- Ian
Mather (Chair)
Ian
has worked in the public education sector, for 35 years, including
eight years as Vice-Principal and Principal of a large comprehensive
school in the North East of England.
His work with young people has included mentoring programmes very
similar to the programmes we are establishing in Argentina. These have
been very successful in raising aspiration and attainment. He shares
the belief of the Trustees in the power of educational opportunity to
realise potential in young people and to rejuvenate communities and
that the work of the Foundation will make a huge difference in Salta.
He is now an education consultant, working with a number of
organisations in South East England.
- Lydia
Brown (Treasurer)
Lydia
is a chartered accountant and works for a large professional services
firm. She is involved in providing public sector bodies with assurance
over the effectiveness of internal controls, and advises on ways to
make efficiency savings, both time and monetary, as well as the
implementation of good governance and risk management solutions.
Lydia is a keen linguist and has recently dusted off her Spanish
qualifications and is getting up to date at night classes. She enjoys
travelling and is eager to revisit Salta to spend some time exploring
that part of the world and implementing the programme with the young
people there.
Lydia met David at Hull University in 1999 and they were planning a
future together before his sudden tragic death.
- Hannah
Cross
Hannah
is a PhD student and undergraduate tutor at the University of Leeds.
Her research interest is in development studies and labour migration.
David was one of her most loved and admired friends, so she is pleased
to offer her experience and long-term commitment to the Foundation.
- Lucy
Wheatley
Lucy
has had a long career in the English National Health Service (NHS),
most of that time working in the arena of children’s public
health as practitioner, manager and child protection specialist.
For the last eight years her role has been as policy lead,
commissioning and redesigning services to improve children’s
health and wellbeing across an area in North East of England.
Part of the work that Lucy particularly enjoys is working with
disadvantaged young people, facilitating them to voice their opinions,
empowering them to present and articulate their needs to authorities,
as well as their being vital and active participants in the development
of services.
This aspect of her work links well to the aims of the David Mather
Foundation: to help young people in Argentina to realise their full
potential, who would otherwise be unable to do so being disadvantaged
by their background and circumstances.
- Allison
Redshaw
Allison
qualified as a teacher of modern languages in 1989 and has
worked in the public education sector ever since, teaching all age
groups – 2 to 72! Allison has an MA in Professional
Development (Action Research) and is studying for an MBA in Educational
Leadership (International). She is currently Principal of a
comprehensive school in the North East of England. Allison has
experience of leading school visits and exchanges to France, Germany,
Russia and Belorussia, and believes that we should seize every
opportunity to link young people across the world to enable them to
reach a greater understanding of each other.
Allison believes that education is the key to unlocking potential in
young people, and fully supports the aims of the Foundation to change
the lives of young people in Salta.
- Alan
Wilson
Alan
has worked in Financial Services since 1990 and is currently operating
as an Independent Financial Adviser working with firms of accountants
and solicitors.
Prior to that he spent 16 years as a Geography and History teacher in a
large Middle School as well as organising sports teams, field work and
residential trips. While studying for his Masters Degree he chose South
America as his area of special interest in relation to social, economic
and historical geography.
He greatly appreciates the opportunity now given to him to use his
knowledge and experience to assist the development of children in an
area of the world for which he has always felt a strong affinity.
- Rachel
Barlow
Rachel
is the mental health co-ordinator for a regional charity based in
Manchester. Her background includes a stint in the world of advertising
before moving on to focus on social and community work and qualifying
as a social worker with a specialism in mental health. Her current
position involves working with groups of people who are marginalized
within society, working alongside them to campaign for a fair and equal
society. Rachel has worked with a variety of young people in
residential care, education and community based settings and believes
passionately that all young people deserve the chance to realize their
full potential and create a positive future for themselves. Through her
work she has seen first hand the impact poverty and deprivation can
have and feels that the work that the Foundation plans to undertake in
Argentina will prove to be invaluable for the young people involved,
their families and their communities.
