Trustees
Croydon’s Mental Health Service User GroupManagement
The constitution in the original form was adopted by resolution at the AGM held on the 27th May 2004. Amendments to the constitution were adopted by resolution at the EGM held on 1st July 2008.
The Management Committee are the Trustee Group and are listed on page 5 of the Annual Report 2009/10. They include a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and the Chief Executive Officer Tim Oldham. The Committee has the power to co-opt members as and when they deem it necessary. The Trustee Group is responsible for the day to day running of Hear Us and has a responsibility to report to the funders, charity commission and other stakeholders whenever the need arises.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
To relieve the needs of people living in the London Borough of Croydon and surrounding areas who have mental health problems by the provision of services and advice.
To advance education about mental health for the public benefit in the London borough of Croydon and surrounding areas with the object of creating awareness and reducing the stigma attached to mental health
Abeline Greene (Chair)
After 20 years working in the customer service industry involved in project implementation, project management and account management I took redundancy, and used the opportunity to take my passion for helping people in a completely new direction by working for Mind in Croydon, where I supported people with severe and enduring mental health issues back into employment, and where I first heard about Hear Us.
I have over 10 years’ experience supporting people with the whole range of mental conditions such as depression and anxiety, self-harm as well as diagnoses such as bipolar and schizophrenia – many of the people have severe and enduring mental health problems. This has included working with mental health services in Croydon and Lewisham, SLaM/ CMHT, other third sector providers and the CCG.
At Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich Mind, I managed a team of advisors to support people with mental health issues to manage their mental health. I went on to become the Community Wellbeing Engagement Manager and Senior Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Refugee (BAMER) Mental health Wellbeing Advisor for Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network (LRMN), working in partnership with Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich Mind and Sydenham Garden to deliver the Lewisham Community Wellbeing Adult Mental Health Service. Where I continued to support people with issues affecting their mental health and raised mental health awareness amongst the minority communities in Lewisham.
I am now the Service Manager for the Personal Independence Coordinator Service at Age UK Croydon which provides critical links between health and social care services and wider community support networks, helping people feel more in control of their own health and wellbeing.
I am passionate about well-being, supporting people to feel listened to and enabling them to be part of managing their own mental health.
I joined Hear Us as a trustee in December 2018 and became Secretary September 2020
Cassandra Austin (Vice Chair)
With a history of working in nursing and as a Trade’s Unionist, fighting alongside many colleagues to protect those working in the hospital, and to protest hospital closures, these experiences have enabled me to speak up for others who are struggling to get their points across, or get help.
When I joined Hear Us at a very low point in my life, I found support, understanding and acceptance which has enabled me to cope with almost untenable ill health and giving me a sense of worth. Without this I had no thought of a future. After volunteering for this unique mental health charity, including the Reachout programme and the Open Forum and seeing the ongoing positive effects these had alongside my growing self-confidence, I became a Trustee to help give a voice to all service users and to help Hear Us grow and develop.
Jackie Ashton (Treasurer)
I have worked in the field of adult education for over twenty five years and during that time I have been privileged to support a large number of adults with a range of difficulties, many of them related to mental health. I have seen how a lack of mental health support has often hindered their educational progress and destroyed their confidence and self-belief.
My own family has also been touched by mental health issues and I have witnessed the enormous challenges this brings. On the other hand, I have seen what a tremendous difference getting the right support can make to someone’s life.
These experiences have made me want to contribute some of my time and in some way ‘give back’ for the support my family have received. I have been aware of the work that Hear Us do for several years now and I know that the team works tirelessly to provide support to those who need it. I hope that I can add to that by becoming a trustee.
Niall McVeigh (Secretary)
When my partner was an inpatient on mental health wards in 2015, I was shocked and dismayed at the standard of treatment offered to people experiencing a mental health crisis. I have also experienced anxiety and depression myself, and feel that as a society we don’t always support people properly to tackle these issues, or confront the practical problems that can impact our collective mental health. This has been exacerbated by the pandemic, where it feels like vulnerable people have been pushed aside.
I have seen the great work that Hear Us is doing in south London, representing service users, offering practical support and making sure people’s voices are heard. I would like to play my part in what I feel is a very important time where mental health should be much more widely and openly discussed. I have worked to support vulnerable individuals and families in previous roles, and currently work in the media – I would like to use the experience and platform I have to speak up for people being let down, either in hospital or in the community.
Charlotte Goreing
Charlotte is a marketing leader with over a decade of experience in high-growth SaaS businesses. She specializes in digital strategy, website development, social media, and public relations, bringing expertise in driving engagement and building communities. Having personally navigated mental health challenges, Charlotte is passionate about advocating for improved mental health services and reducing stigma. As a trustee, she is committed to supporting Hear Us in amplifying the voices of service users and expanding its impact.
Halimah Zakiuddin
I was an inpatient on psychiatric hospital wards from 2021 to 2022. It was the time of covid-19 and the height of restrictions. Many factors had contributed to my mental health. I was new to psych hospitals and all the terms and terminologies of ‘sectioned’, ‘escorted,’ ‘informal’ etc. I was very confused. Being one of the younger service users I looked to the other young girls for help and we became friends. In all my admissions Hear Us and Mind’s Independent Mental Health Advocates were the first organisations to call me and ‘meet’ me on Teams, reassure me and offer me advice and support. Occupational therapy also played a huge part in my recovery.
