Bill had a career in IT in USA, London and, primarily, Edinburgh. Since retiring, he volunteered at Citizens advice Edinburgh, mainly as an Employment specialist. His major leisure interests are skiing, golf and bridge, and he is a past Chairman of Snowsport Scotland.

Subsequent to his wife’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease, he has been obtaining valuable advice from the staff at VOCAL. These interactions have led him to joining VOCAL as a volunteer.

I have been impressed not just with the quality of advice I received from VOCAL staff but with the manner in which it was given, and also with the overall impression I gained of a well-run and committed organisation which provides vital third sector services to the community of carers. I believe I have experience and skills which can bring value to the Board and so I was pleased to accept the invitation to become a trustee of VOCAL. Following recent changes at the Board, I have been privileged to take over as Convener.

Douglas is a busy environmental business man, a career and family man, who joined the VOCAL Board in 2015. He has extensive experience as a result of his role as a Welfare and Financial Guardian for his son and in instigating and working closely with charitable organisations. In recent years Douglas has been a working member of the Midlothian Self-Directed Support Programme Board which has given him good insight into the workings of health and social care agencies in providing care support.

VOCAL provides a valuable service to carers to provide them with the essential information that is required when caring for someone with physical or special needs.
By joining VOCAL I have the opportunity to contribute to the work of the Board, as I feel that providing the most suitable and comprehensive service is paramount to the future well-being and needs of all carers and the people they support. Over the past twenty years I have gained a considerable amount of knowledge and experience that I can share with the Board to help improve the support available to both the staff and carers.

For 10 years Alison has been involved with the care and support of her stepson who has autism. Her husband was his sole carer for 20 years. She also briefly cared for her father at a distance following a stroke. Her mother, (in her 80s) was his main carer and Alison endeavoured to support them their new roles until he died.

I have recently retired from NHS Lothian, where one strand of my portfolio was as the strategic lead for unpaid carers. I bring to the Board an understanding of the national context of carers work (from a health perspective) as well as an intimate knowledge of the NHS and its associated complexities! I have been an active participant in a number of Scottish Government groups that helped shape the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 and was on the Implementation and Monitoring group as the NHS representative.

While in Lothian I spear headed the work of a small team that enabled NHS Lothian to become an Exemplary Carer Positive Employer in August 2018, the first (and currently only) Health Board in Scotland to achieve this level. The work involved working with a number of key stakeholders – notably HR and Partnership to take forward the work and to ensure that it made a real difference to staff. I firmly believe that employees that are well supported deliver a better service.

I want to support VOCAL as an ‘Exemplary’ Carer Positive Employer, in ensuring that staff, particularly those who juggle employment and unpaid caring responsibilities are supported creatively and effectively.

Marion is a Senior Policy Manager in the Scottish Government. She brings to the Board experience in strategic policy development and programme management.

Alongside her family, Marion has been caring for her father who has lived with vascular dementia for over 8 years.

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Every year, more and more of us take on a caring role.

I, like many, have found caring for my father to be both rewarding and challenging.

VOCAL gives carers the access to information and support to provide the best care they can.

I am passionate about guaranteeing carers receive the support and services that they are entitled to and that they are given the opportunity to meet other carers.

I am keen to use my lived experience, strong work experience and work ethic to the fullest extent in this position.