The Dementia Carers' Respite Team
The Trustees and the advisory council members of our charity have a wealth of relevant experience and are fully committed to achieving its goals. This valuable experience includes the following:
- Running national and international companies, local community organisations and societies
- Managing charities
- Marketing, public relations, media planning and events organisation
- Fund-raising
- Specific sector knowledge, for example, experience with Alzheimer's Society UK, Alzheimer's Research International and direct first-hand experience as dementia family carers.
Trustees
Walid studied Laboratory Haematology, working in the NHS before joining Bayer in the UK and later in France, reaching executive positions. Strongly believing in hard work to make life better for the community, as activist and Councillor, he delivered projects for Hyde Heath, Holmer Green and Little Kingshill. Following the end of his term as Chairman of the local Liberal Democrats party, he decided to move from politics into charity activities by setting up Dementia Carers Respite. According to Walid “we are only here once. Yes, we must have time for our family and friends but giving back to the community we live in, the community which has given us so much over the years, is a duty and a must.”
A BBC TV item focussed on a full-time dementia patient carer, followed by much research and family carer interviews, spurred Walid to do something about the suffering of many family carers and he hopes this charity will do the same for the reader.
Peter Healy has lived all his life in South Buckinghamshire. After a career in marketing, he retired in 2012 and became more involved in local voluntary work in a variety of organisations in his local village of Holmer Green. He also volunteers for Amersham Museum where he recently became a trustee. Di, who was Peter’s wife, died from Alzheimer’s Disease in 2021 and this has led him to become involved with the Alzheimer’s Society and now with Dementia Carers Respite.
Peter said “As I was a Dementia family carer myself for many years, I know too well the difficulties and challenges they face day in and day out and I hope to put my personal, real-life experience to good use for the benefit of Dementia Carers Respite."
Tim has over 30 years’ experience in the property industry. He is Development Director of Trust Real Estate. Prior to this Tim was with real estate developer and investor Minerva for 17 years and rose to the position of Chief Executive. He was the Senior Independent Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration and Nomination Committees of London and Continental Railways. He is Vice Chair of Governors of Queenswood School and Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Farriers. Married with three children and one unruly Newfoundland, he enjoys travel, skiing, gardening, theatre and film, like most people, we all know someone living with Dementia. The closer we get to this subject the more you realise the terrible plight of many family carers who rarely if ever get a break. They too need time out. Living in Buckinghamshire and hearing about Dementia Carers Respite encouraged him to devote his years of charity experience towards supporting a local charity with national ambitions
Committee
Paula Marzouk is married with 2 children and 5 granddaughters and has lived in Buckinghamshire for 30 years. She studied Medical Laboratory Sciences at Trent Polytechnic and worked in laboratory medicine and pharmaceutical research. Later on, she became a Director of a Medical Diagnostics company for 20 years as well a Publisher of a Medical Journal. Paula said "Seeing that social care, in general, is in crisis, and with little chance of a significant increase in government funding, I was keen to get involved and research the dementia family carers situation. With my interest in the medical field and media experience, helping set up Dementia Carers Respite to alleviate suffering of many family carers in Buckinghamshire is something I take great pride in.
I have lived in Buckinghamshire for over 12 years and am a mum of two. I have over 20 years' of publishing experience, 15 of these as a Production Manager for the Daily Mail Group, working mainly on home interest titles and the Ideal Home Exhibition. I currently also work part-time at Thermo Fisher Scientific as a Marketing and Office Manager. I cared for my own mother, who had an illness called Lupus, for a number of years. After she passed away, I volunteered for a young carers' organisation – caring is a cause which remains very close to my heart. I really wanted to get involved with Dementia Carers' Respite charity because I know first-hand about the suffering of carers themselves and the need for a well-deserved respite. I am hoping to apply my communication skills and empathy while bringing my media experience to this rewarding role.
Brian Whitnall has lived in South Bucks for over 40 years.
His working life was spent as an electronics design engineer designing hardware and software for real-time information systems. He was chief engineer for 40 years, and still does some consultancy work in this field.
He has been a volunteer treasurer for small organisations at various times, starting at University.
He has been the treasurer for Holmer Green Village Society since its inception in 2018
He is married to Linda, and has two sons. Linda used to run several weekly swimming groups for the less mobile at Woodrow High House, Amersham prior to her stroke in 2023.
Brian said "Having witnessed the effects of Alzheimer's disease on a close family member and the need for constant caring, I was happy to offer my bookkeeping skills to support Dementia Carers Respite"
Sue Luxton has lived for 33 years in Buckinghamshire, she is married with 2 daughters and 1 grandson. Sue’s parents are both currently living with dementia and she knows from firsthand experience the true impact on family carers and how valuable respite care can be. With 30 years operational management and business support experience gained working for a ‘not for profit’ housing association, we believe that her transferable expertise will be a real asset to our Charity . With a passion for organising and using the back office skills, Sue will no doubt support Dementia Carers Respite to continue to grow and flourish. Sue said ‘Finding a local but much needed charity who want to help those that give so much already, led me to want to be part of their story’
Rob is an active community leader who serves on his local Parish Council and as Vice Chairman of the Council’s Finance Committee. He also volunteers at a wide range of community events, most notably the annual Village Show. He previously dedicated five years as a Community First Responder, delivering frontline medical support. It was at this time that he became very aware of the stress and pressure that Dementia brings to Family carers . Rob Says “Once learning about Dementia Carers Respite, I felt compelled to join and get involved” With over 30 years of professional experience in Medical Biochemistry, AI and data architecture added to his organisational skills, public service and community commitment, Rob brings a powerful mix of expertise to every Dementia Carers Respite project he supports
Dr Louise Gill brings broad leadership experience to our organisation, having served as a Vice President with over 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry. She has successfully led large global teams bringing new medicines to patients, whilst ensuring rigorous compliance with regulatory frameworks and governance standards as well as advocating for change. Armed with a DPhil in Biochemistry from Oxford University, she possesses both the scientific acumen and strategic vision essential for driving meaningful change. Louise is married with 2 grown-up children and has lived in Buckinghamshire for nearly 30 years. Louise's will bring her business insights, leadership capabilities, and genuine empathy for patients to help Dementia families carers navigating the challenges they meet daily. She will also contribute to help the charity continue to grow as a serious player in Dementia Family Care
Rhianna brings a creative and strategic approach to Dementia Carers Respite, helping raise awareness of the charity's work through engaging digital marketing and communications. With a Master's degree in Digital Marketing and a background in healthcare marketing, she has experience creating content, managing social media, email marketing and digital campaigns that connect with audiences. Passionate about creative storytelling and building meaningful connections, Rhianna enjoys using digital platforms to help more people discover the charity's work and the support it provides to families affected by dementia. She was recognised as Young Businesswoman of the Year Kent in 2024 for her achievements in marketing and is proud to use her skills to help the charity grow its reach and make a positive difference to the community.
