After 42 years of working in a range of roles within Devon County Council, I was delighted to be invited to join the Board of Trustees at Westbank Health and Care. As a social worker and, later in my career, as a leader in social care, I have always been inspired by the work of third sector organisations. Whilst the state has a vital role to play in supporting people who are vulnerable, it is the love of family and the support of friends and neighbours that most enriches our lives and organisations like Westbank are crucial in supporting and extending those informal networks.

As a Trustee, I hope to be able to use my experience to help the team deliver its ambitious programme and make the changes that will be needed to adapt to the future. Supporting unpaid carers was one of my main areas of work during the twelve years I spent in an adult social care leadership role, and I am particularly excited about using that experience to support the Devon Carers team.

Working in social care has not just been a job for me. It has been a lifestyle choice. In my early career, my focus was mainly in supporting children and families. Sometimes that meant making very hard choices where children needed to be protected, and some of my proudest moments have probably been in supporting families to stay together or, where that wasn’t possible, to find long-term homes for them. In my middle and later career, I worked with organisations across the public, private and third sectors to find ways to innovate, to develop community support and, where necessary, to provide the best possible services for vulnerable people of all ages.

Throughout, it has been clear to me that third sector organisations like Westbank provide a wonderful bridge between individuals, families, communities and the public sector. Most people don’t want to have to rely on public services but when they do, it is crucial that they support people to live their lives independently.  I have always tried, whatever my role, to keep the experience of the individual and their family at the heart of my thinking. For me, it is deeply personal. Social care and community support is about adding to what friends and family can do, to help people to live dignified and fulfilled lives, in the way they choose, and I am delighted that I can continue to make a contribution through the Westbank Board.

Of course, I have a wider range of interests too. In the last two years, I have completed the Camino Frances, a 1,000km (620 miles) walk from the French Pyrenees across northern Spain, I hiked the mountains of Iceland along the Laugavegur Trail, and then the Fisherman’s Trail, a 250km walk along the Portuguese coast. My next big trip will be a 1200km walk/pilgrimage in Japan along the ancient Shikoku Island route.

I love books and writing, and for 10 years have hosted an online community called Devon Book Club on Facebook, Goodreads, X and Bluesky (all welcome).

I am also drawn to water – whether in it through open water swimming, under it through scuba or, very recently, on it, sailing. That is something I intend to explore further in 2026.

Retirement gives scope for all manner of new interests, so I am also exploring painting, especially watercolour, and have just started twanging a few chords on a guitar.

After such a long time in social care, it is in my blood, and so drawing all my experience together, I am looking forward to offering some of my energy to the team at Westbank and to playing my part to celebrate and build on its work.