both people we support and staff working closely together, to set a direction for the company that will continue to demonstrate the wonderful achievements that can happen when people are given the right opportunities and support.
Chris's career spans marketing, advertising and communications acting as client service director on UK and Europe wide campaigns. While running his own marketing consultancy, he joined the board of Thera East Anglia in 2014 and became Chair two years later.
I am a Community Support Leader at Ansar. Prior to that I worked for Ansar for 6 years as a Support Worker, Activities Co-ordinator and then Team Co-ordinator. Since leaving university where I studied Psychology, Ansar has been my first adventure of career progression. Ansar Projects means a lot to me as it has ‘grown with me' over the years and I have seen many individuals progress in independence, in moving into their own tenancies and in achieving goals/dreams.
Hi everyone. I'm the Chairperson of the Non-Executive Board for Ansar Projects, a position I have held now since 2021. I'm very proud as a Board Member to represent Ansar Projects, its fantastic staff and the people we support. I am Head of Projects for Manchester Metrolink and have extensive leadership and delivery experience in police, social housing and public transport. In my spare time, I enjoy getting to the gym, and walks with our dogs and I am an avid supporter of Manchester United.
Job Titles:
- Gig Buddies West Lothian Project Coordinator
"I'm Debbie, the Gig Buddies West Lothian Project Coordinator, I joined Gig Buddies in November 2019. I have been following the Stay Up Late campaign for many years and I was delighted when Gig Buddies came to Scotland, and even more so when they came to West Lothian. Working with Gig Buddies is a dream job for me, I have a lot of fun planning and attending our regular social events and most importantly I love seeing the difference our work makes, connecting people and reducing isolation for people with a learning disability."
Job Titles:
- Project Coordinator - North Lanarkshire
Donna is pleased to be joining Equal Futures at such an exciting time and being involved in the development of the new Equal Futures team. She has experience in a variety of care settings, including working with young people in a residential care and more recently as a team manager for adults with a learning disability, mental health, and Autism. In her free time, she loves going on holidays abroad and staycations in the UK.
Job Titles:
- Non - Executive Director
- Operations Director
Gareth is the Operations Director of a company whose main fields span across the Health and Safety and Construction sectors with a background coming from Supply Chain and Operations. In his spare time, he likes to run and dance whilst also having a keen interest in the outdoors, foraging and charity work.
I have worked for the Thera Group of Companies since 2006, but only recently started within Ansar Projects. I was very lucky to have Chris as my manager in a previous role so when I knew she had a vacancy for another PA I jumped at the chance to work for her again. My role is very varied, working alongside Kerry who is the other PA, Chris and the Community Support Leaders helping in any way possible. Ansar Projects is a great company to work for and everyone made me feel very welcome and part of the team as soon as I joined.
Job Titles:
- Project Coordinator - Edinburgh and Lothians
Jane is thrilled to be involved with Equal Futures and supports the unique model of support that Equal Futures offer to individuals and their families when it comes to planning for the future.
She has had a varied career starting off in Hospitality Management which she loved as she happiest making others happy. After having children, she entered the field of social care specifically working with adults with autism and learning disability, an equally rewarding career.
Throw in several years of running her own business, she has now settled In what she believes is her dream Job. Having children with ASD gives her a drive to make a real difference with Equal Futures.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Member of the Board
Jayne's career in the Voluntary sector began over 30 years ago. She trained in Community Development at the University of Glasgow and holds further qualifications in Counselling & Psychotherapy, Contemporary Scottish Law, and Leadership. She is a Member of the Chartered Management Institute and has a keen interest in developing people's potential in the workplace and in the wider community. Jayne previously worked for the NSPCC and held accountability for efficiency workstreams on their transformational change program before becoming a Public Appointee. As Head of the National Confidential Forum she heard formal testimony from people who experienced institutional care during childhood, published findings reports and made policy and practice recommendations to Scottish Government. Jayne has two grown up sons and enjoys being outdoors on long scenic walks or open water swimming in all seasons.
Job Titles:
- Group Director - Learning Disability Leadership
Jenny is Group Director - Learning Disability Leadership at Thera. She is dedicated to facilitating and enabling the leadership of Thera by people with a learning disability.
