Adrian Canale-Parola – Chairperson
I joined the Board of New Directions in May 2021, having previously worked for over 30 years as a GP Principal in Rugby.  During this time I was appointed as Clinical Assistant for Learning Disability, and spent 20 years or so working as part of a multi-disciplinary team providing a community service locally.  I have also been involved with clinical commissioning for may years, and from 2013 to 2018 was appointed Chair of Coventry and Rugby Clinical Commissioning Group, responsible for the commissioning of health care for the population of Coventry and Rugby.  I am also a long-standing Trustee of Rugby High School, with a responsibility for overseeing Safeguarding and Special Educational Needs and Disability.I am pleased to be able to bring my skills and wide experience to New Directions, to continue to work locally to support some of the most vulnerable members of our society in maintaining their independence and maximising their potential.

Margaret Sedgley 
I have been involved with New Directions since 1978 becoming Hon. Secretary in 1987, and Company Secretary in 1991 when the Society formed a charitable limited company, Rugby Mencap Hostels.  I retired in April 2009 and was invited to join the Board. In my role as a Trustee, I seek to work hard to uphold the aims and objectives of the Company for the benefit of people with learning disabilities.

Jo Jarman
My family has been involved with New Directions since the 1970s when my sister started using the respite service.  My dad sat on the Board of Trustees for many years and I joined him in September 2000.  In 2015, after serving as Chair for many years, I left the board and joined New Directions as the Finance Manager.  I left this post in April 2022 and rejoined the Board of Trustees in May 2022.  I qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1987 and spent many years in practice.  I bring a wealth of financial experience to the board of trustees both from my time in private practice and from my aforementioned role as Finance Manager.  I have gained a lot of knowledge about New Directions, it’s history and the adult social care sector in general.  I am also able to give the family perspective.  I am committed to ensuring New Directions is recognised for the amazing work that it does and to seeing that it continues to be an innovative and forward thinking provider.

Diana Rayner
I first started working with people with learning disabilities in Scotland in 1985.  I was a volunteer with a charity offering basic literacy and numeracy and social skills to people from the local day centres.  I then became a tutor in the group and went on to set up more groups in the area.  I then moved to one of the centres as an instructor and ran the independent living training flat.  When my husband’s job brought us to Warwickshire in 1991 I worked for a year in a local primary school with children with special needs.  After that I became an assistant clinical psychologist with the local NHS learning disability team, based at Admiral’s Court and working with children and adults.  I then became a psychological therapist which was the post I held when I retired in May 2015.  That involved working with local residents, families, carers and staff, offering advice and support to sort out difficulties and improve their quality of life and I was delighted to be able to extend that support as an adviser to the Board.  This gave me an inside view of the dedicated work that goes on in New Directions to make it the innovative and exciting force that it has become so I was thrilled to be asked to become a trustee when I retired.  Being a Trustee means that I can still help to make a difference to people’s lives as well as enjoying the relationships that have built up over many years and I’m proud to be part of a dynamic organisation that is constantly looking ahead to the next challenge which then becomes another stepping stone in the lives of people in Rugby.

Syd Barhey
I joined the Board of New Directions in January 2016 and bring over 30 years of finance experience with me.  Having originally qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG in 1990, I have since gained a wealth of finance and commercial experience in a range of well known ‘blue chip’ organisations and am currently Chief Financial Officer at the London based consumer products company JML.  I have lived in Rugby almost all of my life and both of my children were born and went to school here – I therefore owe much of what I have achieved both professionally and personally to this town.  I was therefore only too delighted to seize the opportunity of joining the Board of New Directions when it arose at the end of last year, as the possibility of being able to use my skills and experience to contribute to an organisation that has done, and continues to do, such wonderful work for the people of Rugby feels like a great way to offer something back to the town and community to whom I owe so much.

Jan Phillips
I joined New Directions Board of Trustees in May 2016. I have a brother who is a resident with New Directions living in the Gateway Court complex.  I believe that my life experiences have given me a good understanding of the issues and concerns that can face individuals and family members with regards to learning disabilities.  I have over thirty years’ experience working within the community development field with both adults and young people.  This work has been within a variety of settings including youth services, community development programmes and more recently the addictions field.  I work in an anti-oppressive way with the view to enabling groups and individuals to develop their confidence and skills to become independent. I have total commitment to equality of access which includes people being given the opportunity to make informed choices and influence service delivery.  I am therefore motivated by the innovative plans New Directions has for the future to support more people with learning and physical disabilities and am pleased to be part of a proactive organisation.

 

Phil Hughes
I was delighted to join the Board of Trustees for New Directions in 2018.  I have a sister who lives in Supported Living accommodation managed by New Directions, therefore I see at first hand the dedicated support of the staff to the residents.  My family very much appreciates all the care she receives.  I am an accountant by training having qualified with Grant Thornton in Oxford.  I then moved into industry and undertook a variety of roles culminating in being the Global CFO for Castrol, the lubricants company.  Since leaving Castrol I have turned my focus to Not For Profit organisations;  I have recently been the Interim Finance Director for the British Red Cross and have also completed six years as trustee for Young Epilepsy based in Surrey.

Lesley Hanson
I have recently retired from a long career in social work.  My professional background includes working for six years as a hospital social worker, and almost nineteen years working with adults with learning disabilities and autism – firstly as a social worker, and then as a Team Leader, supervising a number of social workers.  I have also been a social work practice teacher, involved in supervision and assessment of students in the workplace.  Working in this field has given me a wide experience and understanding of the needs, requirements and aspirations of people with learning disabilities and an insight into the concerns of their families. Throughout my career I have had a strong commitment to social justice – consistently promoting fairness and equality for the people I have worked with, in order to achieve the best possible opportunities for them to live fulfilling and healthy lives.  I bring a positive, practical ‘can-do’ approach to all my work.  On a more personal note, I am a keen gardener, and a member of the National Trust.  I enjoy handicrafts, visiting gardens, cookery, music, theatre and genealogy.

Trustees

Charity trustees play a very important role in making sure that the charity is run in the interests of the people it is there to support. They strategically oversee the management and administration of the organisation.

Trustees ensure their charity has a clear strategy, and that its work and goals are in line with its vision. The trustees’ role at New Directions is to be the ‘guardians of purpose’, making sure that all decisions put the needs of the people we support first.

They safeguard the charity’s assets – both physical assets, including property, and intangible ones, such as its reputation. They make sure these are used well and that the charity is run sustainably.

Trustees don’t usually get involved in the day-to-day running of the charity. They delegate this to the senior leadership team and registered managers, led by the Chief Executive. Instead, they play the role of a ‘critical friend’ to the Chief Executive by giving support and by challenging – in a supportive way – to help them manage effectively.