Photo credit: Catherinesmyth.co.uk
Rachel Yates Hoyles
I'm
Rachel and I've have worked in the voluntary sector for various national
charities since 2003. I have gained many skills and knowledge which led to me
achieving my degree in Health and Social Care in 2016, specialising in dementia
and ageing. My thirst for learning and development then led me on to gain my
Postgraduate in Coaching & Mentoring in 2018 and my NLP practitioner (Neuro
Linguistics Programme) in 2022. I currently work part time for Age UK Salford,
leading on an online service coaching carers of people living with dementia. I
also have my own business coaching and training family carers and professionals
who support people living with dementia and their carers. There are not many
dementia coaches around especially in Rossendale, I feel very honoured to work
and volunteer with lots of amazing people.
My main
interests are meaningful engagement and creating dementia friendly communities,
having set up a Dementia Action Alliance in Bury in 2012. Throughout my work, I
have gained significant experience in developing strategy, raising the quality
of dementia care, public speaking, leadership, creative thinking, developing
workable solutions to challenges, developing projects, and setting up community
groups.
I am
passionate about volunteering and supporting our Rossendale community and was
delighted that my friendships with Jane and Janet lead us on to developing Made
in Haslingden (Now Beacon – Dementia and Wellbeing) which has grown since 2017.
Having
lived in Haslingden since 1992, I feel very lucky to live in such a beautiful
place, surrounded by some amazing scenery and friendly people. My husband and I
are regular walkers around the valley with our dog Cassie who is in training to
be a therapy dog. If you see us around, please wave and say Hi.
Jane Riley
I'm Jane
and I've spent a large proportion of my professional career in the NHS,
beginning in a clinical role and progressing through management. I am also
Chartered Safety & Health Practitioner and have specialist skills in
Risk Management, Corporate and Clinical Governance. I have developed a wide
range of people and resource management skills throughout my career and can
co-ordinate and organise effectively whilst looking after the detail. I managed a
local Community business for 2 years and now work in Local Government.
I have
volunteered for most of my life, starting as a young leader in a Brownie pack
at the age of 14 and progressing via Rainbows to leading my own Brownie pack,
up until starting a family. I was North West Area Co-ordinator for the
Leukaemia Care charity, which provided financial help and caravan holidays for
people with Leukaemia and their families and I spent 13 years as a
Governor and trustee of an Independent Primary School, the last 7 of which were
as the elected Chair of Governors. My main role at Beacon Dementia
& Wellbeing is behind the scenes, looking after the finances, insurance,
governance, website and generally making sure that the charity is compliant and
well-run.
I have lived in Haslingden for
over 20 years and love the fact that although we are a town, we are
surrounded by beautiful countryside – 5 minutes from home and you can be in the
hills! The people make the place though - we have a great reputation in
Rossendale for community action and volunteering.
Made In Haslingden (now Beacon
Dementia and Wellbeing) started as a small idea. When Rachel and I started to
explore how to make our idea a reality, we found that there was a real
need to provide activities which help people overcome loneliness and which
are suitable for people living with dementia. My own experience of caring for a
family member living with dementia has given me a real insight into the
challenges involved. The difficulties families experience in accessing
information and the challenges for people living with dementia to find services
which enable them to take part in meaningful and inclusive activities drives my
passion to work with our members to create change. I will continue to work with
my fellow trustees to develop Beacon as a hub of activity and expertise which contributes
to the improvement and co-ordination of local services, particularly for people
living with dementia and their families.
Janet O'Driscoll
I’m Janet. I’ve been around from the start and was the first Made In Haslingden Volunteer. I hope I bring my various skills to the organisation but we haven’t needed my Mushy Pea steeping skill just yet!
I have, like the others, been involved in volunteering for many years. My greatest ‘event’ so far was being at the very beginning of the Rossendale Valley Motor Bike Show where I developed my passion for the volunteering community and looking after the many hundreds of volunteers who came on board with what, at it’s zenith, was the biggest event of its kind in Europe. Many thousands of pounds were raised for various charities and I had such fun working on this exhausting but exhilarating event. The lessons I learnt from the Show were that Volunteers must always be treated with respect and the welfare of volunteers remains my priority.
The Rossendale Valley never ceases to amaze me, we have a beautiful place to live and work and the generosity of citizens is truly humbling. It has been a pleasure to raise my family in such a lovely environment, and whilst I live in Rawtenstall my vested interest in Haslingden is that my son, his wife and their 4 children live just around the corner from Haslingden Community Link. I am incredibly proud that my eldest two grandchildren regularly come along to our sessions and interact with the older generation with no noticeable age gap. On a personal note, we have a person living with dementia in the family and gain valuable insight into dementia through our experience of this dreadful condition. It is my hope that one day, with research, dementia will be thought of as a curable condition just as advances in technology and treatment of cancer has shown that it can be a treatable diagnosis, not a terminal one.
Finally, just a reminder that volunteers are not paid because they are priceless. We have a fantastic team and each one of them is truly an amazing human being.
Glynis Page
My name is Glynis. I originate from the Burnley area but have lived and worked in the Rossendale Valley since 1982.
My professional background lies in community nursing for people with learning disabilities.This involved: working with individuals and their families; mentoring, supporting and providing leadership to a team of community nurses; managing a horticultural project and a day service for older adults. I retired after 30 years of service and since then I have undertaken a variety of volunteer roles, for example a support role within a primary school; as a member of a local Patient Partnership Group; and as the Chairperson of Weir Knit and Natter.
In addition to my nursing qualifications I hold: a Diploma in Counselling, a Master Practitioner qualification in Neurolinguistics; a Professional Diploma in Neurological Care; a Further Education Teaching certificate; a Bachelor of Science (First Class) Honours Degree, and a PhD from Salford University.
I have a fundamental belief in: justice, fairness, respect, compassion, independence and the power of creative activity to encourage personal growth and self-expression.
I hope to bring my areas of expertise and values to assist Made in Haslingden to achieve its stated goals and purposes.