I was born in Whitby and have always lived locally; my late father was a trawler fisherman in Whitby and my late mum was a senior nurse until her retirement. It was whilst working alongside my mum that I realised what my vocation in life would be. Since then, I have had many years of experience working in the care sector and enjoyed working initially as a Care Assistant, progressing on to becoming a Team leader and then Deputy Manager at the Priory Group in Whitby. So overall I have had over 20 years’ experience providing front-line care to people requiring support.

I felt that by becoming a Trustee I could provide valuable input from my own experiences working in the care sector and this has enabled me to contribute effectively towards ensuring that Acorn provides the services and quality of care that the people we support deserve.

Since becoming a Trustee, I have become the main fundraiser for the charity which I enjoy tremendously. Over the past year, I’ve raised funds by holding raffles, Lucky numbers, Wheel of fortune and the list goes on. It is amazing how generous the local businesses have been when I have approached them for prizes!  All my fundraising schemes can be assessed by looking at ‘Friends of Acorn Community’ on Facebook or by looking at the Fundraising section within our website.

The fundraising has been curtailed by Covid over the past 2 years but that hasn’t stopped us being able to continue to raise enough funds to provide vital equipment and services to the people we support.