After March 2022 I went back to teaching and ended up teaching in 33 schools across London, through agencies, including with special needs. I am now a Functional skills English and Maths teacher in the supported learning department at Lewisham college. I also became a self-taught artist and poet and this helps my mental health a lot. I’ve been a member with Mind and been to their great social groups and all the art workshops at Bethlem gallery. I’m very grateful to all the organisations who have helped me in my difficult times and in my recovery journey. I always wanted to give back to the community in whatever way I could. Hear Us have different networks and do so much and I’m very happy to be part of the organisation.
Josh Baker-Mendoza
Having become a trustee in 2020 I’m arrived in a moment of great, collective mental stress and even as we finally start to emerge back into normality, I believe it’s clear the services Hear Us provides are more important now than ever. Although I’ve never worked within healthcare, I have long been an advocate for the tolerance and understanding I believe we need to cope with mental illness and have huge a huge amount optimism that within my generation and those below that understanding is becoming the norm. But there is still much work to do.
I wanted to join Hear Us because a few years ago a close family member went through an episode of psychosis. We as a family struggled to know what to do and how to cope with little information available and no obvious plan of action we could follow. As a freelance filmmaker by trade, I hope and expect that I will have the opportunity to help boost Hear Us in ways that may not have been possible before and amplify the voices and stories of service users and those around them, as well as really showcase the amazing work that Hear Us does. I look forward to the work that is to come!
Luke Russell
Hi there.
Thank you for taking the time to read my bio.
I am a husband and a father and although I was born on the south bank of the Thames I now live outside the city.
After almost 31 years as police officer, I retired from service in autumn 2024. For the final 21 years of this career I served as a Hostage & Crisis Negotiator, and I responded numerous times to situations where there was a person who was going through a horrendous moment in their life.
I would spend time listening to them and talking with them and trying to help and allow them to realise that maybe, at that point in time, their story was not yet fully written and it was not the right time to bring their life to an end.
Being a member of the Metropolitan Police’s Negotiator training team, I have been fortunate to meet and work alongside members of Hear Us for the last 12 years as they have brought their insights, perspectives and personal experiences to share with students who are training for the role.
Being able to support the charity and the membership as a Trustee is a privilege in which I hope I can add and share some of my own experiences with the other Board members.
Mental ill health also affects members of the Emergency Services, we are not robots after all. I can think and relate about the challenges I have undergone personally and I can attest that it does not matter how psychologically ‘resilient’ a person maybe; mental ill health can touch anybody.
In addition to Hear Us I am also a Trustee for another Charity which seeks to support current and former colleagues across the Blue Light services who struggle at times as a result of traumatic experiences arising from their service.
If you believe that you can bring experience to share and have a desire and commitment to help others a bit, please consider applying to become a Trustee for Hear Us.
Thanks again for reading.
Millie Reid
My background is in social work, academia and mental health, working in both statutory and voluntary sectors. My first degree was in theology and psychology. I have also got lived the experience of using mental health services.
Over the years, I have been a social worker, social work manager, and teacher in ILEA and supplementary school in Leeds, lecturer, senior lecturer and programme leader of the social work course at Croydon College. I have been a trustee for different charities.
In mental health, l started as a volunteer with ACMHA, African Caribbean Mental Health Association, and the first Black mental health organisation in the UK. I later progressed to running ACMHA Broadmoor Befriending scheme, where I matched local Black volunteers with Black patients in Broadmoor for monthly visits.
I have actively participated in the mental health service user movement over the years; for example, campaigns, roadshows to Special Hospitals, Afiya Trust, protests, and marches. I was also a facilitator for the self-management programme of Bipolar Organisation. Also co-ran a local Bipolar support group for some years. I ran workshops at conferences and was a consultant.
I was the Coordinator of Southwark Mind, only one of two user-run Mind associations at the time. While there, l managed Southwark User Council, which had service user reps from day centres, groups, and inpatient wards at the Maudsley hospital and Southwark Mental Health Partnership Board for monthly meetings with SLAM senior managers. National Survivor User Network (NSUN) hailed SUC as a model of good practice and SUC influenced the setting up of Hear Us Croydon Linkworkers.
I managed Croydon Association for Pastoral Care in Mental Health (APCMH) for 9 years and APCMH won Faith and Belief award for good practice in the community section. With Hear Us, I was an external supervisor for Tim, then Coordinator and Ruth Chair of Hear Us for three years.
I have done research on young black men in Croydon’s use of mental health services, been involved in Breaking the Circes of Fear, Delivering Race Equality, improving services for Black and Minority Ethnic communities etc In 2011, I won the Chris Lawrence award for my contribution to black mental health.
I am passionate about improving people’s experience using social work and mental health services. Hence I have encouraged the development of innovative services with teams I have worked with e.g. Generation Link while at Lambeth Welcare. I work with a group who helps train BA and MA student social workers as we provide our lived experiences of using social work services and mental health services in order for them to become excellent social workers in future.
As a Hear Us trustee, I would use my knowledge, skills and experience to enhance the good work being done and extend further
Could you be a Trustee with Hear Us
We are currently looking for New Trustees to ‘Help Us Reinvent The Universe Or At Least Our Part Of It’
Trustee Application Form