Our Team
Willie Slavin
Former Head Teacher, Willie Slavin is Chair of Trustees, and a Trustee of Howgill Family Centre. He is also engaged in a number of community initiatives in support of families in need of support. He Chairs the West Cumbria Child Poverty Action Group and is also Chair of Governors of St Benedict’s Catholic High School.
Russell Norman
Russell was Chief Executive of Howgill Family Centre from 2000 to 2012, building the organisation to become a provider of Ofsted Outstanding services with a strong local identity and a National reputation for innovation and quality. During this period developed the idea for the re-development of the Foyer site with the Howgill Trustees. A partnership emerged with funders, statutory bodies and Impact Housing Association, which was to carry the project forward. Engagement at local level was complimented by membership of Cumbria’s Children’s Trust Board.
After three years leading NHS children’s service across the County from 2013 Russell is now employed by University Hospital of Morecambe Bay as Associate Director of Operations for Core Clinical Services in South Cumbria and North Lancashire. He has been involved in the dream of ‘The Foyer’ from the start, securing the initial purchase investment, and continues to value his role as Trustee/Director.
Sally Nichols
Sally has worked in supported housing for the last 25 years, an experienced senior manager who shares a passion for reducing and preventing homelessness.
Sally has worked in various front line roles specialising in supporting people experiencing mental health problems, and has a wide range of experience as a manager developing and creating new supported housing services, including retirement living and extra care housing.
Catherine Eve
Originally from West Cumbria, Catherine has worked in Reading, London and Newcastle in number of marketing and HR roles before focusing on organisational and personal learning and development. She has 15 years training experience including leadership and team development and coaching. She is now Executive Director at The Centre for Leadership Performance in Cockermouth.
The Centre supports and encourages the development of leadership capability in education, employment and the community. Living and working back in Cumbria she is delighted to be able to support the development of Cumbria’s leaders of today and tomorrow, “It is a real privilege to do more of the work I love in Cumbria, the place I grew up, where my friends and family work and my own children are starting out on their own careers.Supporting The Whitehaven Foyer as a trustee is an honour and I intend to put my knowledge of local learning and development opportunities to good use.”
Andrea Thorn
Andrea is the Director of Homes & Communities with Riverside Group and has over 30 years’ experience in the social housing sector and 12 years’ experience in senior leadership roles with operational leadership experience of customer contact services, income management, housing management, neighbourhood management, repairs & maintenance, regeneration, community development, leasehold and supported housing.
As well as extensive experience of partnership working, Andrea also has experience of leading all business support functions to ensure integrated systems and processes that deliver high quality services to customers.
Staff
Shelly Gambles
Shelly is the Whitehaven Foyer Manager. She was previously employed by Britain’s Energy Coast and has over 28 years’ experience of developing and delivering new start and micro business support programmes in West Cumbria. Before joining The Whitehaven Foyer, Shelly also worked for Age UK West Cumbria providing strategic and financial leadership to a number of income generating projects within their Commercial Services Division.