Elections

Why are you applying for the role?
As a paid-up member of the Basingstoke - Old Basing u3a, I support the concept of lifelong learning, making new friends and maintaining health and well-being in retirement.

Having carefully reviewed the candidate information, my experience, skills, professional qualifications, and commitment closely match the requirements of this role. I would welcome the opportunity to contribute at national level, helping the Board continue to strengthen and develop the u3a movement while remaining true to its values of lifelong learning, inclusion, and member-led engagement.

What are your hopes and ambitions for the u3a movement?
As a member of the u3a movement I continue to enjoy all that the movement offers. Locally, I hope to continue to contribute to the effective running of our Basingstoke - Old Basing u3a and maintain an environment where everyone feels welcome and listened to.

If I could be a national trustee, I will use my past and current experience to be an effective trustee and fulfill my responsibilities as highlighted with the candidate pack.

With the other board members, I hope to review our processes to highlight any gaps. An aspect I am interested in is safeguarding of the members. I would like to explore with other board members, developing a national safeguarding training package for the u3a. This can be used for training committees and group leaders. I would also like to support the u3a council grow and progress it's work stream and commitment.

How do you meet the key skills and experience required from the role?
I joined Basingstoke–Old Basing u3a in 2024 and quickly experienced how the u3a movement enriches lives through community-led learning, friendship and shared interests. Inspired by these benefits, I became Vice Chair and trustee in 2025 and was re-elected in 2026. I support the u3a values of self-help, lifelong learning and member-led activity, and I am committed to ensuring members continue to enjoy the benefits.

Working closely with the Chair we provide strategic leadership, good governance and support effective decision-making. I helped with compliance with Charity Commission and our constitution, supporting financial oversight with the Treasurer, reviewing payments as an account approver, risk assessment, strategic planning, members' survey and bench-marking costs against other Southeast u3as to assess value for money and promote equitable access for members.

My 36-year NHS career (20 years in strategic leadership roles) has given me extensive experience in governance, regulatory compliance, data management, confidentiality, safeguarding, quality assurance, strategic planning, policy development, change management, equality impact assessments, budget management and partnership working.

I played a key role in the transition of Redbridge Primary Care Trusts to Clinical Commissioning Groups, led the development of a safeguarding legacy document covering governance, policies, stakeholder engagement, incident reporting, risk management, workforce information and training requirements.

I developed the Hampshire Integrated Care Board's first integrated safeguarding policy for adults and children, chaired a multidisciplinary group that ensured the protected characteristics were fully considered throughout policy development. I represented the Director of Safeguarding Children on the Local Safeguarding Children's Partnership, working with statutory partners.

Colleagues describe me as hardworking, compassionate, and approachable. I communicate effectively, value diverse perspectives and work collaboratively to reach balanced decisions that place members at the centre of everything we do.

Having carefully reviewed the candidate information, I believe my experience and skills closely match the requirements of this role, and I would welcome the opportunity to help the Board strengthen and develop the u3a movement while remaining true to its values of lifelong learning, inclusion and member-led engagement.

Professional Qualifications:

• MA Child-Centred Interprofessional Practice (Birth to 19 Years) – Kingston University (2014)
  BSc Public Health – University of Southampton (2004)
• BA Business Studies – Thames Valley University (1998)
• Registered Sick Children's Nurse – Great Ormond Street Hospital (1994)
• Registered Nurse (Adaptation) – St George's Hospital, Tooting (1989)
• Registered Midwife – University College Hospital, Nigeria (1986)
• Registered General Nurse – School of Nursing, Nigeria (1984)

Why are you applying for the role?
u3a’s motto — “u3a empowers people in later life to live healthier, more connected and purposeful lives” —resonates with me. It speaks to the value of continued learning, connection and contribution, and to the importance of enabling people to remain active, purposeful and engaged throughout later life.

I see u3a as an important organisation serving a growing demographic, making a difference to individuals’ lives. I enjoy governance: looking at the bigger picture, understanding the wider environment and social change, helping organisations adapt and develop for the future.

Coming to the end of my term of office with Girlguiding UK, I am looking for a role that allows me to continue contributing at a strategic level. I see many parallels between Girlguiding and u3a: I believe I can both learn from u3a and contribute to its development, drawing on my governance experience, strategic perspective and understanding of volunteer-led organisations

What are your hopes and ambitions for the u3a movement?
I hope u3a achieves its 2026–2029 strategy, exceeds its membership target, and becomes better known for its appeal, impact and evidence base. I would also like to see the ambitions in the 2024 Learn to Live report realised, especially the key government actions.

I am keen for u3a to attract members from “younger” age groups and broader socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds.

No organisation can be all things to all people but to achieve diversity people need to see and hear others like themselves, so they feel they belong. Innovative branding and differentiation could help attract a more diverse membership, strengthen member experiences, and support both a healthier society and u3a’s long-term future.

