Our Trustees
Our Charity is governed by a board of Trustees.
We are looking to develop our board of Trustees so that we can support the charity through the next stages of our strategic plans.
We are currently seeking new Trustees with experience in Finance, HR, Law and Strategic Planning.
Please see our Download document for experience and skills needed.
All responses in writing please to Lesley Dyball, Chair of Trustees.
Lesley Dyball – Chair of Trustees
Lesley joined We are Beams as a Trustee in September 2007, and has been the Chair of Trustees for 4 years. Now retired from a senior position in the NHS, she brings with her over 30 years of management, personnel and finance experience.
Lesley has three adult children and five grandsons; she very much enjoys spending time with her grandsons, which involves travelling to the US where her two youngest ones live.
Following her retirement in 2014, Lesley rekindled her interest in local politics and represents her local ward as a Swanley Town and Sevenoaks District Councillor. She sits on a number of committees, is actively involved in several local groups and organisations, and is currently Swanley’s Deputy Mayor.
Sarah Redpath
Sarah joined as a Trustee in 2011. Originally from a hospitality background, Sarah went on to specialise in business management. She has extensive experience in managing small businesses and is currently a director at Leisure King Ltd, an award winning events company. Sarah has a degree in Business Administration and qualifications in business coaching and brings these skills and knowledge to her role as Trustee.
Sarah is Mum to Joseph who was diagnosed in his early years with Wilson-Mowat syndrome, a genetic disorder leaving him with severe learning disability, autism, epilepsy and other minor conditions. As a parent of a disabled child she understands the joys and difficulties associated with caring for a special needs child.
Clare Norman
Clare joined as a Trustee in 2010.
Clare’s career included working in the buying offices of the John Lewis Partnership and in several marketing and business development roles, culminating as Head of Communications at the largest card protection insurance company, CPP. Some of her major clients included Marks and Spencer, Barclays Bank and First Direct. For the past 10 years, Clare has undertaken the financial management of her family photographic retail business.
Clare is a Parent Trustee and her daughter Franny is a service user.
Neil Johnston
Neil joined as a Trustee in 2011. Neil was the Sales Manager for a worldwide optical company and previous to that a Recruitment Consultant. He has extensive sales and marketing experience. Three years ago Neil became a full-time carer, caring for his son for 8 years who has a rare diagnosis of Kabuki Syndrome.
Neil is a Parent Trustee, and his son Kai is a service user.
Keith Grainger
Keith joined as a Trustee in 2011 and had been employed at West Kent College as a Manager within the Student Placement Department. Keith supported students with special needs to be placed within local companies and charities for work experience. Prior to working at the college, Keith was a civil servant for 14 years as Budget and IT Manager.
Keith has a disability and is a wheelchair user.
Rosemarie Neale
Rosie joined as a Trustee in 2013. She also works at another local charity called Homestart as a family Support Worker so brings with her extensive experience of working with families of disabled children. She also runs a Club for Down’s syndrome children on a monthly basis.
Rosie is a Parent Trustee and her daughter Emily is a service user.
Joanna Burton
Joanna joined as a Trustee in 2014. Joanna has a degree in Psychology working in mental health services within various community settings and later became the Deputy Project Manager of a large residential and outreach project. Following this she worked for Bexley Council, managing a children and young people’s short break service. During this time, she also returned to university to train as a counsellor and worked within Greenwich University’s student services and a London-based GP practice offering 1:1 and group counselling.
She qualified with a PGCE and is now working as a lecturer at a further education college.