Vicki Beere, Bradford VCS Alliance Board Chair (Appointed 20 July 2021)
Vicki is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Manchester where she is also undertaking a teaching role. In addition to this she is a freelance trainer specialising in alcohol/other drugs, harm reduction and women and co design/co production.
Vicki was until recently Chief Executive of Project 6, a charity based in Keighley working with people affected by substance use across Yorkshire. She has over 20 years’ experience of working with people using drugs and alcohol, starting off as a frontline worker and then developing to become a Chief Executive 9 years ago. Vicki is passionate about supporting people to make positive changes to their wellbeing and reducing the shame and stigma associated with alcohol and drug use.
Vicki has been a trustee of the Bradford VCS Alliance for 5 years and the Chair for the past 12 months. She is a well-known and respected leader across our health and care system, especially in Bradford and Craven and has held many positions in the health and care system as a VCS system leader. She is driven by a need to make a dent in the health inequalities that exist across our patch, and wider social justice issues. She has a particular interest in systems leadership and systems convening, and the role of the VCS in supporting the system eco-system.
Vicki is keen to use her experience in leadership to support others and has been a cascading leadership consultant at the Kings Fund, and a Pilotlight mentor supporting new and upcoming VCS leaders across the country.
In addition to this Vicki is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and trustee of the national charity of drug and alcohol providers Collective Voice and Transform Drug Policy Foundation. In her free time she can often be found touring Scotland in her campervan with her scruffy rescue dogs.
Pam Essler BEM, Bradford VCS Alliance Board Director and Chair of Sub-Committee of People & Organisational Development (appointed 1 March 2023)
As an educationalist, Pam has taught in many settings. In parallel with that she has been involved with the NHS in a number of lay roles with NHS Trusts and more latterly commissioning and research organisations. Her focus has always been on patient experience and how this can be used to influence all aspects of the design and delivery of health and social care. To keep her feet firmly on the ground and make sure she is in close contact with the local community, Pam is a trustee in the charity sector and a school governor.
Beverley Fearnley PhD, Bradford VCS Alliance Board Director, Deputy Vice Chair and Chair of Sub-Committee Contract and Performance (appointed 1 March 2023)
Dr Beverley Fearnley started her career working in academia. Since then she has worked in the voluntary sector for 8 years, followed by time delivering healthcare regulation with NHS Improvement before moving to her current role as Deputy Director of Patient Safety, Compliance and Risk at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, a provider of community and mental health services.
Having lived in Bradford since she was 7, Beverley brings a range of insights from across all sectors and an understanding of how these impact on Bradford’s diverse communities. She has experience of working in local health and care system spaces, bringing together people from different organisations and backgrounds to deliver collaborative objectives aimed at improving health and care services for her local community.
Over the course of her career, Beverley has developed significant experience in performance management, governance and the delivery of safe, high quality services, and is particularly interested in how the voice of experience can be effectively used to drive transformation and improvement within organisations and across systems.
As a local girl who has worked for both statutory organisations and in the voluntary sector, Beverley is keen to support the Alliance in strengthening the voice of the voluntary sector within decision making about health and care and is a firm believer in empowering local communities.
Bill Graham, Bradford VCS Alliance Board Director, Treasurer and Chair of Sub-Committee Finance and Resources (appointed 16 July 2019)
Bill has been appointed the Health Inequalities lead (non-medical) for the Modality GP partnership and PCN based in Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven. He is an Associate of Leeds Community Foundation/Give Bradford and volunteers as a trustee with Leeds Community Spaces and Bradford VCSA.
Previous roles include leading a charity in Leeds, New Wortley Community Association, and was a trustee/ treasurer of Bramley Baths. He is an advocate for community businesses and charities, a Fellow of the RSA and tweets under the handle @systemanarchist.
Mohammed Zafran Liaqat, Bradford VCS Alliance Board Director and member of Sub-Committee Contract and Performance (appointed 1 March 2023)
Zaf was born in Bradford and has lived here all his life. He graduated in Law but didn’t go on to practice or qualify further, as this was beyond his financial means at the time. He decided to go into business instead and opened several mobile phone retail outlets. This went extremely well and later he moved onto wholesale supply of mobile phone accessories and parts, as well as recycling. This allowed him to specialise in sourcing goods from the Far East (China in particular). Since then he has had several businesses. Zaf considers himself very fortunate and appreciates the opportunities that his parents didn’t have. He has given his time as a result to different voluntary roles, ranging from being a board member on the West Yorkshire Regional Flood Defence Committee (DEFRA- APPOINTEE), to being a member of the Board at Girlington Community Centre. More recently, he has also taken a role as a Lay Member with the Ministry of Defence.
