My Story

With over 21 years of experience working alongside vulnerable and marginalised communities, my journey has spanned across sectors including housing, education, mental health, and neurodivergent advocacy. My early work began with a local Sure Start programme in Camborne, but my passion for empowering families led me to become a lead facilitator and manager for the Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities international parenting programme, delivered through the Race Equality Foundation. Our team’s efforts contributed to achieving recognition as one of the top three delivery areas in the UK.

I have spent several years designing and delivering training and development programmes, with a particular focus on inclusion, autism, and complex needs. This led to a rewarding five years as a pastoral tutor at Truro College, where I worked closely with PMLD (Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities) and autistic young adults, contributing to the writing of EHCPs and leading on manual handling training for over 100 staff.

My qualifications include Life Coaching, NLP, and CBT, and I am a qualified Mental Health First Aider. I have written and delivered bespoke autism and PMLD training, recently working with over 50 officers from Devon and Cornwall Police. I was directly involved in the co-creation of the Cornwall Autism Strategy (in partnership with Cornwall Council) and the Children and Young People’s Neurodivergence Strategy for the NHS. My consultancy experience spans adult social care, the Autism Intensive Support Team (NHS), and wider strategic developments across the region.

I also managed an autism-specific mental health project for Pentreath Ltd, Cornwall’s leading mental health charity. In my role as a senior manager, I oversaw the delivery of person-centred mental health and vocational support for autistic individuals aged 16+ across Cornwall, and was a key trainer and developer within Recovery College Cornwall.

Throughout my career, I have remained deeply committed to working with those who are often excluded from mainstream services. This includes leading a specialist homelessness project supporting people who are typically barred from or unable to access mental health and wellbeing support through traditional routes. Much of my work has focused on high-deprivation areas across Cornwall, some among the most deprived in Europe.

I bring both lived and professional experience to my work: I am diagnosed autistic/ADHD, and am a parent to four adult sons – one formally diagnosed, and the other currently navigating the diagnostic pathway. My personal and professional journeys have deepened my empathy, understanding, and drive to advocate for and support neurodivergent individuals and families in meaningful, empowering ways.

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