Carers in Bedfordshire has a dedicated team here to support carers. Our team consists of qualified nurses, social workers, teachers, nursery nurses, welfare and benefits advisors, sports coaches, accountants, therapists and computer tutors. Many of our team are or have been carers themselves. They have worked in many diverse environments and bring a wealth of skills, knowledge, understanding along with both personal and professional experience.
Yvonne Clark Chief Executive Officer Yvonne spent many years as a nurse and is also a carer. As well as being Chief Executive she is responsible for the operational and strategic management of Carers in Bedfordshire. She also helps run our training courses and one carer support group in Bedford. Yvonne is located at our Bedford office. yvonne.clark@carersinbeds.org.uk
Sally Petre Central Bedfordshire Co-ordinator / Service Development Co-ordinator Sally is the co-ordinator for Central Bedfordshire services and is also Service Devleopment Co-ordinator. She is responsible for our carers training programme, supports many adult family carers and runs several Carer Support Groups. Sally is located at our Bedford office. sally.petre@carersinbeds.org.uk
Cheryl Subocz Carers Cafe Co-ordinator / Deputy Chief Executive Officer Cheryl co-ordinates our specialist 'Carers Cafe' project for both carer, cared for and family. These run on Saturday afternoons in either Bedford, Biggleswade or Houghton Regis and offer a variety of activities for carers to bring their cared for and families to for a nominal fee. Services include pampering, chiropody, hairdressing, children’s computer games, toys and videos, demonstrations (e.g. contained gardening, fire safety). Refreshments avaliable during the Carers Cafe and Carer Support Workers are around offering advice and support. Cheryl will be at every Cafe to chat to carers and follow-up on any problems or needs. Cheryl is located at our Bedford office. cheryl.subocz@carersinbeds.org.uk
Elaine Wallbank Parent Carers Co-ordinator Elaine is a parent carer herself and co-ordinates our specialist service for parents of children with additional needs who live in Bedfordshire. We call the service 'Parents Together' and it trains volunteer parent carers to act as 'Befrienders' to their peers. In addition, it provides special training and support for parents of children with additional needs who are going through the transition from child to adult. Parent carers are, of course also entitled to all of the other services offered by Carers in Bedfordshire. Elaine is located at our Biggleswade office. elaine.wallbank@carersinbeds.org.uk
Karen Balfe Parent Carers Support Worker Karen is a part of our specialist project called 'Parents Together' which helps and supports parents of children with additional needs who live in South Bedfordshire and Luton. Karen is herself a carer. karen.balfe@carersinbeds.org.uk
Robert Cunningham Young Adult Carers 16-25 Co-ordinator / Young and Sibling Carers 3-16 Co-ordinator Robert co-ordinates 'The Hub' throughout Bedfordshire which is our specialist service for young adult carers aged 16 to 25. Presently we have two Hub nights running in Bedfordshire, one in Kempston and one in Leighton Buzzard. He provides help and support on a one-to-one basis, including emotional and practical support, help with education, employment and training including arranging work experience placements. Robert also arranges fun social events like go-karting, spa days, watching England at Wembley, ice skating and residential trips. Robert is located at our Bedford office. robert.cunningham@carersinbeds.org.uk
Janice Shankland Young Carers Grants Co-ordinator (under 18 years of age) Janice co-ordinates our 'Young Carers Grants' project. Young Carers can access funds for a variety of purposes provided it benefits their health and well-being or training that would support their role as a carer. You can apply directly to Janice on 0300 111 1919 or make an application through another organisation. Janice also runs our Siblings Project to provide help and support to children with a brother or sister who have additional needs. The service offers sibling carers their own club and social events. She also runs the childrens services at our Carers Cafes. Janice is located at our Bedford office. janice.shankland@carersinbeds.org.uk
Raychel Hall Young and Sibling Carers Support Worker (Lead for Middle Schools - 9 to 13 year olds) Raychel is responsible for young and sibling carers aged 9 to 13 and has worked with young carers since 2007. She is fun, a good listener and easy to talk to and thoroughly enjoys her work. Raychel is located at our Bedford office. raychel.hall@carersinbeds.org.uk
Mandy Lee Young and Sibling Carers Support Worker (Lead for Early Years & Lower Schools - 4 to 9 year olds) Updated information due soon. Mandy is located at our Bedford Office. mandy.lee@carersinbeds.org.uk
