Forum Central is a partnership between the two organisations Volition and Leeds Older People’s Forum.
Each is represented on the Forums Partnership Board which currently meets every other month.
Forums Partnership Board
The Forums Partnership Board comprises of trustees, including the chairs, from each of the trustee boards of Volition and Leeds Older People’s Forum, which in partnership form Forum Central. The role of Chairperson at the Forum Partnership meeting alternates, with each of the boards taking it in turn.
| Trustee | Organisation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Zoe Bawn | United Response | Chair |
| Tricia Gradys | Leeds Older People's Forum | |
| Roger Harington | Leeds Older People's Forum | |
| Helen Kemp | Leeds Mind | |
| Ruth Kettle | Inspire North | |
| Bill Rollinson M.B.E. | Leeds Older People's Forum |
Leeds Older People’s Forum
Leeds Older People’s Forum is made up of older people and managers, chief executives and project workers from some of the forum’s member organisations – all of which work with older people.
| Trustee | Organisation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Roger Harington* | Individual | Chair |
| John O'Dwyer | Caring Together in Woodhouse & Little London | Vice Chair |
| Bill Rollinson M.B.E.* | Individual | Acting Treasurer |
| Carole Gosden* | Individual | |
| Bronwen Holden* | Leeds Hospital Alert | |
| Margaret Bell* | Individual | |
| Cath Mahoney* | Individual | |
| Ruth Cornelissen | Care & Repair Leeds | |
| Tricia Gradys* | Individual | |
| Corrina Lawrence | Feel Good Factor Leeds | |
| John Welham* | Individual | |
| Satwant Rait* | Individual | |
| Gabrielle Hamilton | Leeds Museums & Galleries | |
| Rachel Koivunen | People in Action | |
| Susan Chesters* | Relatives and Residents Association | |
| Susan Phillips* | Individual | |
| David Smith* | Individual | |
| Cllr. Rebecca Charlwood | Leeds City Coucil | Representative from Leeds City Council (observer) |
| * Older person |
A minimum of 75% of the charity trustees must be older people (an older person is defined by Leeds Older People’s Forum as a person aged 60 years of age and over).
Volition
The Volition Board of Trustees is the governing body providing leadership and direction for the organisation. The Board is drawn from Volition member organisations, all of which are third sector and offer services to people with learning disabilities, physical and sensory impairments or mental health problems.
Adrian aims to use his experience of the positive impact that the environment can play to support the role Volition plays in influencing decision making with health partners. Adrian is passionate that fuel and food poverty have an insidious impact through society in Leeds and we should do all we can to not only mitigate it but find permanent solutions. Allied to this is the relative accessibility of green space for those struggling with day to day challenges, and this is something that can be changed as part of the changes that are already planned. In his role as a Trustee of Volition, Adrian is keen to build an understanding of the great work Volition does, and to help Volition and its fellow infrastructure partners work more closely together.
Outside of work, Adrian enjoys spending time in the garden, travelling with his family, and cycling. His favourite place in Leeds is the Dark Arches/Granary Wharf, where canal towpaths lead in and out of Leeds and under the train station.
Carol has been a Trustee of Volition since 2014. She became involved as she believes no one should be left behind by society because they don’t confirm to a perceived norm. To support organisations who in turn support those with poor mental health, visual impairments or a learning, so called, disability seemed a good way for Carol to give something to these people.
Carol is most passionate about services across the city achieving equality in health regardless of postcode. Her priorities as Trustee of Volition are to ensure recognition for the valuable work of the third sector, and supporting smaller organisations working within their communities at grassroots level.
Outside of work, extended family are Carol’s priority, and she also enjoys gardening and walking. A certain pub in Headingley is her favourite place in Leeds as it’s where she met her husband!
After changing career in 2000, David is now the General Manager at the William Merritt Disabled Living Centre who provide clinical assessments for disable people and the elderly to identify the correct equipment so they can remain independently mobile for longer. David was influential in transferring the Centre from the NHS to be an independent Charity and Social Enterprise, in 2013. With his personal experience of living with a long term condition and career knowledge he is able to provide informed leadership to assist the team in providing an extensive range of assistive living services.
David became a Trustee of the PSI Network (now merged with Volition) in 2017 as he believed that the best way to provide services that people need, is to work together. Being part of Volition provides the opportunity to work across Leeds and help develop a thriving Third Sector.
David is passionate about independent living and Volunteers with University of Leeds as a Patient Mentor, informing future NHS Doctors what it can be like living and working with a long-term condition. In his spare time he likes to take on DIY projects and supports his local Rugby League team.
Helen became a Trustee of Volition in 2015 to make a difference to people’s lives by encouraging a cross sector approach to providing services through collaboration and partnerships. Helen’s key priorities as a Trustee are sustainability, communication with members and enabling partnership working to improve services. In terms of Health and Care, she is most passionate about working towards the vision of Leeds being the best City and reducing health inequalities.
Helen is married with two grown up sons. She enjoys theatre, walking in the countryside, and exploring Leeds in her spare time. Roundhay Park is her favourite place because of its fabulous green space, and her fond memories of visiting as a child.
James’ key priorities as a Trustee are to learn more about the other groups of people supported by Volition and to make the most of the opportunity to work across the sector. In terms of Health and Care in Leeds, he is passionate about overcoming the inequality of opportunity too often faced by people with learning disabilities.
