Board of Trustees

Sue Taylor (BEM) Our Chair

I was born in Glasgow, but have always lived in Cheshire, attending school in Stoke, and currently living in Nantwich. I worked at the DWP for 20 years, and then joined Vale Royal Borough Council, transferring in 2009 to Cheshire West and Chester Council.

I have always been passionate about supporting people in hardship, working closely with the Poverty Truth Commission to improve services and to make them easier to access. I was asked to be Food Lead during the pandemic, in addition to my day job as Transactional Services Manager.  I was involved in supporting families without food, medication, or housing, and those in need of welfare support. I was also involved in emergency Covid support and distribution of many of the additional funds. I was awarded the BEM in 2020 for services to local government which was presented by our Patron David Briggs in 2021.

I retired in June 2021 and have since taken on the role of chair of Platform for Life and trustee for Changing Lives Together. I am also director of a property company, as well as a wife, mother and grandmother.

Dr Kate Diggory

I am an accredited counsellor and supervisor and work as a lecturer on the MSc in Counselling & Psychotherapy at Keele University. I have extensive experience of working in the hospice movement setting up Reflect the children and young people’s bereavement service based at the Hospice of the Good Shepherd. As part of that service, I worked with junior and senior schools in Blacon supporting children and young people and it’s an honour to again be supporting children and their families in the local area through becoming a trustee of Platform for Life and using my skills to assist the organisation in any way I can.

Ann Gill

After a long career as a teacher, headteacher and adviser in primary schools I am very aware that there are times when struggling families benefit from the support of counsellors.  As a Trustee of Platform for Life, I relish being part of an organisation dedicated to improving the life chances for children and their families.

George Hartley

I was born in Preston and grew up in the Weald of Kent where I attended Cranbrook School. Thereafter I went to Cambridge University where I studied Geography before completing a Masters degree in Environmental Technology at Imperial College London. I embarked on a career in teaching and taught at various schools in southern England before becoming Headmaster of Elizabeth College in Guernsey for eight years in 2009. Since 2017 I have been Headmaster of The King’s School, Chester. I live in Handbridge, Chester with my family. My interests include rugby, cricket, cooking and mountaineering.

Jo Hinnigan

I was introduced to Platform for Life when I was a trustee of Cheshire Home Start a charity which offered volunteer peer support to parents with young children who were struggling for one reason or another. The two charities were originally going to do a joint project but that did not happen as Cheshire Home Start lost its funding. However I was impressed with the Platform for Life concept and subsequently joined them as a trustee. I am retired but during my working life I was a Money Adviser for the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, seconded for my final few years there to Warrington Housing Association. Previous to that I worked in business and also spent 3 years in Brazil and 2 years in Italy. I have two sons – one born in Italy – and five grandchildren who provide much fun and opportunities for babysitting. In my spare time I am a cox for a rowing club in Chester. As such I have shouted my way down lakes at Bled in Slovenia and Velence in Hungary both preferable to getting very cold and wet on the Dee in January.

Carol Jones

After spending 30 years in the finance industry, in 2009 I decided I wanted a change. I enrolled on a counselling course and never looked back. As a trainee I was privileged to gain experience at the Hospice of the Good Shepherd and so began a rewarding career in bereavement support. When the Hospice secured funding, I managed the project to develop a community wide bereavement service and later went on to manage the service when it was commissioned in 2014. I decided to retire in October 2020.

I’m a proud Cestrian and have happy childhood memories of time spent in Blacon. I’m delighted to be a Trustee as it gives me the opportunity to share the experiences I have gained in my working life. In my spare time, if I’m not catching up with friends, I can be found at my laptop writing short stories.

Andrew Kerr (Treasurer)

I have had a long business career, mainly in the insurance sector where I qualified as an actuary.  Over this time, I’ve undertaken a wide range of roles including risk management, finance and the delivery of a number of large multi-year projects.  In addition, I have also performed a number of voluntary and non-executive roles.

I have lived in Chester for over 20 years, with both of my children going to school locally. I enjoy most sports (including rowing and cycling) as well as the arts.

I am very excited to be involved with Platform for Life as it gives me the opportunity to utilise my business skills to support the excellent work done.

Pam Massey

I was a registered nurse for over 40 years with a variety of experience in the NHS and charity sector. This included district nursing, Macmillan nursing and commissioning working in the Cheshire area. In 2008 I moved to Jersey, working as a clinical director and CEO for community service, for a charity called Family Nursing and home care.

Returning to the UK in 2012 I worked as CEO at St Rocco’s Hospice, Warrington. The Hospice is focused on looking after the whole person and their family, with equal priority given to physical symptoms and the psychological impact on the patient and their family.

I have three children and five grandchildren that keep me busy since I retired. I love to travel and enjoy being outside in nature, which gives me a great feeling of well being.

I believe that my experience of working with individual people, families, and latterly, organisational structures, processes and governance policies and procedures will support the board of Platform for life.

Dr Emma Price

I am a born and bred Cestrian and completed all my education in Chester from infant school to my doctorate studies. I now work at the University of Chester as a Criminology lecturer with my research and teaching expertise revolving around the mental health of offenders, the impact of government policy and legislation on rehabilitative practices and the role of the voluntary sector in criminal justice.

I have been a Trustee at Platform for Life since 2020 and it is my honour to be part of such an inspiring charity. Much of my family grew up, and continue to, live in Blacon and therefore giving back to this community is very special to me. Social equality is a large part of my personal philosophical stance and I believe PFL are reaching a section of the community that are not always given the same opportunities and support as other areas of society. I believe my experience in mental health research will benefit PFL by enabling the charity to measure and present its extensive social impact that its services have.

Paul Rossiter

I am a solicitor and own a law firm which operates in North Wales and Cheshire and which often undertakes “pro bono” work for people in the local community. I have accepted a role as a Trustee at Platform for Life with the hope of being able to help more people in need in my local area.

I live in Chester and am originally from Widnes, so I am a native to the North West, and I used to visit Chester when I was a child. I have always found it to be a lovely place and I am happy to now be engaged in making the lives of people in this area better.

Alan Sieber

I have been retired from paid work for about ten years. All my working life was spent in secondary education. The welfare of young people was a constant priority.

In the course of a long career, I felt that the pressures young people faced grew significantly, and for some, were too much to bear. It was hugely disappointing to see their access to professional support from qualified practitioners being compromised by ever increasing, and unacceptable, waiting times.

I learnt about Platform for Life from George Hartley, friend, neighbour and fellow trustee. I was impressed with what I heard and decided to offer to get involved. I hope that my experience in education, including at senior leadership levels, will enable me to make a positive contribution.

My interests include sport, reading, cinema, travel – nothing unusual there. My wife and I are proud owners of a campervan. Nearly twenty five years ago I got into long-distance walking and since then I have walked the length of the UK, and covered nearly a thousand miles through France and Spain on one of the old pilgrims’ routes.

My current project is the wonderful Wales Coast Path.