/ Who We Are / Our CEO and Trustees

About with Friends depend on Trustees with a range of skills and experience who ensure the charity:

  • Has a clear set of goals or strategy
  • Is taking action to achieve these goals
  • Meets its legal and financial obligations

We are always looking to increase the number of Trustees. If you are interested, please contact us!

 

Our CEO

Helen Dalton-Hare BEM

Helen founded About with Friends around her kitchen table in 2002 with nine initial members and a handful of volunteers. She served on the Board of Trustees until About with Friends became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in April this year. She continues to lead the organisation as CEO and attends Board meetings in this role. Helen is from London and worked in Social Services for over 30 years. As a youth worker, she ran the London Brent PHAB Club before joining Barnet Mencap to lead a project with people with Autism and behaviours that challenged, and then moved to Harrow Mencap to lead a project integrating children and adults with learning disabilities into the community. Helen relocated to Norfolk in 1996 and was the Paston College Community Outreach Lead for students with Disabilities before starting About with Friends. She received the British Empire Medal in 2014.

Held a brown belt in judo, and has an ambition to see the world.

Our Trustees

Andy Davies

Now in his second year as a Trustee. Andy considers himself to be something of a country bumpkin. Having worked in agriculture and construction up north, he followed the trend of the city migrators and now works as the Business Development Manager for an East Anglian IT service and support provider, called Green Duck (based in Bury St. Edmunds). He is delighted to be part of the About With Friends Family.

Clemmie Gleeson

Clemmie is both a qualified counsellor and a journalist. She works with young people as a counsellor at MAP and also has a private practice for young people and adults. She has volunteered for a number of charities over the years and is looking forward to being a trustee at AWF. Clemmie is married to Tom and has two children.

Jake Harrison

Jake is a young carer. He himself is physically disabled and supports his brother J who is one of our workskills and adult leisure members this gives Jake a unique insight into the disabled community. He knows a lot about AWF, having offered support whilst working with the workskills team and he relishes the opportunity to become more involved.

Neil Foley

Neil runs a coaching and consultancy firm, advising small business owners throughout Norfolk about how to grow and expand, using a lifetime of sales and marketing experience. He has a background in financial services throughout the East and was awarded an MBA from the University of East Anglia in 2011.

Sarah Hall

Sarah is a parent enjoying her second stint as a trustee. She has a daughter A who attends AWF, she has been in our services since she was a young girl. She is now part of our transition programme and enjoys our leisure activities as well as our respite breaks. Sarah is very knowledgeable of carer’s needs and of our various services and is happy to speak to other parents to offer help and advice.

Having spent many years in school with little improvements in I’s behaviour and speech, in just a few weeks with you the improvements in both areas are plain to see. Please continue as you are, as life at the moment for us as a family is greatly improved because of your input.

This is the best transition I have had for a student in the whole five years I have taught 6th formers!

AWF offers and amazing, caring, supportive group to both special needs adults/children & their families. Since N joined you he has been to some fantastic places, met some amazing friends and done activities we would never have thought he’d do. You have helped our family life improve by making N a happier, more content, confident boy.

We cannot tell you what AWF means to us as a family – a lifeline, a light in the dark. Something that has offered our daughter equality, to have a social life and really support us as a family.

Over the last five years I have had a fortnightly, 2 hour designated gardening slot. I highly value your service and ethos.

Many thanks again for J’s lovely break in Derbyshire with About with Friends. He really enjoyed himself, had loads of fun and told us all about the cable cars, stepping stones, cinema, meals out, etc.! We would be very grateful if you could pass on our sincere thanks to all the staff who organised the holiday and supported our youngsters to enable them to have such a wonderful time. We are also very grateful as we, ourselves, were able to enjoy a short break in Paris, which was wonderful and recharged our batteries!

After 30 years of trying to get P engaged in activities, he is now, under your care, beginning to grow like a great Oak tree.

I just cannot thank you enough for taking K my daughter so that she could have fun with her friends on holiday in Milton Keynes, […] it made her extremely happy.

Selfishly for me it gave my wife a much sought after period of respite exhausted after 16 years of constant care. Complete respite is dependent upon the knowledge that your child is in safe professional caring hands. The ‘about with friends’ staff impress me because they display such enthusiastic vocational attitudes towards their care.

Just a short note to thank you all for your help with our daughter. she has spent many years at school with little improvement in her behaviour and speech, yet in just a few weeks she has been with you guys the improvements in both areas are plain to see.

I am not sure what the different methods used are but please continue as you are, as life at the moment for us as a family is greatly improved because of your input.

We are very aware of her complex needs and how she can change like the wind but we will continue to enjoy the fruits of your labours.

To all the staff at About with Friday, I had a wonderful time with you guys, and I want to say a big thank you for looking after me. Love from K.