Chapter has appointed five new Trustees to its board. Chapter is governed by a Board of Trustees who volunteer their time and together support the staff and volunteer team to implement the organisation’s vision and strategy.
Georgina Clarke, Director at Ascent Wellbeing who brings 20 years’ experience in the field of public health and health inequalities joins Chapter alongside Kevin Hochard, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Chester.
They are joined by senior manager in Fraud and Financial Crime Learning at Lloyds Banking Group, Stephanie Ogunjimi, and Gabor Balint with 20 years’ experience in asset management at HSBC who brings a wealth of experience in financial management, governance and business development.
Stephanie says “I’m delighted to be joining Chapter as they move into their 30th year celebrations, driving forwards the Inclusion and Diversity agenda, which mental ill health is a huge part of, is important to me both professionally and personally”
Also joining the board is former BBC journalist and head of marketing for Adventure Parc Snowdonia in North Wales, Louise McWatt.
“There can’t be anyone on the planet who gets through life without having to deal with mental health challenges, both personally and via the experience of close friends and family”, adds Louise.
The new trustees were welcomed to Chapter by Chair of Trustees, Sharon Shelbourne.
“It is an absolute pleasure to welcome our new board members who all bring a variety of new skills and expertise to Chapter. We have a strong board to move forward with, enabling us to continue to deliver essential support to people affected by mental ill-health, which in the midst of a pandemic could not be more important” said Sharon.
Chapter were delighted to receive support from local charity Cheshire Connect in its search for new trustees. Cheshire Connect match business skills, offered for free by businesses, professionals and retired individuals, to charities who need those skills to become more sustainable.
Chapter has been supporting the mental health of residents across Cheshire for almost 30 years. Formed in 1991, Chapter was setup to support people affected by mental ill-health to access employment opportunities and began with eight beneficiaries. It now supports over 200 people every year.
Today Chapter is focused on delivering preventative and therapeutic interventions to promote the mental health and wellbeing of individuals, communities and workplaces.
In March 2020 Chapter launched its Coronavirus Wellbeing Support service and has delivered more than 750 mental health coaching sessions to local people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.