Sheffield CIL has a management committee of Trustees who all have personal experience of disability and the barriers that disabled people face in society. Our Trustees are committed to the concept of a social model of disability and a rights-based approach to services and public policy. They are accountable to both Companies House and the Charity Commission and ensure that Sheffield CIL has systems in place to protect the interests of the organisation and its members.
Sandy Marshall – Chair
Sandy got involved in the Disabled People’s Movement in the late 1990s when she was recruited as an Independent Living Advisor for Derbyshire Coalition for Inclusive Living. Sandy has worked for the British Council of Disabled People, the National Centre for Independent Living and Derbyshire Adult Care Services as the Project Manager for Direct Payments. Sandy has a real passion about disabled people accessing appropriate support to enable them to live the lives they choose and hopes to bring to this role a combination of both her skills and knowledge from working with different organisations and her experiences as a service user. Sandy has a personal budget and uses direct payments, without which she would be unable to continue her working life and contribute to the voluntary sector.
Geoff Pick – Vice Chair
Geoff Pick is the Vice Chair of SCIL. He is also Chair of Sheffield City Council Physical Disability and Sensory Impairment Service Improvement Forum and is Vice Chair for Skills for Care Yorkshire and was a Trustee of Speaking up for Action (SUFA). Geoff started his working career within the Ministry of Defence, and then worked in materials handling within the heavy engineering industry on Tyneside. He moved to South Yorkshire in 1985 and began his involvement in the voluntary and community sector from 1988 before retiring from paid employment in 1993.
John Fuller - Trustee
As a Senior Civil Servant with a career starting in the private sector in HR, I worked in strategic posts on skills and qualifications in the Department for Education, followed by posts on disability employment programmes in the DWP, and on the Life Chances team in the Cabinet Office, before my final full time post of Strategy Director at the Independent Living Fund. My career took me through personnel management, training and development, skills and qualifications policy, administration and reform of the national training system, the European training system, age discrimination and disability reform. I advised on reform of IB, into work programmes, health and rehabilitation, and the creation of the ODI. In a variety of roles I was managing strategy and policy commands of 50-100 staff and directly advising Ministers in successive governments, with committee work with senior employers and Trade Unions in many different industries, and with the Scots and Welsh Governments.
I took voluntary exit from the ILF in December 2011 and having a young family and a desire to continue to contribute and learn, I am continuing to work on a part time voluntary “portfolio” basis in non-managerial posts and trusteeships that make use of my previous professional experience in new ways and in new sectors. As a co-opted trustee of SCIL I am supporting Sandy and Anastasia in establishing a clear and sustainable strategic position for us in the Right to Control initiative and more generally across the city and with the Local Authority.
Grahame Whitfield - Trustee
Grahame has over 20 years' experience in applied social policy research, primarily focussed around developing the evidence base on overcoming disadvantage, inequality and social exclusion and bringing this to bear on policy and practice – the main focus of his work has long been on the position, experiences and aspirations of disabled people and people with long-standing health conditions (including children, adults, their families and carers). He has worked within Government Departments (DWP and DfE), in independent research centres (Centre for Research in Social Policy and National Centre for Social Research) and at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Whilst at the Office for Disability Issues, he helped develop the framework and indicators by which progress towards equality for disabled people by 2025 will be assessed and was responsible for commissioning programmes of research to help develop the Government’s evidence base on the lives of disabled people: covering issues around such as employment, discrimination, service provision and independent living. Involving disabled people in research about their lives – and ensuring the resulting evidence is clearly linked to policy and practice - has long been at the heart of his work, both as a commissioner of research and as a researcher in his own right. He is currently working as an independent researcher/ advisor and is a member of the ODI’s “Fulfilling Potential” analytical advisory group.
Kate Whittaker - Trustee
Kate Whittaker is a public law solicitor specialising in community care, mental health, mental capacity, disability discrimination, education and human rights law. She has acted for individuals and organisations in relation to a variety of cases, including helping patients and vulnerable individuals obtain health and community care support and appropriate education provision from the NHS, local authorities and social services. Kate has brought and worked on judicial review cases on a broad range of public law and human rights matters, including a House of Lords case on the application of housing benefit legislation, and cases in the European Court of Justice, which include challenges both to European legislation and to the UK's implementation of European Legislation.
She has been involved in recent challenges to local authority budget cuts for breaching public sector equality duties. In addition Kate has acted for clients in Court of Protection proceedings in relation to welfare matters, deprivation of liberty and other issues, including cases on instruction from the Official Solicitor or court- appointed deputies. She has acted in appeals to the Social Security Commissioners and Upper Tribunal, including cases about tenancies for people who lack capacity, and about housing benefit for disabled people.
Kate has represented detained patients in Mental Health Review Tribunals and dealt with issues about the overlap of the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and other law. Kate's work for disabled and other vulnerable children has included acting in special educational needs appeals, disability discrimination claims in the SEN (Special Educational Needs and Disciplinary) Tribunal and other courts, and acting for children and young people in or leaving custody and in specialist mental health services. Kate also provides specialist advice to Deputies appointed by the Court of Protection, and other clients, on a wide range of care funding issues, including advice for clients with a personal injury award or an on-going personal injury claim. She works closely with independent case managers to address issues about statutory provision faced by their clients.
Neil Simpson – Trustee
Neil has worked at Sheffield Botanical Gardens for twenty years as one of only two ‘Parkies’ in the city. Since participating in Storying Sheffield at Sheffield University, a project which brings diverse people together to creatively record their lives, Neil has become involved with CAST (Creative Art Steering Team), a voluntary organisation that helps artists with health problems to stage exhibitions and sell their art work. He recently set up a CAST writing group for writers to explore their world. He believes in the power of art to change lives and help people explain themselves to others. Neil was a board member of the Sheffield Association for People with Cerebral Palsy and volunteered at Sheffield CIL to help set up the information service. Neil writes poetry and reads his work at ‘live’ poetry sessions.
