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Helen
Chief Executive Officer
Helen Carter – Chief Executive Officer
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Helen is a founding member of Loughborough Wellbeing Centre and has overseen the development of the Wellbeing Café Project over the past few years.
Helen’s background is varied with an Army career in the Royal Military Police before completing 20 years in the Civil Service in various Government Departments, including the Home Office in London.
Helen is passionate about mental health after members of her family have suffered with a range of mental health issues over the years. She is a mental health advocate and Mental Health First Aider and designs and delivers bespoke Mental Health Awareness Sessions in various settings including Loughborough Grammar School and local businesses.
Nicky
Chair of Trustees
Nicky Morgan - Chair of Trustees
Nicky is one of the Founders of the Loughborough Wellbeing Café Project, which came about after a younger constituent contacted Nicky when she was Loughborough’s MP to say that there was nowhere for her to go in the community to meet those who were also suffering with poor mental health. From that suggestion came the idea of a drop-in café which started once a month on Friday evenings.
With family experience of mental health challenges and through working with service users and their families and carers and mental health professionals as an MP, Nicky has spoken out about mental health care and needs for many years. She co-led the first ever general debate on mental health in the House of Commons in 2012.
Peter Cannon
Patron
Peter Cannon - Patron
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Peter is a founding member of Loughborough Wellbeing Centre and has recently been asked to become the first Patron of our Charity on his retirement as a GP.
Peter has been an enormous support to the Project and has assisted many cafe members who needed his professional advice and guidance.
Peter is passionate about supporting people's wellbeing and was the Lead GP for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland for Mental Health and Substance Misuse for several recent years.
Peter is married to his wife, Alison and has 2 grown up children who he is enormously proud of.
We will miss seeing Peter regularly about town as he has now moved to Devon but we look forward to his input as our Patron.
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Pauline
Trustee
Pauline Ranson - Trustee
Pauline has always been interested and involved in health and wellbeing, both professionally and through community activities.
She is a retired nurse, a current school governor, elected member of both Charnwood Borough Council and Barrow-upon-Soar Parish Council and a former Mayor of the Borough of Charnwood. She is also a trustee of five local welfare charities, two in Loughborough and three in Barrow-upon-Soar. And she chairs the local village liaison committee with a local quarry.
Pauline is married with grown-up children and grandchildren.
Jemma
Trustee
Jemma Bagley - Trustee
Jemma has been involved with the Wellbeing Café Project since the beginning through her work in participatory arts. She plans and delivers creative activities for café members.
Jemma has 30 years experience of participatory arts practice including working with the NHS and Charnwood Arts. Her specialism being working with adults with mental ill health to achieve creatively.
She has a degree in textile design and as an artist has sold her work in galleries nationally.
She is an original member of ArtSpace Loughborough and was chairperson for two years.
Jemma runs the Creatives sessions for the Wellbeing Café Project and designs many of the creative activities run by the project.
Lynne
Trustee
Lynne Holding - Trustee
Lynne’s background is in nursing, working for the NHS for over 30 years.
She has been involved with the Wellbeing Café Project from the beginning.
During this time my goal has ALWAYS been to have regular structured activities in the community for everyone recovering from or still enduring mental health difficulties. A base for people to meet, to make friends and realise they are NOT ON their own.
The unique café project is now providing a recognised base and a safe environment for these therapeutic activities to take place.
She is pictured with Jacob the cat who has helped Lynne and her family through some difficult times
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Nick
Trustee
Dr Nick Simpson - Trustee
Nick qualified in Medicine in 1976 having trained at Oxford and St Mary’s in London. He had a surgical career until becoming a GP in 1983 at Barrow on Soar. He has been a principal in General Practice for 39 years before retiring in April 2022. He continues to be an appraiser for doctors and has a special interest in Cardiology, Surgery and Mental Health.
Nick is married to another doctor who is a Community Paediatrician and specialist in developmental paediatrics. He has four grown up daughters, three of whom live in London and one of whom lives in Quorn. He has 3 grandchildren and has lived in Quorn since 1996.
Sarah
Creative Activities Worker
Dr Sarah Green
Dr Sarah Green is an Arts for Health Creative Practitioner and Researcher. She is also a practicing artist. Sarah recently completed her PhD at Loughborough University (2015-2020) examining the wellbeing benefits of textile crafting for men experiencing vulnerabilities. Sarah specialises in developing creative art and textile craft workshops that facilitate participants’ health and wellbeing. Sarah also holds a BA in Fine Art and MA Art in the Public Sphere from Loughborough University.
As an artist Sarah is trained in drawing, printmaking and sculpture. She is a self-taught textile artist and a member of the Stitching Together Network.
Sarah ran several craft sessions when the Wellbeing Café first began in 2015 and recently re-joined the team in 2021 to run the all-female Stitching Well group. She works closely with Jemma to plan and deliver creative sessions for café members and facilitates the Crisis Cafés.
Julie
Shepshed Wellbeing Cafe Worker
Julie Booker
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Julie facilitates the Shepshed Wellbeing Cafe at the Glenmore Centre in Shepshed. She has developed the cafe over many years “the members have enjoyed art and craft activities, visiting speakers to tell us about other groups and activities in the local area as well as potting plants and bulbs, Ukulele sing a longs and gentle exercise to name a few of our weekly sessions.”
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She says that the reason she does this work, is because it makes a difference to each member’s life and she feels privileged that the members enjoy coming along on a weekly basis and everyone works together to make the sessions positive and welcoming for all.