I was honoured to be invited recently to be a trustee for PEDS by Mandy and Sue. Whilst working as the teacher at the Phoenix Centre, an NHS specialist Eating Disorders Unit, I developed a great admiration for the compassionate care Mandy and Sue both showed to the young people there, on a daily basis. We worked together as colleagues to support each other, so that the patients had access to the best possible treatment and so that they could return, as seamlessly as possible, to education.

The patients trusted and respected Mandy and Sue and valued their wisdom, professionalism and total kindness!

For my part, running the school at the Phoenix Centre from 2000 to 2018 was the highlight of my teaching career, and I am passionate about supporting young people who are out of mainstream education, with their hopes, ambitions and dreams, in the best way possible. The school at the Phoenix was referred to by some young people as a ‘sanctuary’. I would like to share my enthusiasm for education and its crucial importance . I will never forget the young people and would like to play my part in ameliorating the suffering caused by this illness.

I chair the Social Justice group at my local church and am involved in volunteering for other organisations, including a local homeless project, on a regular basis.