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THE RUILS STAFF TEAM
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RUILS Services and Projects |
THE RUILS STAFF TEAM
Cathy Maker: Chief Executive RUILS I oversee the services and projects that RUILS run. I have been with RUILS for just over 6 years now and have been working with a great team of trustees, staff and volunteers to develop services that support individuals to live the life of their choice. I am a mother of two very active boys and spend a lot of time in Bushy Park wearing them out! I love to travel and I would love to see a different place each year.
I work as part of the team at RUILS and have been working in the borough for a number of years. I am passionate about my work and get a real buzz from meeting so many different people. My daughter Danielle, works as a Personal Assistant in Richmond under Self Directed Support and I am very impressed to see how she has embraced this role. While at times it is hard work she is enjoying the diversity and the many challenges being a PA can bring. In my spare time I am landlady and as Rodney Trotter says ‘This time next year were gonna be millionaires’.
Jackie Pilcher: Independent Living Advisor I am one of the Support Brokers that makes up RIBS and I am based at RUILS. I have been working with RUILS since October 2007 as an Independent Living Advisor setting up and advising individuals on Direct Payments. I have been assisting individuals to write their Support Plans since early 2008 and have been instrumental in developing support planning at RUILS. I use my bike a lot for work, this is good for the environment and it keeps me fit. I have lived in the local area for 20 years, so I know my way around, I have a disabled son who is 25 and lives in Teddington. He is part of the Stepping on Out card making group a business, run by people with learning difficulties. I am very proud of him.
Karen Block: paFinder I work on the paFinder service at RUILS, helping to find suitable PAs for service users. I enjoy the ‘people’ aspect of the job - liaising with PAs and employers to make matches that will make a real difference to people’s lives. I job-share and this enables me to enjoy a work-life balance which gives me time to spend with my family. I am married with two young girls who keep me busy when I’m not at work. In my spare time, I enjoy socialising with family and friends. Cooking is a real passion and I love collecting new recipes, watching TV chefs and trying out new meal ideas. Going out to restaurants is a real treat. If I’m at home, baking with my children is a fun way of spending my time or settling down with a good book.
I work on the RUILS paFinder service assisting service users find suitable PAs. This is essentially a matching service where we seek to put individuals in touch with suitable PAs that can provide them with the support they require to live independent lives. I enjoy talking with Service Users and PAs and it is always a good moment when you achieve a “perfect” match.
Jane Ayres: Independent Living Advisor I joined RUILS on a part time basis to assist recipients of Personal Budgets and DP set up and manage their accounts, and give people advice when needed. Prior to this I helped DP recipients with their financial returns. I have two grown up children, one who is now studying for her doctorate and spends most of her time overseas in underdeveloped countries, and my son who is an interior designer. I used to travel a lot, and during my working life I have met and worked with a wide variety of people, which drew me to the work and support RUILS offers to such a wide spectrum of people’s needs.
Ben Gordon: Helpline Advisor Originally from a small town in Warwickshire, I moved to Twickenham after school to attend St Mary’s University College. While at St Mary’s I studied Media Arts and learnt many practical aspects of the Media. On my course I undertook research projects into the representation of disabled people on prime time British television. I myself am a full time wheelchair user so researching and campaigning for other disabled people like myself is something I have always enjoyed and put time into. I often like to spend my free time watching films whether in the home or at the cinema. I have a great love for foreign cinema, something I studied at university. In the future I would like to be able to combine my love for media and my interest in disability campaigning to take an active part in changing the current representation of disabled people in the media today It will be great to hear from you on the helpline and hope that I can use my own experience of living with a disability to good effect.
Charley Youngson: Administrator & Helpline Advisor I have worked at RUILS for 1 ½ years and am an Office Administrator, assisting the paFinder Service looking to match clients and Personal Assistants. I find this a very rewarding position and particularly enjoy the one-to-one aspect of the role. I really enjoy watching sport, particularly rugby. I also like to go out walking on sunny days. A good evening out for me would involve going to the cinema with my boyfriend, for a meal or going to a pub for a few drinks with friends.
Surabhi Dhondiyal: Lead Transition Worker I started at RUILS as an Independent Living Advisor and enjoyed the opportunity it gave me to meet people from different walks of life. I am now the Lead Transition Worker for the Person Centred Planning Project that RUILS is involved with and I work with young people to develop a Life Plan. I moved from Canada a couple of years ago and while I miss the snow, and would you believe it, the cold winter weather, I have since learnt to enjoy the rain and grey skies of London. My family and I live close to Bushy Park and that is the favourite haunt of my two children, who like nothing better than belting cheery hellos to the deer and ducks that abound there. In my spare time I like to read Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series as they are funny and a wonderful way to end my day. I try to use my bicycle at work as much as possible and my current project is to find a bike seat that feels like a comfy couch.
Caroline Thorogood: Volunteer and Community Involvement Officer I’m responsible for recruiting and supporting volunteers and having been a volunteer myself in the past, I’m passionate about the opportunities volunteering can offer.
Paula Buckton: Support Planner I have recently started working as a Support Planner with the RIBs team. I help people who are hoping to have direct payments to write a support pan and to get the budget approved. I work part time for RUILS and I have 2 other jobs! I also work as a Supervisor for a care company in teh mornings and am a Personal Assistant one afternoon a week. That means I’m pretty busy but it’s really rewarding! I have lived in Twickenham for more than 25 years but originally I am from Leeds. Like most northerners, I am fairly down to earth and practical. I have one daughter of 21 who is at University in Newcastle so she’s learning to be the same! I ride a bike everywhere around the Borough which means I keep fit and get to most places pretty fast. I love walking - mountains and hills are best but parks are good too, and 20 miles is a Sunday stroll for me! At home I like to sew and cook and I can do DIY when I need to.
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