Trustees

Hear Us has been running since 4th October 2001 as a not for profit organisation in Croydon and on 15th April 2010 the Management Committee registered Hear Us with the Charity Commission for charity status (No. 1135535) to give Hear Us a more independent and stronger voice in the community.

Management
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 Coordinator 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

1. 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
2. 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

Angela Mitchell (Chair)

I have thoroughly enjoyed being Interim Chair since November 2018. It has been such a great honour to contribute to such an outstanding organisation as Hear Us. In the last year, the staff and Trustees have been working very hard to make plans about how we can develop the organisation so that we can become more productive and involve more people in the running of the organisation but more importantly support more people in the community. I would very much like to continue this work and see Hear Us grow and become more financially stable by being more successful with its fundraising and increase its income generation. This way we can become more sustainable to continue the great work that Hear Us does every day.

While working with Hear Us I would like to achieve the following:

• To give the organisation & staff a firm direction
• To ensure Hear Us has solid funding for next 3 – 5 years
• To grow Hear Us and capitalise on any new opportunities
• To ensure we have adequate capacity to carry out our objectives
• To empower the service users that we serve and to give them a stronger voice
• To support the happiness and health of our staff and volunteers

Abeline Greene

After 20 years working in the customer service industry involved in project implementation, project management and account management I took redundancy and I 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 in to employment. In 2018 I moved to Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich Mind where I managed a team of advisors to support people with mental health issues to manage their mental health.

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. I have dealt with crisis situations and safeguarding issues, confidentiality issues, health and safety. This has included working with mental health services in Croydon and Lewisham, SLaM/ CMHT, other third sector providers and the CCG.

I am passionate about well-being, supporting people to feel listen to and enabling them be part of managing their mental health. This includes encouraging people with lived experience to share their own experiences to support and empower others.

Cassandra Austin

I have complex PTSD following abuse, but also I come from a medical background in which I thrived.

Through my own experience as a Trade’s Unionist whilst working as a nurse in central London, joining with many colleagues to fight hospital closures, and protecting those working in the profession, I have found I can speak up for others in similar circumstances, who don’t have the experiences I have had.

I have gained strength, friendship, acceptance, knowledge and humility from volunteering for Hear Us and the Reachout Challenge, and that has allowed me to contribute what I can and understand that together we are strong.

I became a Trustee for Hear Us because I could see the need for the voice that it gives to all of us service users. The ongoing effect of our Linkworking project, Reachout events and our forums shows that we need this model in every borough.

None of us should be defined by mental illness and I would like to stand again as a Trustee to continue to work with my colleagues to support and give a voice to all service users in Croydon

David Ashton

I have mental health problems, this is something that is a big part of my identity and has been a huge influence on the direction my life has taken. For a long time I felt that my mental health problems ruled my life with me having very little control. That began to change when I first came to Hear Us; since then I have been able to take more control over my life and as a Trustee of Hear Us; I use my mental health problems to help Hear Us to continue to make a positive difference to other service Users and improve the services we access.

Jonathan Weller

I joined Hear Us and became a Linkworker with this service users’ mental health charity in May 2016. Since that time, I learned how valuable an organisation like Hear Us is for people with mental health difficulties. I feel it listens, educates and informs.

As a result of the encouragement I have received from Hear Us, and SLaM in the last couple of years, I have also gone on to become a Hear Us Trustee. I have volunteered for a time working in the busy Orchard House office and have been encouraged to apply for a temporary role at Dulwich Picture Gallery delivering art workshops. In that time, I have assisted with the well-being of the Gallery’s customers who attended the workshops, which I co-produced with one of the resident artists.

Ruth Govan

I have served as Chair of Trustees for over ten years.  Last year I had a lengthy breakdown first at the Bethlehem and then at the Maudsley. This was not an enjoyable time at all. 

The Linkworkers at the Bethlehem were excellent. The whole experience put me back in touch with what members go through. Hopefully This will help me serve again with the Trustees

Karen Grayson

Bio to follow shortly

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’