I have a degree in Politics and History, gained from University College Cardiff in 1981, and in 1992 I gained an MSc in Equal Opportunity Studies at Southampton University.

I have worked within the care and support sector since 1982, when I undertook voluntary, community based work in rural south India.

In late 1982 I joined the Society of St James, an organisation working with people who had become homeless. I stayed with St James for 9 years, and spent the last 5 as Chief Officer. During that time I was actively involved in developing and maintaining the organisation, and the number of schemes St James ran rose from 2 to 10 during the period of my stewardship.

I was then Community Services Manager (Mental Health) for Southampton and SW NHS Trust, and worked from 1992 to 1994, managing both in - patient acute and community based services.

In 1994 I became the Chief Officer of ROCC, an umbrella organisation for the voluntary and statutory supported housing/community care sector - with the particular purpose of generating and helping to sustain partnership and multi - agency working. When I joined ROCC, the membership was at about 30 organisations - within a short period that had risen to well over 100 member organisations and I helped ROCC achieve a reputation as a critically important agency in the facilitation and development of multi agency partnership work. I remained with ROCC until 2000.

I have worked as a self employed consultant and trainer since 2000.   

I have extensive experience of being a Trustee/Director of voluntary and charitable organisations - including as Chair of Children in Need (SW region) a founder member of the Hampton Trust (Hampshire and Isle of Wight) and was the Chair of Westgate Care and Support, (part of Winchester Housing Group). I have also chaired Mind groups and been on the Boards of several housing and homelessness groups.

This portfolio of experience and knowledge has given me a great deal of knowlege and awareness of the issues that face voluntary and statutory agencies, the dynamics and pressures upon the people who lead those organisations, the imperatives : both political and practical that are in operation, and a perspective and practice as a consultant that is based upon matching idealism with reality, pragmatism with principle, action with relflection.