Your Voice Counts welcomes new trustee

We’re pleased to announce a new appointment to our Board of Directors as we welcome experienced HR professional Rebekah Coombes to the Your Voice Counts team.

Rebekah has held senior HR positions in the NHS and social housing sector and is now Head of Human Resources at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust. Our Chief Executive David Woolley said:

“We’re really delighted to welcome Rebekah to join our Board of Directors. Our new five year strategic plan makes it clear that we want to prioritise helping our staff to develop and grow by giving them the support they need to be great at their roles. We wanted to make sure that our Board had the right skills and experience to be able to support us in this ambition and we couldn’t be happier that Rebekah agreed to join us.

“Rebekah has a wealth of experience helping organisations large and small to improve their approach to supporting their people, and just as importantly, she shares our values and our person centred approach. We are really excited about what she can help us to achieve!”

Rebekah said:

“I’m incredibly excited and proud to take up my position on the Your Voice Counts Board. I’ve been very impressed with how the organisation reaches out to people to find ways to hear their views and use the power of lived experience to bring about positive change and I’m looking forward to exploring how we can get even better at this.

“Your Voice Counts is a proud employer of people with lived experience of learning disabilities, autism and mental ill health and I hope my background in people management, coaching and mentoring can help us to develop and expand the opportunities we offer.

“On a personal level, I have seen first hand the challenges members of my own family with learning disabilities have faced over the years so I am passionate about doing what I can to help improve the system so services are more welcoming and supportive for people.”

The Co-Chairs of our Board, Christina Gates and Lisa Kelly, work hard to ensure our Board meetings are accessible and inclusive and are looking forward to developing our approach with Rebekah’s insight and experience. Lisa said:

“We welcome Rebekah with open arms! It’s so great to have someone with her experience on the Board. Caring for our staff is something I’m really passionate about and I can’t wait to start work with Rebekah, I’m really excited to see how she can help us. Welcome on board!”

Christina added:

“Rebekah brings not only a people background that we know we need to add to our Board expertise, but also an infectious energy and enthusiasm and clear and insightful thinking. All of this has enabled her to very quickly get into the role and immediately make it her own. She is already proving a great asset to our Board and she’s only just begun! We have been looking for a long time for someone to fill this role and we feel really happy that we have found in Rebekah just the right fit for YVC.”

Visit www.yvc.org.uk/board to find out more about our Board of Directors.