Chair, Dave Marsland, Lecturer in Social Work
Dave is a lecturer in social work who has focused on safeguarding adults for over 20 years. He has a particular interest in residential and staffed settings and people with very high support needs. Dave has worked extensively with families and older carers and is the father of a fabulously autistic son.
I am immensely proud to be part of the Ann Craft Trust and to help support their amazing work.
Dr. David Charnock, Assistant Professor, Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, School of Health Sciences University of Nottingham
David has over 35 years’ experience in services for people with learning disabilities, for the past sixteen years working in higher education teaching health care professionals. As part of his current role he developed aspects of the nursing curriculum to incorporate lecture and seminar content to help safeguard the needs of people with learning disabilities in health care settings. David’s PhD focused on the masculine identity of boys with learning disabilities. He has led small research projects focusing on the wellbeing of people with learning disabilities, and their parent and caregivers.
Natasha Eason
Natasha is currently Head of Education at CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity) in which she supervises the development of education partners, provision and policy for the sector. This also includes the development of the sector’s Professional and Apprenticeships standards, education product endorsement, quality assurance and development and maintenance of sector boards and committees.
I share the values of the Ann Craft Trust, including that of probity and can also guarantee a commitment to your charity’s inclusive elements. I have a ‘duty to care’ ethos which is at the heart of everything I do, and I believe investing in a diverse workforce enables an overall better performance level, as well as a more inclusive environment and enhanced public confidence.
Professor Rachel Fyson
Rachel is a Professor and Head of the School of Sociology & Social Policy, University of Nottingham. She has previously worked as a researcher for both the Ann Craft Trust and the Norah Fry Research Centre, University of Bristol (a national centre of excellence in learning disability research). Before becoming an academic she worked for many years in services for both children and adults with learning disabilities. Her research interests have been shaped by her pre-academic work experiences and are focussed on learning disabilities, abuse and safeguarding, interagency working and policy implementation.
I am constantly amazed by the extent of ACT’s influence and the small size of the dedicated team that make this happen. It is a pleasure and an honour to be able to contribute to ACT’s work, in however small a way.
Tania May, GP
Tania qualified as a doctor in Manchester in 1989. She then worked as a junior doctor in hospitals in Lancashire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. After working in a range of specialities, such as paediatrics, emergency medicine, stroke and rehabilitation medicine she became a GP in 2005. Over the years she has worked as a partner, locum and salaried GP in a range of practices, in inner city, suburban and rural areas. In 2007 she joined the Division of Medicine at Nottingham University as a clinical teaching fellow. In this part time role she is involved in medical student education. Subjects taught include medical ethics and advanced consultation skills.
ACT Patrons
Sir Roger Singleton CBE
Roger Singleton has a background in education, children’s services, management, mediation and safeguarding. He is a former chief executive of Barnardo’s. Since leaving in 2005 he has been an independent consultant specialising in safeguarding and interim management. He is a consultant to charities and organisations on their safeguarding policies and practices; he trains board members and senior staff in safeguarding; and he carries out statutory and in-house reviews and investigations into child and adult protection issues.
From 2007-2012 he chaired the Independent Safeguarding Authority prior to its merger with the Criminal Records Bureau to form the Disclosure and Barring Service. He has been the Government’s Chief Adviser on the Safety of Children; interim chief executive of the children’s charity, Lumos; and the interim Director of Safeguarding at the Church of England.
Kate Spicer
Kate Spicer is a writer and filmmaker. She has two brothers, Will and Tom. Tom has fragile x syndrome and is severely learning disabled. Kate and will recently made a film about Tom, called Mission to Lars. She hopes to bring learning disability more into the view of popular culture. While much of her activism around this is found in her work with Mencap, her experience of life with Tom, and her awareness of the unacceptably high incidence of abuse of both learning disabled adults and children, meant she was extremely happy and excited to be working with us. Find her on twitter @spicerlife.
Richard Whitehead MBE
Richard is a double gold medal Paralympian from Nottingham.
He was born with a congenital condition which left him as a double through-knee amputee. He has set world records for athletes with a double amputation, in both the full and half marathon. In 2012 there was no category for leg amputees in the London marathon and so switches to sprinting. He won a gold medal in the 200m in the 2012 Paralympics as well as setting a world record time. He won again in Rio is 2016 and in Tokyo in 2020. He is continuing in his running and has just completed his 75th Marathon.
He established the Richard Whitehead Foundation with the vision of enabling disabled people’s ambitions through life changing support and mentoring. Through his foundation and sport, he inspires and helps people with disabilities to realise their potential.
Richard is as passionate about safeguarding and is supporting us to spread awareness for safeguarding adults to ensure everyone is safe from harm and abuse.
We are always looking out for experienced trustees or management team committee members to join our team. If you’re interested in being considered, please get in touch with your CV and a covering letter with some information about your particular skill set, what you could contribute to the Ann Craft Trust and why you’d like to join and email it to: ann-craft-trust@nottingham.ac.uk