What We Offer About Us Meet the Team Meet the team 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. 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! Carole Keith – Carer Wellbeing Facilitator (Benefits) Carole joined the team in October 2017. She brings an incredible depth of knowledge about benefits and finance. Carole previously worked for many years with the Citizen's Advice Bureau. Joanne Wilson – Carer Wellbeing FacilitatorJo 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 one's substance or alcohol misuse problem. Keiran Brown – Marketing & Communications Creator Keiran joined us on an apprenticeship scheme, which he has now completed. He manages our website, updates our social media platforms, as well as engages with the local communities to raise awareness of unpaid carers and what we do. Kelly Whitfield – Carer Wellbeing FacilitatorKelly joined us in 2022 and has vast experience supporting people in need, thanks to years of working in the voluntary sector. She is passionate about bringing new opportunities and strength to those who need it. Kim Newton – Carer Wellbeing FacilitatorKim joined us in March 2023 and has worked in the voluntary sector for many years. She is particularly passionate about supporting Gateshead's communities and bringing them together. Megan Wood – Carer Wellbeing FacilitatorMegan joined us in March 2024 and has worked with children and adults for many years. She has personal experience of caring for family members. Outside of work, she enjoys taking her dog for walks, seeing live music and spending time with friends and family. 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. Rhio Malcolm – ReceptionistRhio joined us in 2022 and is one of the first people you will hear from when you contact us. Her wealth of experience and knowledge surrounding caring means that we're here to help from the moment we pick up the phone. Ruth Cain – AdministratorRuth has recently joined our Core Services team in 2022 as an administrator! She brings a huge amount of experience and enthusiasm with her as she takes on vital tasks every day to aid in keeping our charity running. Steve Cowen – Chief Executive OfficerSteve 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 carer's rights and campaigns to get better services for carers in Gateshead. Trustees Ian Mearns - Chair of TrusteesAppointed as Chair in 2024, Ian has served as a councillor and MP in Gateshead for over 40 years. During these years of elected service, he has become well acquainted with our local communities and the challenges they face on a daily basis. Ian has extensive experience with families engaging with the various facets of the welfare state, with those living in more complex caring arrangements like Kinship Carers and the specific challenges they face quite often in accessing support. Ian uses his significant experiences in these roles to continue to help raise awareness of the challenges that carers face, both at a local and national level. Dr Dan Taylor - TrusteeDan is a researcher and teacher of politics at the Open University. After working alongside Gateshead Carers in 2023 to conduct a research project into improving the lives of unpaid carers in Gateshead, Dan has since joined our board of trustees in 2024. Dan brings his strong policy and research knowledge, practical experience of caregiving and working in carer organisations, and above all, a personal connection and commitment to caregivers in Gateshead to drive meaningful change for caregivers in Gateshead. Evelyn Valerie Smith - TrusteeValerie 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 Holmes Family Law in Whickham. 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 a qualified 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 has 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 - TrusteeAmanda 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 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. Stuart Cox - TrusteeMost 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 - TrusteeElsie was an active Board member of 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 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. 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”. Manage Cookie Preferences