Julia - Director Expand Julia is Director of the organisation. With considerable experience of working in the voluntary sector, both on a regional and local level, Julia brings a range of skills and expertise to the team and works hard to enable them to deliver the information and support that will most help carers in Stockport.
Andrew - Finance Manager and Company Secretary Expand Andrew is a qualified CIPFA public sector accountant and auditor and spent a significant part of his career working for the Audit Commission, assisting Local Authorities and the NHS improve public services and integrating health and social care. As part of his previous experience Andrew has worked with Stockport Council, Stepping Hill and health commissioners in Stockport.
Wendy - Finance Assistant Expand Wendy joined us as a volunteer in November 2012 and is now employed as our Finance Assistant, supporting the day to day running of the charity's finances.
Hannah - Office Support Worker Expand Having worked in the events sector within higher education for over 10 years, Hannah joined Signpost in September 2020 to help support the running of the office. Hannah also manages the venue hire for The Heatons Centre, liaising with hirers and helping to generate important income for Signpost through room hire.
Claire - Communications Co-ordinator Expand Claire collates each edition of CareLink and manages its distribution along with other mass mailings. She supports the Carers Connect project with administrative tasks and is often 'front' of house' at Signpost's activities for carers. Claire organises Signpost's biannual Wellbeing Days and takes a lead role in coordinating other promotional events. She also oversees Signpost's carer database and processes all applications for our Connecting Carers Card.
Rebecca - Work With Us Co-ordinator Expand Rebecca joined Signpost in August 2020 to co-ordinate a new project for working carers, ‘Work with Us’. Rebecca has previously worked for GMCVO (Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation) on two carers' employment projects and at Carers UK where she worked with employers to become more carer-friendly. Rebecca is passionate about making life easier for working carers through supportive employment.
Jennie - Wellbeing and Engagement Officer Expand Jennie started as a volunteer at Signpost 23 years ago. As our Wellbeing and Engagement worker, she helps carers to access relevant services and community-based activities to support them in their caring roles as well as providing tailored support to many carers who contact Signpost. Working closely with Stockport’s health professionals, Jennie provides additional support to older couples where both people are struggling with health problems. Part of Jennie’s role is also to help identify hidden carers, working closely with GP practices and other health professionals in the borough.
Natalie - Carer Support Officer (Changing Times) Expand Natalie's work on the Changing Times project supports carers through difficult transition periods, including through peer to peer support groups, delivering training and matching carers with peer volunteers that have been through a similar situation themselves.
Briony - Carer Support Officer (for older male carers) Expand Briony joined Signpost in November 2020 and has over 10 years experience working within the voluntary sector and managing funded projects. She is particularly keen to support some of our wonderful unpaid carers in Stockport, especially those older carers who have had little contact with Signpost in the past.
Paula - Moneywise Team Leader Expand With a vast amount of experience in the third sector, Paula is committed to driving social change. Working with Celia, Paula supports our carers and their cared for to be in good financial health, looking at budgeting and debt as well as benefit applications.
Celia - Moneywise Officer Expand Celia has been working for Signpost for more than 10 years. Her work is centred around supporting carers to maximise their income. This may be through support with benefit applications or information and advice about the wide range of services that are available to carers.
Victoria - Counsellor Expand Victoria manages our small counselling team for Signpost and delivers counselling to carers two days a week. She also leads on our 'About Us' work, providing counselling to the parents of our young carers. Counselling or talking therapy provides carers with a safe space to talk freely about their emotions and learn to manage them more effectively. Victoria and her team are committed to supporting people to fulfil their potential and make changes to enhance their quality of life.