Linda Di Michele Carers Grants Co-ordinator (over 18 years of age) Linda co-ordinates our carers breaks project called 'Carers Grants'. Carers can access funds for a variety of purposes provided it benefits their health and well-being or training that would support their role as a carer. You can apply directly to Linda on 01767 315079 or make an application through another organisation, such as Rethink or The Alzheimer’s Society. Linda is located at our Biggleswade office. linda.dimichele@carersinbeds.org.uk
Geraldine Place Adult Carers Support Worker Gerry supports adult carers across Bedfordshire, runs support groups and assists with our carers training programme. Gerry is located at our Biggleswade office. geraldine.place@carersinbeds.org.uk
Sharon Rogers Mental Health Carers Team Leader Sharon is now the Team Leader for our team of specific 'Mental Health Carer Team' of support workers and carer representative. The team provides one-to-one support for carers of someone with mental ill health. She has previously worked for a national mental health charity. Sharon is located at our Leighton Buzzard office.sharon.rogers@carersinbeds.org.uk
Sue Bray Mental Health Carers Support Worker Sue is a carer herself and understands the difficulties and experiences carers face. She provides support, access to the necessary services and ensures that carers are aware of their rights to both Carers Assessments and Carers Direct Payments. Sue facilitates 2 support groups which often included a guest speaker. She previously worked for a national mental health charity and is now working with us to provide a much wider source of support to ensure carers feel valued. Sue is located in our Bedford office. sue.bray@carersinbeds.org.uk
Jane Stokes Mental Health Carers Support Worker Jane was originally a teacher who then worked with adults who suffered from severe mental illness. Through tutoring and therapeutic support work she gained an insight and better understanding about mental illness. She has also previously worked for a national mental health charity. Jane now supports our carers and facilitates a number of their support groups throughout Central Bedfordshire. Jane is located in our Leighton Buzzard office. jane.stokes@carersinbeds.org.uk
Carys Martin Mental Health Carers Representative / Military Veteran Carers Support Worker Carys has been a carer herself for many years and is passionate about mental health provision locally to ensure that both service users and their carers receive the best quality service available. She attends many voluntary and staututory sector meetings to ensure a carers voice is heard. Carys has a particular interest in supporting housing and is also working with Robert to develop our new military veteran carers support service. Carys is located at our Leighton Buzzard office. carys.martin@carersinbeds.org.uk
Garry Dunlop Finance Administrator Garry works on the financial administration of our organisation and is responsible for maintaining our financial records, paying wages, invoices and bills etc. Garry is located at our Bedford office. garry.dunlop@carersinbeds.org.uk
Chris Barber Administrator and Finance Assistant Chris helps with the administration of our organisation, he assists Garry with the day to day financial record keeping and also helps Robert with The Hub Young Adult Carers. He is a bit of a whizz at solving our I.T problems. Chris is located at our Bedford office. chris.barber@carersinbeds.org.uk
Chris Kidd Carers Cafe Administrator Chris is the Carers Cafe Administrator and is also a Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive. He edits our quarterly magazine called "Carers". Chris is located at both our Bedford and Biggleswade offices. chris.kidd@carersinbeds.org.uk
Cassey Munns Carer Grants Administrator Cassey is the Carer and Young Carer Grants Administrator. Cassey is located at both our Bedford and Biggleswade offices. cassey.munns@carersinbeds.org.uk
Sarah Johnson Mental Health Carers Team Administrator Sarah is the administrator for the 'Mental Health Carers Team' and is responsible for general administration duties and updating the database. She has previously worked for a carers service as an administrator and also has several years experience working as a Senior Care Assistant. Sarah is located at our Leighton Buzzard office. sarah.johnson@carersinbeds.org.uk
Paul Brasier Funding Associate Paul was originally an engineer and later worked as a teacher and he is also a carer. He is our funding associate and works primarily from home. Paul can be contacted on his email address: paul.brasier@carersinbeds.org.uk
Melanie Reynolds Relaxation Therapist Mel is our relaxation therapist and pampers carers at our Bedford and Biggleswade centres during the week. Mel also pampers at the Carers Cafes on a Saturday afternoon and at The Hub and Young and Sibling Carers clubs across Bedfordshire. melanie.reynolds@carersinbeds.org.uk
Jacqueline Dunn Computer Tutor Jacqi is our computer tutor and provides training for carers at our offices or at the carers home throughout Bedfordshire. Jacqi is located at our Biggleswade office. jacqueline.dunn@carersinbeds.org.uk
Contact Us
Opening Times: Monday to Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Telephone: 0300 111 1919
Address: Suite K Sandland Court Pilgrim Centre Brickhill Drive Bedford MK41 7PZ
