To Finish- Say Hello and Wave Goodbye!
To Finish- Say Hello and Wave Goodbye!
This year has seen another period of great change for our team. Three of our long-standing members retired after serving two terms and eight years with our Board. One of our other team members "stood down" after serving five years. All these members brought a great deal of experience, knowledge and commitment to our work over the years and it is hard to replace this level of skill and expertise.
We would like to acknowledge the dedication and hard work given by Marsali Craig, Keith Robertson, Hussein Patwa and Fraser Sutherland and once again say thank you for the tremendous contribution over the years of selfless devotion aimed at improving travel and the journey experience for disabled people.
These departures also brought opportunities to bring in new team members and with this, opportunities to bring fresh challenges, fresh ideas, new ways of working, not to mention more crusaders to join our cause!
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome Simon Watkins, Graham Dunn, Pauline Kelly, Lynsey Shovlin and Heather Still.
We have included a "getting to know you" snap shot of each of our new members.
Simon Watkins
Simon began working with Cumbernauld Corporation before moving to the then Strathclyde Regional Council as a planner. He was seconded for ten years to an EU Programme, assisting local authorities in Central and Eastern Europe, the last two years as Director. Mr Watkins joined the newly created Scottish Parliament as one of its Clerk Team Leaders and led teams supporting many of the main Committees of the Parliament, including the Health Committee's handing of the Bill banning smoking in public places.
Graham Dunn
Graham has worked within the third and statutory sectors throughout his career and over the last 16 years within the community and social transport sector. He is now a consultant working with third and statutory organisations in relation to Community, Health and Social Transport.
Pauline Kelly
Pauline is a communications and training specialist who has spent the last 10 years working in the third sector in Scotland focusing on equalities, human rights, and education. Pauline previously held the Secretariat for the Cross-Party Group on Human Rights at Holyrood and is focused on contributing to a rights-respecting society. She trained as a counsellor and has served as a volunteer counsellor. She spent much of her earlier career in Asia working in communications and education for organisations including the British Council and the University of Hong Kong. Pauline is a frequent user of public transport across the country and is an advocate for accessible travel for all.
Lynsey Shovlin
Lynsey is a Project Manager for Scottish Enterprise who helps to grow the Scottish economy for the benefit of all. She graduated from Edinburgh Napier University with a BA degree in Festival and Events Management and has worked at several major events coordinating transport services, including London 2012 and the 2014 Ryder Cup in Glasgow. She was one of Scotland's first Customer Service Apprentices for ScotRail and is a regular traveller on public transport, especially rail services.
Heather Still
Heather works in health improvement for a Health and Social Care Partnership. She enjoys listening to people and conducting qualitative research into illness and health experiences. She has a congenital lifelong illness which gives her a critical perspective on barriers traditionally unseen. Her empathy and skills in advocacy and research allow her to push lived experiences as a viable perspective for social and health issues in our society.
As we encountered a turnover of around thirty percent of our team this year, and given our re-prioritised focus and to align with PfG and wider ministerial policies, we took the decision to restructure our committee set up and refocus some of the areas of work. We discussed and planned this starting at our Scoping Day in November 2021, with further committee-wide discussions in December 2021 and January 2022, and we are ready to start our new performance year with refreshed work plans and a restructured committee to support this. Our committee structure and areas of engagement is displayed within Appendix Two.
Within our annual planning cycle, we revisit the structure and areas of engagement twice a year to ensure we are making the most effective use of our finite resources. I am hopeful that when we catch up with you again in our next year's Annual Report that you will see the progress our new ways of working has delivered.
But for this year, can I close by reminding everyone that we will continue to work to promote a transport system that is Available, Accessible and Affordable for all (including sustainable and active travel modes) and that pavements are for people and are at the centre of keeping people and communities connected.