Julie Colley Trustee Expand Julie is based in Harrogate and is Deputy CEO of The Avalon Care Group. She started her career as a volunteer in a shelter for homeless adults over 25 years ago, from which she moved into learning disability support, managing care homes and supported living arrangements for people with different needs. Julie joined The Avalon Care Group in 2002 as part of the Senior Management Team to create the workforce development strategy and setting up the Learning and Development Department. Over time widening her skills to other areas of the organisation and as Deputy CEO. Avalon has supported people living with dementia and their families for a number of years from supporting families to stay together in their own home, to support for family carers with training, advice and short breaks. Julie said “Personally I have experienced the impact of dementia caring for my father over the past 4 years until he passed away. I first came across Sporting Memories at a conference on Dementia and was inspired by the presentation given by Tony and the positive impact of the groups. My father was an amateur boxer and even with his dementia knew the results of all his own boxing matches as well as all the boxing greats. We often used the photo cards to talk about boxing and we both found real pleasure and comfort in this.”
Jaimie Dorward FCC Trustee Expand Jaimie is a chartered accountant with over twenty years of experience in finance and ten years actively volunteering for charitable organisations. She works for Anchor Hanover Group who are England's largest not for profit provider of housing and care for older people, her role as Finance Partnering Manager is the preparation of accounts for our Operations division and all individual location service charge accounts for 54,000 social and non-social housing units. Jaimie volunteers at Bradford City FC as Disability Officer and co-manages the Foundations Disability programme which includes Bradford City Disability FC a football club for all ages, genders and abilities and a volunteering programme at the ground. Jaimie says her proudest achievement is co-founding the Women's Disability team who for two years running have been Runners Up in the FA Peoples Cup!
Tony Jameson-Allen Co-Founder and Director Expand Tony Jameson-Allen Ford Escorts and Lancia Stratos (what is the plural, strati?!) fill my early sporting memories. Growing up close to Dalby Forest in North Yorkshire, my parents took me to see the Lombard R.A.C and Mintex rallies fly through the gravel and forest tracks, with the likes of Roger Clark, Stig Blomqvist and Ari Vatenen throwing their rear wheel drive Escorts about with astounding accuracy and speed. Later came the amazing looks and sound of the Lancia Stratos, the first sight of which remains etched in my memory. I don't think there has been a more beautiful rally car produced. Whilst the WRC had to change, my interest in rallying remains & I can occasionally be found trying to keep a little yellow retro rally car generally pointing in the right direction on local tarmac stage rallies. Being a lifelong QPR supporter, I naturally chose a non footballing memory to recount here! I have a passion for improving mental health care and systems through collaborative working and the effective management of information and communication. With clinical and managerial experience of working with older people in their mental health and social care, I believe that effective and sustainable developments can only be achieved if these are carried out in collaboration, ensuring service users and carers are actively engaged in planning, implementation and evaluation. As a qualified RMN, my work roles included being clinical lead and manager of long term dementia care facilities, including care homes and working in primary and secondary NHS care settings.
James Mason Trustee Expand James has spent most of his adult life working in sport. Firstly as a BBC sports reporter and presenter for over ten years before moving into professional football where he held the positions of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Executive at Bradford City and Rochdale football clubs. James is now working for First Point USA travelling the world offering sports scholarship opportunities to talented young sportsmen and women. He is also a part owner of a Sports agency and is an after dinner speaker and host himself so brings a wealth of PR, marketing and communications expertise to Sporting Memories. James is and active fundraiser for the Charity by hosting a number of sporting dinners and later this year will take part in the Great North Run. James has also been instrumental in setting up a hugely successful Sporting Memories club in his home town of Bradford.
Rory McCormick Trustee and Chair of the Board Expand Rory is based in London and has been involved with The Sporting Memories Foundation for over three years, initially as a pro-bono consultant and more recently as a trustee. A lawyer by training, Rory brings experience from across the Legal, Banking and IT Services industries. Rory Chairs our Board of Trustees and is committed to helping The Sporting Memories Foundation to grow in a sustainable manner and continue to positively impact its members.
Chris Wilkins Co-Founder and Director Expand Chris Wilkins Motor racing is my passion and especially historic motor racing. For me it all started watching Rally Cross in black and white on Saturday afternoons on the BBC with the unmistakable voice of Murray Walker. Since then I've been lucky enough to enjoy some wonderful trips to a number of Grand Prix and have great memories such as watching Nigel Mansell slicing through the field in torrential rain in his Ferrari and the whole stand rising to their feet each time he lapped and had passed another car. I remember seeing all the top drivers running along the sea front at Monaco after a mass shunt at Lowes hairpin had brought the race to a premature halt. But the older I get the more interested I have become in motor racing from earlier years. Fortunately the Goodwood Revival has allowed me to enjoy seeing first-hand the likes of Stirling Moss setting a lap record for the day in more torrential rain at the wheel of a Maserati 250f with spray shooting twenty feet into the air. Like Murray Walker, my career began in Advertising, but in recent years I have been involved in developing therapeutic memory products including the KnowMeWell Memory Books through my company Caring Memories. It was when I was approached to develop a version of these personalised photo books that I began to realise the scope and amazing opportunity to develop other exciting products to support sporting reminiscence, and as a result helped to set-up the Sporting Memories Network.