Our trustees – who they are and what they do

Aisling is also a Trustee of 2 national charities seeking to improve the life chances for disabled people.

He holds a season ticket holder at Manchester United, (one of the rare breed who actually hails from Manchester…!) and enjoys being a member of the National Trust. He has supported us for over 10 years.

David joined Grace Eyre in 2006, and has been the registered manager for the Shared Lives scheme since 2021. In January 2024 he set up Grace Eyre’s Homeshare service, which launched fully in June 2024.

To him it made real sense to add this service to the charities offering, as it supports people during such a challenging time for the country.

David has a passion for photography and can often be found capturing events for small charities and running organisations. As well as being a keen cyclist and runner to help stay active and healthy.

Prior to social care, my initial career was with information technology in the corporate sector where although I enjoyed tech, I felt disconnected from society and unable to contribute. I am driven by a constant curiosity and open mind to ‘do things differently and better’, especially where I can have a positive influence and impact on the lives of others.

Living in Wales, I have a varied range of interests including gardening, quilting and (despite being vertically challenged) I am an avid motorcyclist.

Lorraine brings to the board over 25-years’ people development and strategic change management experience across the public, private and charity sectors. She also holds committee and advisory group positions within the education sector.

Using her natural curiosity, strategic thinking and relationship building skills, Lorraine enjoys co-developing values-led, evidence-informed and pragmatic solutions to strategic and operational issues. She deploys those skills in facilitating strategic improvement projects across adult social care which she has done with IMPACT (the national centre for Improving Adult Social Care) and through her coaching and organisational development consultancy, Root and Rise Ltd.

I’ve long admired the Shared Lives model of care.  At the Care Quality Commission, I was impressed by the quality of care and support provided by Shared Lives, whose ratings were consistently good or outstanding in the vast majority of services.  I hope I can support Shared Lives go from strength to strength for the benefit of everyone involved.

I am now training to be a lay celebrant of funerals.  I’m a keen walker, support Sunderland football club and enjoy the cultural delights London has to offer, especially live music and theatre.

She is passionate about Shared Lives as a genuinely person-centred solution in increasingly challenging times.

Emma is also a Chartered Accountant and a trustee and treasurer at The Advonet Group, a Leeds-based advocacy charity which promotes empowerment and inclusion.

Following a career break to raise her children, Claire successfully applied for the role of Placement Officer with Rochdale Shared Lives in July 2013. In 2015, she was appointed Manager of the Rochdale Shared Lives Scheme, and in 2018 took on responsibility for the Trafford Shared Lives Scheme. Claire currently manage Possabilities Shared Lives for both Rochdale and Trafford.

Claire believes that Shared Lives is an inspirational, innovative and genuinely person-centred model of support that enables people to live fulfilling lives within their communities. Claire is proud to lead and contribute to this area of adult social care.

Ben is honoured to hold the role of Your Voice carer Chair, and has been involved with Shared Lives for over 15 years. Throughout that time he has developed a deep commitment to supporting adults with learning disabilities to live fulfilling and independent lives.

As Your Voice carer Chair, he brings not only his lived experience but also a clear commitment to representing the voices of carers effectively and constructively. He understands the importance of strong communication between carers, professionals, and the wider organisation, and works to ensure that carers feel listened to, valued, and supported in their roles.