Katrina Jones - Trustee
Katrina Jones has lived in Sheffield for 13 years and is a full time carer for her daughter who has a learning disability. Katrina has volunteered at Norfolk Park Tenants and Residents Association for 12 years, was a trustee at Sheffield Domestic Abuse project for 3 years answering calls to their helpline and helps with social activities every Thursday at the Retirement Village. Katrina has been on the Speaking Up For Advocacy (SUFA) Management Committee since 2007 and supports a SUFA member to attend Inclusion North’s Advisory Council meetings in York and meetings at the British Institute of Learning Disabilities. When Katrina has the time (!) she enjoys cooking, watching movies and listening to opera and rock music. Katrina says she is a good listener, enjoys meeting people and likes to try new things.
Lee Harker – Trustee
Lee has been involved in the disability movement for many years. He was one of the founder members of Inclusive Living Sheffield and was a member of the Disabled People’s Forum, Disability Consultative Committee, SCOPE and the Community Support Service in Sheffield. He is also a board member of the Sheffield LINk. Lee has a particular interest in transport issues for disabled people and has worked with the Access Liaison Group and Transport for All.
Janet Grahame – Trustee
Janet is a retired school teacher with experience of working with children with special needs. She moved to Sheffield in 1985 and set up and ran a voluntary organisation which supported carers of older people (The South West Area Sitting Service). She then became a management committee member of the Sheffield Carer’s Centre. Janet is also the Secretary of the Friends of the Botanical Gardens and sits on the North Sheffield Grants Panel for South Yorkshire Community Foundation.
Sheffield CIL Board Vacancies
If you are interested in becoming a Sheffield CIL trustee, please contact us and we will send you further details.
Geoff Pick is the Vice Chair of SCIL. He is also Chair of Sheffield City Council Physical Disability and Sensory Impairment Service Improvement Forum and is Vice Chair for Skills for Care Yorkshire and was a Trustee of Speaking up for Action (SUFA). Geoff started his working career within the Ministry of Defence, and then worked in materials handling within the heavy engineering industry on Tyneside. He moved to South Yorkshire in 1985 and began his involvement in the voluntary and community sector from 1988 before retiring from paid employment in 1993.
Grahame has over 20 years' experience in applied social policy research, primarily focussed around developing the evidence base on overcoming disadvantage, inequality and social exclusion and bringing this to bear on policy and practice – the main focus of his work has long been on the position, experiences and aspirations of disabled people and people with long-standing health conditions (including children, adults, their families and carers). He has worked within Government Departments (DWP and DfE), in independent research centres (Centre for Research in Social Policy and National Centre for Social Research) and at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Whilst at the Office for Disability Issues, he helped develop the framework and indicators by which progress towards equality for disabled people by 2025 will be assessed and was responsible for commissioning programmes of research to help develop the Government’s evidence base on the lives of disabled people: covering issues around such as employment, discrimination, service provision and independent living. Involving disabled people in research about their lives – and ensuring the resulting evidence is clearly linked to policy and practice - has long been at the heart of his work, both as a commissioner of research and as a researcher in his own right. He is currently working as an independent researcher/ advisor and is a member of the ODI’s “Fulfilling Potential” analytical advisory group.
Neil has worked at Sheffield Botanical Gardens for twenty years as one of only two ‘Parkies’ in the city. Since participating in Storying Sheffield at Sheffield University, a project which brings diverse people together to creatively record their lives, Neil has become involved with CAST (Creative Art Steering Team), a voluntary organisation that helps artists with health problems to stage exhibitions and sell their art work. He recently set up a CAST writing group for writers to explore their world. He believes in the power of art to change lives and help people explain themselves to others. Neil was a board member of the Sheffield Association for People with Cerebral Palsy and volunteered at Sheffield CIL to help set up the information service. Neil writes poetry and reads his work at ‘live’ poetry sessions.
Katrina Jones has lived in Sheffield for 13 years and is a full time carer for her daughter who has a learning disability. Katrina has volunteered at Norfolk Park Tenants and Residents Association for 12 years, was a trustee at Sheffield Domestic Abuse project for 3 years answering calls to their helpline and helps with social activities every Thursday at the Retirement Village. Katrina has been on the Speaking Up For Advocacy (SUFA) Management Committee since 2007 and supports a SUFA member to attend Inclusion North’s Advisory Council meetings in York and meetings at the British Institute of Learning Disabilities. When Katrina has the time (!) she enjoys cooking, watching movies and listening to opera and rock music. Katrina says she is a good listener, enjoys meeting people and likes to try new things.
Lee has been involved in the disability movement for many years. He was one of the founder members of Inclusive Living Sheffield and was a member of the Disabled People’s Forum, Disability Consultative Committee, SCOPE and the Community Support Service in Sheffield. He is also a board member of the Sheffield LINk. Lee has a particular interest in transport issues for disabled people and has worked with the Access Liaison Group and Transport for All.
Janet is a retired school teacher with experience of working with children with special needs. She moved to Sheffield in 1985 and set up and ran a voluntary organisation which supported carers of older people (The South West Area Sitting Service). She then became a management committee member of the Sheffield Carer’s Centre. Janet is also the Secretary of the Friends of the Botanical Gardens and sits on the North Sheffield Grants Panel for South Yorkshire Community Foundation.