As AI reshapes employment, I am interested in exploring whether the u3a model can help people find learning, activity, structure and purpose — and whether it could serve as an exemplar, a foundation, or both.

How do you meet the key skills and experience required from the role?
Organisational strategy, change and governance: From 2002 to 2017, I worked at top-team level in two large national charities: as Director of Planning and Resources at the British Film Institute and Director of Corporate Services at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, leading multidisciplinary teams central to governance, management and delivery.

I joined both at challenging points. Both organisations were steeped in tradition and had experienced a decline in their competence, finances and impact.

Working with new chief executives, executive teams, staff groups and trade unions: I helped shape strategy, lead change, stabilise finances, support growth and strengthen board governance. Both organisations broadened their audiences, enhanced their reputations and increased their impact.

Prior to this, in the 1990’s, as HR Director for a Deloitte public-sector outsourcing subsidiary, later Liberator, I developed and trained its approach to effective, people-centred change management.

Strategic education governance: Building on my experience as a Chair of Governors in Islington since 2010, I have served on the Islington Education Board and contributed to the borough’s education strategy.

As Chair of Governors, I worked with headteachers and a broad diversity of governors to strengthen maintained school governance and improve outcomes for young people.

EDI: Since joining the BFI in 2002, all of my roles have either seen me leading the organisation response to equity, equality, diversity and inclusion or supporting it through the development of policies and processes. It is intergral to how we all need to work. Diversity is not one measure applicable across the UK.

Trustee and non-executive experience in a large charity: I would particularly highlight my role as a Trustee of Girlguiding UK, the UK’s largest girl-only organisation. I joined the board in January 2021 and became Chair of its trading subsidiary in June 2021.

As a trustee, I have helped shape strategy and supported and challenged the executive through significant organisational change, including the recent launch of a new uniform.

In both trustee roles, I have used constructive questioning to strengthen business cases, programme-led delivery and risk management, including upgrading warehouse processes, capacity and conditions.

The board has also made sensitive and confidential decisions requiring judgement, discretion and collective responsibility.

Across these roles, I would bring the ability to:

• identify key issues in papers and focus discussion;
• ask focused questions and test assumptions constructively; 
• challenge supportively to strengthen decisions; and
• bring strategic judgement, financial literacy and governance insight.

Why are you applying for the role?
I believe that I have the skills and experience to contribute, not only to the board, but the wider u3a movement. I also know many of the current board members and will be able to integrate and contribute immediately. As I live in the North West of England, my presence on the board will improve the geographical balance of the board members.

What are your hopes and ambitions for the u3a movement?
Firstly, it is important that we improve the growth of our membership. Stagnation of membership will lead to more u3as either combining or closing.

Secondly, I would like the growth of membership to improve the diversity of our membership. We are unbalanced in gender, educational background and ethnic origin.

Thirdly, I would like to see greater public awareness of the existence of the u3a movement.

How do you meet the key skills and experience required from the role?
The experiences that I can bring to the board include:

• former member of the Trust board and the TATTL board.
• former chair of the Trust’s first Equality and Diversity Committee.
• former chair of my u3a and I am currently the national subject advisor for Egyptology. I developed the Heath Check questionnaire for use by u3a committees.
• I was the Vice chair of governors at a sixth form college. For five years I chaired the Audit committee and for a further fifteen chairs, I chaired the Finance and Resources committee. During this period, we achieved an outstanding grade from Ofsted.
• For over three years, I was a non-executive director of two IT companies in Northern Ireland. These were Kainos, a software company and Meridio, a document management company.
• I was a member of the North West Business Leadership team. This consisted of twenty eight owners, chairs, CEOs and directors of significant organisations in the region. The principal purpose was to make the North West a good place to do business.
• Throughout my career, I worked in the IT industry. I spent most of my career in sales and marketing. I was director of the most profitable division in the company, which was ICL, later Fujitsu Services. During this period, I developed and implemented a new strategy for the division. This also required a restructure of the business which achieved a significant financial saving.

The skills that I have include:

• I spent 20 years of my career in sales & marketing exercising all of the four Ps and other marketing techniques. I managed a team of 40 marketing staff.
• Having been responsible for a large division of my company, I have a good understanding of financial management and intellectually challenging information. My team included 12 qualified accountants.
• I became the “go to” director to chair final level disciplinary and grievance hearings.
• I worked with Liz and Allan to help to create the Fit for the Future program.
• Analysis using Belbin Team Roles assessed me to be a Team Worker and Completer Finisher.
• I frequently use IT and video-conferencing. I am familiar with Microsoft products including, Teams, Excel, PowerPoint and Word. I also use Zoom for Egyptology talks.
• I am a good communicator. My Egyptology talks are well received by u3a members.