In his spare time, James enjoys playing the guitar, writing music, and going walking. His favourite place is a The Cardigan Arms because it’s a beautiful building run by a local business, sells lovely beer, and welcomes kids and dogs.
When I’m not working, I spend lots of time in the countryside and am a member of a walking group who undertake annual challenges such as the Yorkshire 3 Peaks and Lyke Wake Walk.
I have worked in the Social Care sector for nearly 30 years and am currently the Deputy Chief Executive at a Leeds based Social Enterprise whom provide care and support services to people with a learning disability.
Key priorities are:
Understanding more about the support Volition gives to people/groups across the city,
Working to improve services that the city provides to its citizens, and
Learning more about the experiences our members have.
Oliver is passionate about the services out there for people with learning disabilities. He likes being in supporting living and having a care team.
Oliver likes going to see his Gran who lives in Ilkley when he can. He also enjoys DJing and walking and has done a few 10k walks for charity in the past as well as walking some of the Leeds to Liverpool canal route. He also plays rugby and is a huge Leeds Rhinos fan.
His favourite place in Leeds is Harewood, because he used to go there as a child with his mum, and it’s a nice place to be.
Leeds is a great place to live learn and play but there are still many inequalities. the pandemic has further highlighted those. The VCS sector does and can achieve things for its place. Pam will assist in elevating that voice and purpose of VCS to the regional and local place leaders to ultimately create better outcomes for the people of Leeds. Pam would particularly like to raise concerns for those from BAME backgrounds who are often less represented in these forums.
Pam also is the co- health lead at Sikh Alliance Yorkshire raising awareness on a variety of issues to the Sikh Community. She also is a trustee at Northern Broadsides theatre company, which provides an opportunity to connect health and wellbeing to arts and culture. Leeds born and bred and thoroughly enjoy all that Leeds has to offer like, the great outdoors, shopping and places to socialise.
As a qualified Engineer, he feels he can greatly contribute to organisations through problem solving. He believes we need to ensure the less fortunate are given equal chance in whatever they wish to do.
Phil is also a trustee at Leeds Involving People, Touchstone, Advonet, Leep1 and Yorkshire Cancer Community. In order to support his role within the Board of Trustees, Phil is a member of Yorkshire and Humber National Institute for Health Research, Chair of the Better Lives Board for Adults and Health, and also a member of Yorkshire Ambulances Critical Friends Network. Through all this Phil is gaining invaluable information, views, and insight into the worries and fears of a wide-range of communities.
Phil became a Trustee of the PSI Network (now merged with Volition) in 2012, because he believes it is the place to be to be at the forefront of health not only in Leeds but Yorkshire, and through this we can ensure changes in services are the correct ones and will ensure true care for all in Leeds and Yorkshire. His key priorities as a Trustee are to ensure voices are being heard and to ensure that services in Leeds for mental health, physical disability and learning disability are the exemplar.
In terms of health and care, he is most passionate about caring for others. He believes we don’t do it enough and while changes won’t happen in his lifetime, that doesn’t stop him from ensuring it is better for others.
Phil’s spare time is mainly spent volunteering as it keeps him going and his mind active – his mantra is “if I can, I will, if I can’t, I’ll be in bed ill.” His favourite place in the city is wherever he is at the time. He loves Leeds and believes its people and passion for caring are second to none.
Ruth is passionate about the third sector and hasn’t worked in any other sector since beginning her career in the 80’s! She believes we can and do make an enormous contribution and difference, reaching clients and communities in a way that can be quite different to many other services.
Her key priorities are to influence service provision and system change on behalf of the third sector of Leeds, to ensure we are part of a true partnership and can hopefully accelerate change and be part of the solution for the challenges clients face, and that we face as a system and as service providers.
Ruth is pretty busy with a full-time job running a large mental health, homeless and domestic abuse charity across the North of England, and being a single parent to her two school age children. So any spare time she has is spent doing exercise, running, swimming and cycling. She loves parkrun and pre-covid had clocked up over 100 runs, taking her young son along who is so quick as has to run with her faster, fitter friends! Ruth has also taken part in the Leeds triathlon every year since it began in 2016, even swimming in Roundhay Lake. She’s also ended up being the safeguarding and inclusion officer for her local cycling club (which makes her chuckle as she thinks she’s the slowest cyclist in the club!).
Ruth doesn’t have a favourite place but feels lucky that we have lovely parks and open space in Leeds where she enjoys getting out in the fresh air. She also likes live music and comedy so is pleased Leeds now has a great venue in Leeds Arena.
She became a Trustee of Tenfold in 2018 and had been involved in similar infrastructure support in the past so it seemed to be the right fit. Her priorities are to ensure the Board continues to bang the drum as loud as it can for the people of Leeds with learning disabilities, mental health needs and physical and sensory impairments, to have a strong voice across the City, and influence and be part of the change that needs to happen to ensure inclusivity in all that we do.
In her spare time, Zoe enjoys fitness, weight training, and running and walking with her girls. She is also very passionate about the Arts, from music/gigs, to comedy and theatre as she studied the arts as part of her degree.
Zoe has too many favourite places in Leeds to choose from; Chevin Forest, Golden Acre, stately homes like Harewood, gigs at the City Museum and Millennium Square and family events are all on the list – the City Varieties pantomime is also a firm favourite.