The staff working for Gateshead Carers bring their own unique and dynamic energy to the team. We are always on the look out for funding to support further posts within the organisation in order to strengthen our service, broaden our reach and help more carers across Gateshead.

Andrea Goodfellow – Team Leader: Carer Wellbeing 
Andrea joined the team in 2015 and brought with her a wealth of valuable knowledge gained from her experience working with vulnerable adults and local service providers. Andrea is dedicated to helping people have better opportunities in life. 
Angela Dalby  - Carer Wellbeing Facilitator
Angela joined the team in May 2019 and brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience particularly with regards to mental health.
Brian Pereira – Team Leader: Core Services 
Brian originally came to Gateshead Carers to access support but soon became an invaluable member of the team by regularly volunteering his time with the charity. Brian now manages all financial business for the organisation and also assists with IT issues, amongst other things! 
Becci Varnham – Development Worker (Connecting Communities) 
Becci works on a part time basis and brings with her a passion for cultural diversity. She is dedicated to reaching hidden carers from minority and ethnic backgrounds.
Carol Redpath – Carer Wellbeing Facilitator  
Carol joined the team in October 2017 from a background in supporting families with SEND and other difficulties. She enjoys her role as she gets to meet new people who she supports towards their own wellbeing.
Carole Keith – Carer Wellbeing Facilitator (Benefits) 
Carole joined the team in October 2017. She brings an incredible depth of knowledge around benefits and finance. Carole previously worked for many years with the Citizen's Advice Bureau. 
Caroline Harding - Carer Wellbeing Facilitator
Caroline joined the team in May 2019 having previously worked as a Dementia Support Worker with the Alzheimer's Society. 
Claire Parker - Volunteer Coordinator
Claire joined the team in June 2019 with extensive experience of working with and managing volunteers. She heads up our volunteering and befriending programme. 
Demi McAdam - Receptionist
Demi brings an abundance of enthusiasm to our welcome desk as well as being a valued member of our administration team. She is the first person our visitors see and provides excellent customer service as our first point of contact. 
Emma Cockburn – Carer Wellbeing Facilitator
Emma joined the team in 2017 to facilitate our wellbeing programme, she is now a Carer Wellbeing Facilitator. Emma is passionate about the power and possibilities for learning and change within individual and group work. Emma loves cycling and outdoor swimming, she is currently studying a Diploma in Counselling.
Janice Hall – Team Leader: Carer Wellbeing 
Janice has a background in law and many years experience of caring for someone. Her passion for the benefits and appeals process has helped many carers to access financial support they would otherwise have missed out on.
Jessica Fulcher – Administrator
Jessica joined us through the apprenticeship scheme and has flourished so much that she is now our Administrator, dealing with all office administration tasks from handling calls, data input, to dealing with a range of requests from staff and carers. 
Joanne Wilson – Carer Wellbeing Facilitator
Jo joined the team in 2010 as our support worker for carers of people affected by alcohol or substance misuse. In that time she has helped hundreds of family members overcome difficulties brought on by a loved ones substance or alcohol misuse problem.
Karen Dale - Carer Wellbeing Fund Administrator
Karen brings a wealth of experience to our team, expertly administering The Carer Wellbeing Fund.
Keiran Brown – Digital Marketing Apprentice
Keiran is one of the newest members to the team. He is currently on an apprenticeship scheme, managing our website and social media platforms, as well as assisting in designing our promotional materials.
Mandy Ramsey – Team Leader: Carer Wellbeing 
Mandy is a qualified occupational therapist and part time working carer, proving that she has the right skills and experience for the job. 
Martin Mulvaney - Carer Wellbeing Facilitator
Martin joined the team in May 2019 from Crossroads Tyne & Wear Trust. He has over 20 years experience working with carers across all health and social care needs. 
Nikki McCann - Team Leader: Stakeholder Engagement
Nikki has extensive experience in both marketing and communications and has worked in both the charity and corporate sectors most recently in support of asylum seekers and refugees in the North East. She is an accredited member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and loves meeting new people! 
Paul Forster– Carer Wellbeing Facilitator 
Paul has a background working in health and social care services in the statutory and voluntary sectors. He has personal experience of caring for members of his family. Outside of work he enjoys travel, history and music as well as seeing his friends and family.
Steve Cowen – Chief Executive Officer
Steve joined as Chief Executive Officer in 2010. Throughout this time he has successfully raised substantial funding to support new carer services in Gateshead. He continues to fight for carers rights and campaigns to get better services for carers in Gateshead.

 

David Clelland - Chair of Trustees
Elected to Gateshead Council in 1972 and amongst other roles, was chair of Recreation committee Council Leader and vice chair of Gateshead Health authority before being elected MP for the Newcastle/Gateshead constituency of Tyne Bridge which he served from 1985-2010.

