With significant board experience in both law firms and the private and voluntary sectors, George now divides his time between career strategy advice to City professional services firms and Bridge Support.

His experience of the challenges that face people with mental ill-health in both his working and family life, and as a listening volunteer with the Samaritans, drives George’s interest and commitment to mental health and wellbeing. As well as chairing Bridge Support, George is a public governor of the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, a member of Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, and a long-term supporter of several other mental health charities.

Sarah has worked as Head of Communications at South Eastern Rail, Brand Marketing Manager UK at Microsoft and Customer Marketing Manager at NTL/Cable & Wireless.

As well as her corporate profession, she has fifteen years’ experience of providing mental health wellbeing services at a Southwark-based charity, Faces in Focus where she has worked voluntarily with young adults (15-25 years) for the past fifteen years, providing psychotherapy sessions and played a vital role in fundraising bids.

Throughout her career, Sarah has worked collaboratively with customer/user groups to achieve the common purpose of their needs being full understood and met. She has a great understanding of governance of organisations, the legal duties and responsibilities of being a Trustee and is looking forward to the opportunity to elaborate on her skills and attributes for the role of Trustee to Bridge Support.

Dave has been involved in creating a number of Local Authority companies, a Housing Association and a Leisure Trust.

Dave was a school governor for 25 of the last 27 years, and vice-chair of Governors and chair of the Curriculum Committee. He is a member of The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and accountancy CIPFA.

As a Senior Manager in a large public sector organisation, Dave has a wealth of experience which he brings to Bridge as a Trustee, along with his experience in applying good governance as essential for increasing value for money from services. He wishes to assist Bridge as a Trustee to continue to meet care needs and help make a difference to individuals’ lives.

Elaine trained as a psychologist. She represented detained patients before the Mental Health Tribunal and became a member of that Tribunal. She was a Mental Health Act Commissioner for 10 years.

Elaine was the first independent OFSTED adjudicator and carried out adjudicatory functions on behalf of the Office of Fair Trading in relation to its regulation of the debt and credit market. She continues to sit on the Mental Health Tribunal and also the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal. Elaine brings to Bridge a range of experience of mental health services for seriously ill people.

&Upwards is a social enterprise focused on helping young people unleash their abilities through work experience opportunities with inspiring employers.

Over the past year, Beez has given talks to the Cabinet Office and TedX organisers on Human-Centred Design and, on the behalf of the award winning social innovation agency, Super Being Labs, he has worked with clients including NCVO, Breast Cancer Care, Safer London and London Councils where he has worked on product & service design and digital transformation.

Additionally, he is a mentor on Safer London’s Aspire Program. In previous years, he was product and technical director at the award-winning youth social enterprise, State of Ambition, where he led product development. And, he was the co-founder and creative director of the yoga and wellbeing magazine, DRAZE which he grew to 100,000 readers in just eight months.

Beez has a particular interest in working with Bridge as mental health issues have had a direct effect on his family and life. He is looking forward to working with Bridge in the role as Trustee, giving direction to the charity, governance advice with a focus on strategic aims and staff wellbeing.

Deborah has spent the last fifteen years in the Public and Charitable sector for Fostering, Local Authorities, Housing and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC). She is now looking to be empowered and add value as a Trustee to Bridge.

Working at a Strategic level, Deborah can add value by drawing on her experience and knowledge to date. She has trained and coached many Board members and Trustees over the years which adds to her valuable insight. As a manager, she sets targets for her teams and works with them to ensure that we meet the agreed outcome and allow for creative thinking and different viewpoints.

By joining Bridge, Deborah wishes to raise the profile of mental health and wellbeing as an important issue and add her support to this sector.