About Us Meet the Team Meet the Team Sheffield Carers Centre was established in 1993 and is the city’s leading provider of support services for adult unpaid carers. We are a member of the national Carers Trust network and currently employ over 20 people (full-time or part-time) and also have 10-20 volunteers contributing to our work. Kerry Jones Kensah: Chief Executive OfficerKerry has responsibility, working with the Board of Trustees, for the overall leadership of the Centre and ensuring it delivers its mission for carers. She has over 20 years voluntary and public-sector experience with a proven track record of uniting people to improve stakeholder’s lives and deliver organisational goals. Sylvia Smith: Head of Business OperationsSylvia has responsibility for managing all of the Centre’s administration functions. This includes the office facilities, IT systems, finances and the reception team. She has a wealth of experience from working with a wide range of businesses in Sheffield. Alaska Bailey: Head of Involvement & DiversityAlaska uses her knowledge and experience of working in the sector to develop the charity’s Involvement Network of current and/or past carers. She works with the network to develop policies and practices in a range of settings that actively promote diversity, equality and inclusion. Imelda Bennett: Human Resources ManagerImelda is a HR professional with responsibility for a range of general HR issues across the organisation, including recruitment, policies, and procedures. When not at work, she enjoys walking, especially in Derbyshire, knitting, Pilates, and spending time with friends. David Winger-Beeston: Carer Service ManagerDavid is responsible for supporting Carer Advisors. He has over 35 years experience within the health and social care sector providing support for adults with learning disabilities and directly supporting paid carers. David is passionate about person centred outcomes and is part of the dementia friends’ network. James Barlow: Data and Information AnalystJames is our strategic lead for data management, interpretation, and analysis and has day-to-day responsibility for maintaining the Centre's database. He has over 20 years' experience working within the health and social care sector including over a decade working in carer support services. Sarah Murphy: Carer AdvisorSarah has worked for the Sheffield Adult Social Care team plus the Burton Street Advocacy Project and South Yorkshire Housing Association. She studied at Bath and lived in London before returning to Sheffield to raise her family. Saphina Munir: Carer AdvisorSaphina is the Carer Advisor working with Urdu/Punjabi speaking carers from ethnic minorities, as part of the wider team. She is a parent carer for her disabled son and has vast experience of accessing and engaging with Social Care, Education and Health plus other statutory services in Sheffield. Alex Newman: Carer Advisor (Triage Role)Alex began her involvement with Sheffield Carer Centre as a social work student on placement in 2019. She used the placement to build on her knowledge of the services offered to carers in Sheffield, before applying and becoming an official member of the Carer Advisor team in March 2020. Rachel Woodhead: Carer AdvisorRachel joined the team in November 2022. She has worked in healthcare most of her life and is passionate about supporting carers. She knows from personal experience, how challenging the role can be and is currently caring for her father and her Neuro-diverse adult children. Melanie Pearson: Carer AdvisorMel has a background in community development and has organised dementia-friendly cafes for Age UK. She has been a carer for her mum and brother who both had Huntington’s Disease. Mel still campaigns for that Association and for carers’ rights and has published a book about her caring experiences. Emily Henthorn: Carer AdvisorEmily's background is in the social care sector. Before joining the Carers Centre, she worked coordinating and providing support to enable young adults with disabilities to access higher education and work experience. She settled in Sheffield 7 years ago after studying in Cambridge and Leeds. Naomi Hopewell: Carer AdvisorNaomi has a background in immigration, having worked in both the public sector and private practice for many years. She has extensive experience providing advice, managing a caseload, and fostering good relationships. She returned to Sheffield, where she cared for her late father before becoming a Carer Advisor. Yvonne McDonagh: Carer AdvisorYvonne has always lived in Sheffield. Before joining the Carers Centre, she worked as a Careers Advisor within Children's Services and Social Care as well as various Community Involvement/Support Roles. All of these roles required advice, signposting and empathy for the people I supported & worked with. Anna James: Team Leader (Business Support Officer)Anna works within the Business Support Team, providing support to the team and ensuring the smooth running of the reception function, and the provision of administrative support within the Carers Centre. She has a background working in both voluntary and private sector organisations. Donna Slinn: Business Support OfficerDonna's responsibilities include staffing the Carer Centre's reception, along with general administration and supporting the Care Advisors. She has a background working in both voluntary and private sector organisations. Claire Zanelli: Finance OfficerClaire has previously spent 2 years as a BSO and is now working within the finance department. Her responsibilities are to keep and update financial records, to implement procedures and to prepare documentation when required. She has a background of working in the private and voluntary sectors. Lisa Hands: Finance ClerkLisa is responsible for the day-to-day financial operation of the Carers Centre. She has broad range of experience that enables her to provide general clerical and administration support for many aspects of the Centre’s work. She is a former carer. Jan Outram: Activities Development CoordinatorJan has strong links and great experience of with working with organisations around the city including those with ‘People Keeping Well’ projects. She helps to set up then oversee carers’ support groups as well as running the Carer Café plus our programme of Activities and Workshops for carers. Angela Formby: Volunteer CoordinatorAngela is passionate about volunteering and is responsible for overseeing the recruitment, induction, training, and support of volunteers. She brings her experience from both previous volunteer coordination roles in Scotland and from having volunteered herself in multiple settings. Gill Ryder: Health Liaison OfficerGill was the Regional Development Officer at The Lullaby Trust. Her role with us includes supporting the delivery of the Carers Strategy for Sheffield by working with key NHS organisations, services, teams and individuals to increase the identification, support, signposting and referral of unpaid carers to the Centre. Terry Billingham: Communications OfficerTerry works with the rest of the team and various other organisations to provide information for carers through a broad range of the charity’s non-digital communication channels. This includes any printed materials such as handouts, leaflets, posters and banners, plus identifying and sharing news items. Kieran Walker: Digital Communications OfficerKieran has a background in digital design, branding, and marketing and has since joined the Carer Centre to produce a range of digital communications. This includes the website, Enewsletter, social media, and all things digital. He helps to provide information online to keep carers informed and up to date. Manage Cookie Preferences