Advisory Team
Andrew Ketteringham, former director of external affairs at Alzheimer’s Society, Vice Chair of Alzheimer’s Disease International, chaired the 2012 ADI conference in London.
"While working to convince the UK government that it should produce a national dementia strategy, I worked closely with those living with dementia, including their carers. During that time, I never failed to be impressed by the love, care and time given by carers. To enable them to undertake their valuable work there is a significant need to provide them some respite from time to time. I am delighted, therefore, to see the need being recognised in Buckinghamshire and a charity being established to meet that need. You deserve our support."
Dominic Pinkney is the Chief Executive of two charities and a social enterprise, working to increase and develop volunteering and community participation, from large corporations to local volunteering. His in-depth knowledge of running charities and volunteer organisations will be a great source of quality and qualified advice for Dementia Carers Respite. Dominic’s love and endeavour to help and develop communities has led him to become an Amersham Town Councillor where he is already making a difference. “I was delighted to be asked for advice on the set up of this Charity and glad to have helped. I will continue to provide my expertise where I can, to serve this worthiest of causes at a time where our beleaguered NHS and financially stretched councils are struggling to make ends meet,” commented Dominic.
After her nursing training Caroline became a staff nurse at King Edward VII Hospital in London. She was promoted to Ward Sister then to Matron, a post she held for 24 years. She was awarded an MVO and an LVO , both awards given personally by the late Queen, HM Queen Elizabeth II. Carolines charity work includes being a Governor to The Charterhouse and Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Ironmongers. Caroline lives in Essex with her partner Peter and 2 lively cockapoos, she enjoys travelling, theatre and cooking. “ Caring for my late parents with dementia I know firsthand how exhausting it is for family carers. Seeing the passion this small but vital charity has to help those in desperate need for respite, led me to join and help. “ We are sure that Caroline’s wealth of experience will help us to grow and achieve our aims.
“Stuart has lived in Buckinghamshire for 42 years. He qualified as a chartered accountant in 1975 and passed ACT and MCT exams in 1985. He is now a Fellow of ICAEW and Fellow of the ACT. He has held numerous senior finance positions with Price Waterhouse, Balfour Beatty Ltd, Amec plc and later as CFO for Thames Water. He was a Trustee at Brathay (Youth Charity in the Lake District 2000-2005) After retirement he volunteered for Work Aid Chesham before becoming a trustee at Lindengate mental health charity in Wendover until March 2024. With years of experience sitting on FTSE 250 company boards and more than 8 years in the charity world, Stuart brings the valuable specialist expertise the charity needs in terms of professional charity finance and reporting. Stuart says ”Dementia is a growing crisis and to be able to help a local charity whose sole objective is funding much needed respite for family carers is a community duty”.
Susan has over 30 years’ experience in market research and advertising, and has run her own independent agency for many years. At Dementia Carers’ Respite, she uses these skills to listen to Carers’ stories and understand the difference the charity makes. Her connection to the cause is very personal. “My dad has dementia, and I recently moved from London to Buckinghamshire to make it easier to support my parents. When I found Dementia Carers Respite on my doorstep, I knew I wanted to get involved” Caring for a parent with dementia shapes the way Susan listens to others. “I know what it’s like when dementia touches a family. There are things we all have in common, but no two journeys are the same.”
Jayne Connery FRSA FRSPH is Founder and Director of the Care Campaign for the Vulnerable (CCFTV), a national not-for-profit organisation promoting safety, dignity and transparency in health and social care.
Inspired by her family's experience supporting her mother, who lived with vascular dementia, Jayne has spent more than a decade helping families navigate dementia care, NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC), safeguarding and care home standards.
Recognised as a leading independent voice on adult social care, she works with families, NHS organisations, care providers and policymakers to improve standards and influence national reform.
A respected speaker and media commentator, Jayne regularly raises awareness of dementia and carers' rights
As Advisor to Dementia Carers Respite, Jayne will be supporting its mission to improve the lives of people l
Future Plans
As with any new business, building the right team is an essential, yet time consuming task. Dementia Carer’s Respite charity is still in this vital phase of its growth. Over the next few months, we will be recruiting further trustees as well as advisors in specialist fields such as fund raising, project management, customer relationship management (CRM) and finance.
If you have any of these skills and just a few hours a week that you could spare to help in this worthwhile cause, please contact us at support@dementia-respite.org.uk
All the work we do benefits the full-time family carers and their health and well-being.