Evelyn Valerie Smith - Vice Chair of Trustees
Valerie came to Gateshead Carers when she needed support caring for her husband. Since 2009 she has returned that support by becoming a trustee for the charity, bringing with her a wealth of knowledge and experience gathered from over 30 years of working in Social Services at Gateshead Council.

June Gordon - Trustee
 After retiring from her role as a nurse due to ill health, June became a full time carer for her husband. She began to volunteer for us in 2007 and became such an integral part of running the organisation that she went on to become a trustee in 2009.

Ann Owens - Trustee 
Ann has been a qualified solicitor for over 26 years and currently works for PGS Law in South Shields. She continues to offer a Pro bono legal advice clinic at South Tyneside Citizens Advice Bureau having previously held the position of vice-chair for the Trustee Board. Ann stepped down from this position to spend more time with her Mother, who sadly passed away in 2019. She is passionate about helping unpaid carers in Gateshead with her expert knowledge and experience.  

Michael Fitzpatrick - Trustee 
Michael is an experienced management accountant with knowledge of charity finance and accountancy policies. Michael has previously worked for Newcastle Building Society, Greggs PLC and Daisy Communications, and volunteered his accountancy skills to offer support to the Greggs Foundation.

Margaret Barrett - Trustee 
Margaret originates from Gateshead, and worked in Gateshead Council as a social worker and senior manager in Adult Social Care for 27 years until she took early retirement in June 2016.  Throughout her time in the Council, she always championed the cause of carers; she led the multi-agency Carers Partnership and worked closely with Gateshead Carers Association for the last 15 years.  Margaret continues to be registered as a Social Worker, and she remains passionate about carers’ services, and was a carer herself until February 2016.

Amanda Tonkinson - Trustee
Amanda has been a working carer and then a full time carer for her partner who has complex health challenges. Additionally, she has recently become a full time carer for her elderly mother. Amanda’s employment background includes working in the primary health and social care arena which has provided her with an external insight into the needs of carers and the challenges they face. She has lived and worked across three continents and is a passionate advocate of celebrating diversity. As a resident of Gateshead she has been a service user of the Gateshead Carers Association for a number of years and is very proud of the quality of support and expertise offered by GCA to others in her situation. She has been an active member of the Gateshead Carers Association Board of Trustees since 2018.

Michael Hall - Trustee
Michael was born in Jarrow in 1957, he grew up and lived there until he married my wife Maria in 1984. We lived in the Wardley and Leam Lane area for 14 years, before we moved to Blaydon in 1998 where he still resides. He has 3 daughters and 2 grandchildren. Michael went to local schools in Jarrow and Hebburn before starting work at British Steel in Jarrow, he worked there until the plant closed in 1986. He went on to work for International Paints (Courtaulds) Powder Coatings Division as part of their management team. Michael had to leave on health grounds. He began working in schools in Gateshead. He also began working for a private Domiciliary care company, where he is now part of the senior management team. Over the years Michael have volunteered for a local autism charity, a special school in Gateshead and the charity ‘Resyke y Bike’. Michael has a wide range of experience as a family carer for his parents, mother and father in law and his middle daughter, who has Asperger’s. He has been involved with Gateshead Carers since the very early days of our service. 

Stuart Cox - Trustee
Most of Stuart’s career was in the steel industry. A degree in metallurgy provided the academic background for a technical specialist who then progressed into senior management. Redundant in his mid-fifties, Stuart then operated his own taxi and undertook various consultancy projects until retirement. When family caring responsibilities came in 2017 he was referred to Gateshead Carers, where “I received a warm welcome and a high standard of professional support from the team.” Stuart hopes that membership of the board of trustees will enable him to help support the team in “their great work” and ensure the service is maintained long term.

Elsie Johnson - Trustee
Elsie was an active Board member for Gateshead Carers Association during 2003-2015 and was involved in a variety of roles including government petitions as well as promotional work to help spread the word. In particular she was involved with taking petitions down to Westminster to gain the attention for the need to increase carers’ allowance and also helping to promote the charity with the public by standing in supermarkets with her husband, who had various conditions, to draw attention to the needs of carers and their loved ones. Between, 2007-2015 Elsie was also a Board member for the Alzheimer’s Society in Gateshead and was area forum representative. During her time in both these roles she was involved in high profile media events on national and regional TV and radio. Elsie has re-joined the Board of Trustees now that her caring role for her beloved husband has sadly finished and feels that she can make a valuable contribution to the charity, as she has a lot of experience in all areas when it comes to caring and “I feel I could make a real difference”.