Stuart Sale, CEO
Stuart was formerly a Group Manager in adult social care at Nottinghamshire County Council. There he was responsible for the Maximising Independence Service. This is a network of teams spread across Nottinghamshire who work with people to promote their independence and wellbeing. They also work to reduce or delay their need for social care services.
Stuart has worked in Adult Social Care since 2001. During that time has been responsible for developing adult safeguarding policies, procedures and quality assurance audit processes before managing the Council’s Adult Safeguarding Services. There he was responsible for the multi-agency Safeguarding Adults Board arrangements, as well as the Adults element of Nottinghamshire’s Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH). Throughout this period he worked closely with the Ann Craft Trust as an associate trainer, conference speaker and has also delivered university lectures on behalf of the Trust.
Lisa Curtis, Deputy CEO, Head of Safeguarding Adults and Young People
Lisa trained as a nurse for people with learning disabilities and has had a long career in nursing roles and within social care. Lisa has led a team to deliver training on a national level and worked as part of a team responsible for the quality and compliance of a major provider.
Lisa now delivers safeguarding adults training to organisations across the UK to promote new initiatives and ideas in safeguarding and offers consultancy to organisations.
Find out more about our safeguarding adults training.
Elliot Davies, Marketing and Communications Manager
Elliot joined the Ann Craft Trust in late 2018. His work in the third sector involves a lengthy project helping the British Red Cross fundraising team get to grips with a new database. He’s previously worked as a copywriter for a Nottingham digital marketing agency, and as a social media manager for a Derby agency. He has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Manchester, and he works as a freelance copywriter and content editor on the side.
Keep on top of safeguarding updates at our blog.
Jodi Evans, Safeguarding Adults in Sport Manager for Wales
Jodi previously worked for 10 years in Newport Local Authority, before working as a police officer. Following this, she joined Bron Afon Housing as a Community Safety Officer. There she later obtained her NEBOSH qualification to move in the role of Health, Safety, and Wellbeing advisor. After two years in this role, she then stepped in to manage a newly created team of safeguarding officers within Bron Afon, before moving on to join us in Ann Craft Trust.
Jodi has many years of frontline case work experience and has engaged and worked alongside numerous partner agencies to help identify, reduce, and monitor risk.
Emma Gibson, Head of Safeguarding Adults in Sport
Prior to her appointment as The Ann Craft Trust’s Head of Safeguarding Adults in Sport, Emma was safeguarding lead for Badminton England for nearly 10 years.
As a former safeguarding children tutor, she has also held safeguarding and volunteer management roles in two other governing bodies of sport as well as working in disability sport development.
Emma was part of the original Safeguarding Adults in Sport Steering Group in 2005 which led the conversation on safeguarding adults in sport, leading to the creation of our first safeguarding adults in sport role in 2015. She is very happy to have come ‘full circle’ and now be part of the Ann Craft Trust core team, believing very much in our vision, purpose and mission and upholding our core values.
David Lochtie, Operations Manager
David’s background is in student support in higher education, where he specialised in supporting students who have been identified as being disadvantaged in some way. He had previously worked as part of the Safeguarding, Quality and Inclusion team at the Open University. He has also worked as a Safeguarding Officer for the University of Derby Union of Students.
Samantha Morrison, Finance Officer
Sam is a qualified CIMA management accountant and has worked in finance for over 20 years, the last five of which have been in the third sector as both an employee and volunteer. As well as working part time for Ann Craft Trust, Sam works part time as a finance manager at two other Nottingham based charities, both of which support adults at risk. Sam is also Treasurer of a local swimming club and coach, team manager and official.
Sarah Nolan, Safeguarding Adults in Sport Administrator
Since 1997 Sarah worked in various administrative roles at the University of Nottingham supporting both students and staff. She very much enjoys a people-facing role where she feels she can make a difference and contribute to something worthwhile. Sarah joined The Ann Craft Trust team in spring 2022. In her spare time she enjoys running, and walking her Springer Spaniel, Teddy.