Jenny's day job is an executive director for Thera Trust where she shares her Learning Disability Leadership role with Matthew Smith, who brings his lived experience of learning disability to the role alongside his work in advocacy. Jenny was born and brought up in Angus, Scotland and qualified as a nurse (RNLD) in Dundee the mid-1980s. Since then, she has worked in both health and social care. Throughout her career, Jenny has focused on working with people to develop their opportunities and move on from institutional care. Jenny is dedicated to facilitating and enabling the leadership of Thera by people with a learning disability.
Job Titles:
- Senior Independent Director
Jill has a background in delivering care and support services and now works for Gloucestershire VCS Alliance.
John has worked in the U.K. Financial Services Industry for 35 years and is formally the Managing Director of the U.K. General Insurance business within the Ecclesiastical Group.
My name is Kerry and I have been a personal assistant to Christine (Lead Director) for Ansar Projects since 2019.
I enjoy working at Ansar Projects because it has a vision which I am very pleased to be a part of that compliment my own working ethos & beliefs, they allow every individuals supported & staff members freely express themselves with confidence & pride. I have had a very welcome by my colleagues since joining in April 2022.
Job Titles:
- Group Director
- Group Director - Learning Disability Leadership
Matthew Smith shares the Group Director - Learning Disability Leadership role with Jenny. Matthew brings both his personal and professional experience to the director role in Thera, ensuring that the quality of support Thera provides is monitored and that people are fully involved in the planning and delivery of their support.
Michelle McDermott is Co-Chairperson of the Thera Trust board, alongside Sally Warren.
A physics graduate, Mike spent most of his first career with Northern Foods including 16 years on the main board as HR Director.
Job Titles:
- Gig Buddies Glasgow Project Coordinator
- Project Coordinator for Gig Buddies Glasgow
"I'm Molly, the Project Coordinator for Gig Buddies Glasgow. I loved the idea of Gig Buddies when I first heard about it a few years ago, and was thrilled to join the team when we launched in Glasgow last year. I've had loads of fun at all the Gig Buddies Socials, both in real life and online, but my favourite event so far was the Launch Gig we held back in January at the Glad Cafe. I got to meet lots of talented performers and see loads of members and volunteers enjoying the night."
Job Titles:
- Non - Executive Director
- Founder and Deputy CEO of PHSC Plc
Nicola is founder and Deputy CEO of PHSC plc which specialises in safety, management systems and security. She has a background in occupational safety and risk, environmental management, and is a Registered Expert Witness.
Job Titles:
- Non - Executive Director / Priya
Priya is a national Deputy Director in the NHS with a career focused on improving population health through commissioning, transformation & improvement and service redesign, working at a national level in operations, strategy and policy.
Sally Warren is Co-Chairperson of the Thera Trust board, alongside Michelle McDermott.
Job Titles:
- Gig Buddies Project Manager and Edinburgh Project Coordinator
"I've been running Gig Buddies with Thera since it launched back in 2016, and it's such great fun! My highlight so far has to be our ‘Fringing 9-5' event where we attended the Edinburgh Fringe Festival from 9am until 5am the next morning! I have a love for all kinds of music, and you can sometimes catch me signing songs and playing guitar on a Gig Buddies Facebook livestream."
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Personal Assistant
- Personal Assistant and Project Coordinator - Ayrshire
Shona Fleming is Personal Assistant to our Managing Director, Shona specialises in the organisations administration and with the "don't panic" mantra in mind she finds there is no challenge too big or strong for her to conquer. Shona has a passion for cooking and showing off her recipes on Instagram and when she's not working or in the kitchen she can usually be found at the side of a football field cheering on her 2 boys who she is sure will be future stars one day or she will be walking her Golden Retriever, Harper in the Ayrshire
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Director of Strategy and Company Secretary
- Interim Chair
Simon Conway studied Classical Archaeology at Cambridge University before starting his career with the National Audit Office.
Job Titles:
- Project Coordinator - Greater Glasgow
Stacey is excited to be part of the Equal Futures team and began her career in social care when she was 16 and spent the last 16 years working with people with a learning disability and autism. She loves working with people and helping make a difference in their lives and has lots of experience working with people to access their local community. She has 3 young children who keep her very busy when she is not at work. When she does get some free time, she loves shopping, going out for meals and going away on family holidays.
I have worked for Ansar projects since 2013 alongside some amazing staff over the years who go above and beyond for the individuals we support. I have developed great relationships along the way with the individuals we support and their family and friends. Helping individuals live independently, learning new skills and watching them grow is the most rewarding feeling ever.