About Headway
Essex

• History of Headway Essex
• Board of Trustees
• Governance of Headway Essex
• Meet The Team
• Patron - David Tennant
• Annual Reviews
• Newsletter
• Job Vacancies

Board of Trustee Profiles

 

Fiona Dorey (Chairman)

Fiona represents the Carer’s voice on the Board of Trustees. She understands how a brain injury affects the whole family as her husband had a severe brain injury in 1993 while her two children were quite young. Although she is now divorced and remarried, Fiona has regular contact with her ex-husband and is fully aware of some of the difficulties, which need to be overcome by the injured person and their family in order to return to leading a normal life.

 

These difficulties can be practical, financial and emotional and both long and short term.  She has had experience in the rehabilitation process and dealing with some of the official agencies, which become involved after an injury of this nature. She has also been involved with Headway since 1993 in some capacity or other.

 

Fiona is a Primary School Curriculum Adviser and also has an interest in educating young people in the prevention of brain injuries by making them more aware.

 

 

David Parkins (Treasurer)

David is a Chartered Accountant and recently retired after a long career in banking with Lloyds TSB and also Bradford & Bingley. He has held a number of Finance Director positions and specialised in finance, risk management and business development. David has lived in Essex for over 30 years and was co-opted as a Trustee of Headway Essex in March 2005, bringing financial and business management experience to the Board. David is a Non Executive Director of Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

 

 

Bob Juniper

Bob Juniper is the Senior Partner of Daniel Connal Partnership, Chartered Surveyors and has been responsible for their Colchester office for many years.  Bob's firm procures and manages construction works for many public and private clients including those in the Healthcare Sector and has been involved with various projects at the Colchester General Hospital in particular.

 

He now regularly acts as Arbitrator, Adjudicator, Mediator or Expert in the resolution of disputes in the construction industry.

 

He brings both general business experience and his particular knowledge and skills to the Board of Trustees.

 

 

Julia Lomas

Julia lives in Essex and is a partner in Irwin Mitchell Solicitors’ London Office, specialising in Court of Protection work for people with serious injuries including traumatic brain injury.  Prior to joining Irwin Mitchell, Julia was Chief Executive of the Public Trust Office which was the forerunner to the Public Guardianship Office which provides support to the Court of Protection.  She is well aware from both sides of the fence of the issues and difficulties that can face people with brain injury and their families in coping with traumatic brain injury and the legal system.

 

 

Christopher White-Thomson

Christopher White-Thomson educated at Harrow and Sandhurst was commissioned into the Royal Fusiliers in December 1959.  His posts as instructor to young officers, assistant to a general commanding the strategic reserve and adjutant of an infantry battalion gave him early experience in people and administration both in the UK and around the world.

 

He joined the City in 1969 as a money broker to UK local authorities.  His achievements included setting up the foreign exchange market in the Middle East, launching the Oppenheimer Group of money and unit trusts as Chief Executive.  He was a board member of Oppenheimer in New York and on the main board of Mercantile House from 1980 until it was taken over in 1987.

 

Since retiring from the City in 1990 he has been involved with Headway, as Business Adviser and Director of the Executive Committee.  He is currently church warden of the PCC and recently retired Chairman of the Parish Council in White Colne.

 

He brings to the Board of Trustees a general experience gained from the many and different posts he held during his former career and has seen the charity grow dramatically over the past ten years.  As Director of the Executive Committee he can advise the permanent members on the day to day running of the charity and report from first hand to the Trustees.

 

 

John Mason

John Mason is one of the original people who started Headway in 1981.  He has first hand knowledge of the affects of a brain injury having suffered one in 1979 playing football (it left him in a coma for 3 months).

 

Like many people who are living with brain injury, John was unable to find paid employment, so he did some voluntary work.  He started off doing this with ‘Colchester League of Friends’.  John is Vice-Chairman of the Participation Advisory Group, which is an independent group of service user and carers who assist Essex Social Services in many various way (EG: sitting on interview panel, planning groups etc).  But then he got a job as an inclusion worker however that was a fixed-term appointment that lasted two years. Now he has set up his own Community Interest Company called Essex Inclusive Sports Enterprise.

 

John is married to Perlene who has also had a brain injury but has made a good recovery and now works full-time.

 

John, who is a survivor of brain injury himself, brings to the Board of Trustees a sense of understanding of the client group Headway is helping.

 

 

Paul Metcalfe

Paul Metcalfe has recently become a freelance Social Worker.  Previously he has worked as a Social Worker with Essex Social Services Sensory Team and spent many years in New Zealand as a rehabilitation assistant and support worker, helping brain injured people and their families through the rehabilitation process.  He has also worked in units specialising in challenging behaviour associated with brain injury. 

 

Paul’s association with Headway began as a volunteer in 1997 helping with both the education and Monday groups.  He brings to the Board of Trustees his experience as a worker involved in brain injury rehabilitation as well as his recent experience of Social Services.

 

 

Bob Cathmoire

Bob Cathmoir was a Senior Lecturer in Photography for 27 years at The School of Art, Colchester Institute.

Previously having been commissioned in the Royal Corps of Signals and then Senior Clinical Photographer for the Colchester Group of hospitals.

 

Now retired he is a volunteer at Headway helping with the education and Monday groups.

 

He brings to the Board of Trustees his experience of teaching and visual communications skills, coupled with his more recent experience as a volunteer.

 

 

Christopher Humbles

Chris Humbles was born and brought up in South Africa and came to England with his mother following the death of his father.  He has been married to Wendy for 24 years and has 2 stepchildren and 3 step grandchildren.  He commenced his career in the National Health Service in 1973, qualifying as a Registered Nurse in 1980 and has held many clinical and managerial posts.  He has recently retired from the post of Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Nursing & Governance at Southend Hospital where he has spent the last 18 years.

 

Chris is determined to remain professionally active and has recently been appointed to The East of England Health Authority (Education and Training) as a part time Professional Advisor.  He is a Governor at a local primary school.