Joanne Pell, Safeguarding Adults in Sport Manager
Joanne joined the Ann Craft Trust in 2020. Her background is in Adult Social Care, where she started her career by working within a number of different services. These include learning disabilities, mental health, and training and personal development within the Statutory Sector. She worked as Head of Adult Safeguarding within a large Local Authority for 10 years before moving into freelance consultancy. She would provide providing strategic support to a number of Safeguarding Adult Boards across the country. Jodi brings with her over 20 years of experience of adult safeguarding both at an operational and strategic level.
Joanne’s role is funded by Sport England. She applies her knowledge of safeguarding to support National Governing Bodies across England.
Hazel Rippin, Head of Marketing
Hazel has a marketing agency background and have worked with many different businesses over the years in the private sector developing strategic plans as well as campaigns. Each had similar commercial goals, from launching products to increasing sales.
In 2019, Hazel first began supporting The Ann Craft Trust’s marketing team with various projects. The first was to deliver their online checklist that was in partnership with the NCVO and National Lottery. She also helped to get the charity’s eLearning portal up and running.
In 2022 Hazel formally joined The Ann Craft Trust, and she looks forward to developing more courses that will reach the wider community.
Nat Rock, Administrator
Nat joined the Ann Craft Trust in 2015. Her background is in Event & Hospitality Management and after a few years, she moved into Human Resources Training and Development. After taking some time away and living in Japan for four years, Nat returned to the UK in time for her children to start school.
Nat worked in Training and Development for a provider where she worked with the operational team to deliver essential training while working with individuals to reach their professional and personal potential with a significant effect on daily practice and life.
Find out more about our safeguarding training events.
Catherine Sykes, Safeguarding Adults Manager for the Sport and Activity Sector
Catherine joined the Ann Craft Trust in 2021, bringing over 25 years of national-level safeguarding experience within the voluntary and community sector. As Senior Lead Safeguarding Officer, she managed a safeguarding team and led the Development and Training department. After this she took on the role of LSO for Canoe Wales. Catherine holds a JNC qualification and has a wealth of experience as a safeguarding manager.
In her position at the Ann Craft Trust, she applies her knowledge of safeguarding to support those working in the wider sport and activity sector.
Roisin Tear, Safeguarding Adults Manager
Before training as a social worker, Roisin worked in both statutory voluntary and statutory sectors as a qualified youth and community development worker in hostels, housing charities, family centres, community hubs and inclusion projects. Roisin then worked as a social worker, and later a senior social worker in a Looked After Children’s and Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children’s Team.
In her role at the Ann Craft Trust, Roisin is using her skills and experience to support organisations to embed safeguarding while promoting values of inclusion, independence, choice, and voice.
Laura Thorpe, Safeguarding Adults Manager
Laura has a lot of experience working with adults with learning disabilities and/or mental health problems, primarily in the learning and development sector. The foundations of this has always been in safeguarding and the Mental Capacity Act. Laura’s dissertation focused on choice and control for adults living in supported living facilities which helped to find out the real picture of the Mental Capacity Act in practice.
Laura also worked as an associate trainer with ACT. She’s now committed to help keep raising the profile of safeguarding in adults, to continue the excellent progress already made.
Kimberley Walsh, Safeguarding Adults in Sport Manager
Kimberley has been involved in sport for over 30 years. For 12 years she worked for a National Governing Body in a variety of roles: development, participation, safeguarding and compliance. She represented Great Britain and trained as a full time elite athlete.
Her work within safeguarding has been based on developing awareness, best practice and understanding of safeguarding both children and adults. She is passionate about athlete welfare and wellbeing. Kimberley’s aim is to help create a safe, fun and open environment for everyone. She also wants to help reduce misconceptions and barriers.
Kimberley’s role is funded by UK Sport. She applies her knowledge and experience of safeguarding and sport within the high performance sector; working mainly with the organisations who receive UK Sport funding.
Associate Trainers
Stephen Bartley
Robert Kenniwell
Ros Smith
Antony Pearce
Chris Fuggle
Sarah Knight
Clare Staley
Ieuan Watkins
Taiwo Ajayi