Our Trustees
Lynn Keirs
Co-Chair
About me
I am a Member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and trained Mindfulness Teacher.
I was employed in the NHS & Local Government for 39 years & amassed a wealth of knowledge from working in hospitals, community health services, housing & social care services. For over 10 years I was in a Strategic Leadership post within the NHS, managing multi-professional health & social care services in the community gaining skills in clinical & corporate governance, performance & resource management, workforce planning, and contracting & commissioning.
After retiring from the NHS in 2015, I trained as a Mindfulness Teacher & started my own business- “Openly Mindful Yorkshire” teaching 8 week Mindfully Based Stress Reduction courses on a 1:1 or in a group format, delivering Mindfulness workshops & running Mindfulness Support Groups.
I have been Allied Health Professional Lead & Professional Lead for Occupational Therapy & have been a Director /Trustee of The College of Occupational Therapists. I am currently the Independent Representative on the Trent Regional Committee for the Royal College of Occupational Therapists.
I am passionate about promoting the importance of good health & mental well-being & have delivered courses & workshops for a variety of charities such as Scope, the Cathedral Archer Project & Pioneer Social Enterprise. I have also worked with local NHS Trusts & local businesses such Rotherham NHS Trust, Rotherham, Doncaster & South Humberside NHS Trust & the NatWest bank.
Over the past year I have worked as a volunteer for Pioneer Social Enterprise helping to distribute food parcels to residents in our local community. I have also learnt to master remote & on-line working which is no mean feat for a “technophobe” like me!
My interests outside “mindfulness” & volunteering are gardening, running & walking with my dog Fergus & I spend as much time as possible in Scotland at our caravan on the West coast with family & friends. I’m at my happiest out of doors & totally believe that connecting with nature & the environment is essential for our mental well-being. Perhaps, when we are able you might like to join me on a “Mindful Walk”?
What I bring to Share
I joined Share in July 2016 as a Volunteer Director/Trustee. Since joining Share I have been involved with developing new policies & procedures particularly in relation to activity & performance & am the Trustee Safe-Guarding Lead.
It has been a pleasure & privilege to part of the “Share Community” for the past 4years & to have the opportunity to contribute to Share’s growth & development which in turn has contributed to my own health & well-being.
Astrid Walker Bourne
Co-Chair
About me
I worked for three medium sized non-governmental organisations in the international development sector for 25 years. My work has given me the privilege to travel across Africa and Asia and to a lesser extent Latin America. Over the years my work shifted from developing and managing projects and raising funds to leading policy and advocacy work at national and global levels. As a director I have been involved in developing organisational strategies and change management. I am passionate about authentic, people-centre leadership.
In late 2019 I started to freelance, enabling me to volunteer locally and shift the focus of my work to smaller charities in the UK and internationally. I facilitate team development processes, lead strategy and planning processes and convene workshops and awaydays. In mid-2020 I co-developed and ran a virtual development programme for new and middle managers on authentic management. My volunteering work includes being on the management group of a local foodbank and running a food box scheme.
In December 2021 I will take up my role as the Managing Director of the Centre for Systemic Constellations (www.thecsc.net) and in early 2022 I will join the systemic constellation foundation course to learn more about how to shift the tensions, trauma, and imbalances we experience in our lives, at home, at work and in the wider social context in which we live.
What I bring to Share
My work in the international charity sector has given me valuable insights as to what it takes to manage a charity. I trust that my admin, management, fundraising, networking and strategy development skills are helping to sustain and grow Share’s work.
I have been a trustee since late 2019 and simply love what Share does. I have faced difficult times in my life and without therapeutic support I would not be who I am today. Thus, I know what difference therapy can make and I am passionate about Share providing support to people who need it, who can’t afford to pay market rates and/or for whom the NHS provision simply doesn’t deliver.
And however hard and tough the COVID19 crises is for everyone, it is also an opportunity to get rid of the stigma of mental health and ensure therapeutic support is available for everyone who needs it, when they need it.
Vanessa Boddye
Trustee
About me
After leaving university, I spent a few years working in training for Fortnum & Mason and for the Royal College of Nursing in London. I moved to Sheffield in 1989 and chose to stay at home to look after the four children who followed. During this time, I trained as a teacher with the NCT and taught antenatal classes for 14 years, supporting over 600 sets of parents in Sheffield and in 1997, I qualified as a massage therapist teaching baby massage classes as well as seeing clients. Both these allowed me to work part-time from home around the needs of my family. In 2008, I moved to my own premises, and built up the massage business. In 2016 I qualified as a psychotherapist and now run both parts of the business from my rooms Abbeydale Road, subletting to other therapists starting out in their own private work.
I volunteered in a variety of pre-school settings for 12 years, co-ran a girls football club for 10 years and have filled numerous roles in the local church for the last thirty years, currently as church warden.
What I bring to Share
I have seven years of experience as a therapist now and want to continue to offer that to those who are in need of it, alongside my understanding of working in private practice. I have a particular interest in working with the LGBT+ community. As for being on the board of trustees, I bring the specific experience of being a volunteer at Share, as well as being a practicing psychotherapist, alongside my love for the organisation itself.
In training as a psychotherapist with Academy:SPACE, I was required to find a counselling placement and Share had been recommended to me by a church acquaintance who was already a volunteer with the charity. I came in 2014 as a student and have stayed on as a volunteer ever since, joining the board in 2018.
As I am self-employed and work alone, Share means a lot to me as a workplace, where I can feel a sense of belonging and be among colleagues. And as an organisation dedicated to making therapy available to so many who would, otherwise, be unable to afford or access it, I believe Share is vital in the mental health landscape of Sheffield.
Steve Wood
Trustee
About me
Along with my wife, in 2009 we developed our own health and social care service supporting adults across Sheffield who have complex needs. The main vision of our service was to fill a gap by providing highly personalised support to adults with a range of needs including PMLD, autism and learning difficulties. My roles were as Director and Business Manager eventually overseeing 40 staff at four day service bases located across north west Sheffield. After six years of development we passed the service onto new ownership and I set up my own small property development and management business. Prior to 2009 I spent nearly 20 years in the teaching profession (I am a qualified secondary head teacher). I have also run my own record label and for many years enjoyed performing music live with The England Supporters Band in many countries. Travel is my passion. Currently I also support two local choirs as their Treasurer, I am a Prince’s Trust Business Advisor, a Support Dogs Driver and Sheffield Cathedral Guide.
What I bring to Share
My six intensive years creating and running my own local health and social care provider has left me ‘in-tune’ with the needs as well as the issues other providers face as they attempt to successfully deliver acutely needed care and support during lean times. Playing a senior role within a relatively small care provider service has also helped me to experience achieving the organisations’ goals and visions by taking practical, flexible, realistic and affordable approaches to day to day problem solving. All services need safe, functional and appropriate spaces to be able to deliver their support. As a property manager I am constantly developing my knowledge and experience in this area. As a member of the team of trustees I can share this experience for the benefit of the service as we move forward.