Jon Royle, Bradford VCS Alliance Board Director and member of Sub-Committee People & Organisational Development (appointed 30 June 2018)
Jon Royle has worked in the voluntary sector for 30 years as a volunteer, researcher, therapist, and senior manager. Prior to that he held a number of jobs including insurance, steeplejack, and was a soldier in the Parachute Regiment.
Jon became Chief Executive of The Bridge Project in Bradford in May 2007 and is responsible to the Board of Trustees for the management and administration of Bridge within the strategic framework and policy objectives set by the Board. He holds an MBA and a Diploma in Counselling.
He is Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the UK Faces and Voices of Recovery Charity (Home of the UK Recovery Walk) and a Non-Executive Director/People Committee Chair of Recovery Focus, a national group of charities. He is a member of the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities national Mutual Aid Reference Group and has a special interest in addiction recovery communities.
Jon advocates for the VCS as a member of the Bradford Safer Communities Partnership Board. In his spare time he enjoys mountains, rock climbing, and being taken for walks by an unruly Lhasa Apso!
Matthew Chandler, Bradford VCS Alliance Board Director Chair of Sub-Committee Finance and
Resources (appointed 30 May 2024)
Matt Chandler is the Deputy Director of Finance at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, a role that also involves him serving as a Director at AGH Solutions Ltd, a subsidiary company of the Trust. He is a chartered accountant (FCA, CPFA) with over 10 years’ experience working in a variety of roles in the NHS. His current role oversees all aspects of the finance function and payroll, attending and chairing a variety of committees, and attending the AGH Solutions Board meetings.
He is passionate about addressing health inequalities, which led him during the Covid-19 pandemic to take on a secondment role for NHS England North West vaccination programme as Director of Planning and Equity, and before that to help lead the team that set up Salford Foodbank in 2012, including setting up a new charity for which he was a trustee and Chair until 2020. It was this commitment to tackling inequalities that led Matt to get connected with VCSA. He also has previous experience as a trustee of his local church (Christ Central Manchester), where he still serves on the leadership team.
Outside of work and volunteering responsibilities Matt loves to head out for walks in the hills, or in the bad weather, to play a good board game.
Dr. Mohammed Akhlak Rauf, Bradford VCS Alliance Board Director member of Sub-Committee People and OD (appointed 30 May 2024)
Dr Mohammed Akhlak Rauf MBE PhD, has nearly 30 years of experience in the public and voluntary sectors. Mohammed has a long history tackling inequalities in health and social care, education, and has been an active volunteer in various positions..
He currently works as a Community Engagement Research Fellow within NHS research and is the Founder and Director of Meri Yaadain CiC, a not-for-profit community interest company focused on addressing dementia-related issues within minoritised ethnic communities.
Mohammed brings a wealth of experience and strong connections with various organisations and community groups, including European Drum CiC, which supports the Roma community, and Dream Big, Aim High CiC, which works with young people, individuals with learning disabilities, and those affected by mental ill health.
Nationally recognised for his contributions to policy and practice in dementia care, Mohammed was awarded an MBE by the late Queen in 2016. International work has included being a keynote speaker at dementia conferences. In 2023, he completed his PhD, exploring coping strategies of South Asian family carers looking after relatives with advanced dementia.
With extensive experience in managerial and leadership roles, Mohammed is keen to adopt a constructive “critical friend” approach to governance on the board, supporting the fantastic work of the Alliance. He is committed to ensuring that the voices of underserved and underrepresented communities are included in the Board’s decision-making processes. Mohammed believes that Bradford, with its unique challenges and opportunities, will benefit from his strong advocacy for all communities, alongside his hands-on approach to strengthening and supporting the VCS Alliance and its staff.
Lyn Sowray, Bradford VCS Alliance Board Director and member of Sub-Committee Contract and Performance (appointed 30 May 202)
Lyn retired in 2023 after working in Adult Services within Bradford Council for 16 years.
She lived in Bradford District for several years when working as a community nurse, and continued to work across the District and regionally for 31 years in the NHS, in leadership roles, both as a nurse and as a general manager.
Throughout her career, Lyn has been privileged to work closely with various VCS organisations and says she has learnt their value in reducing inequalities within communities and their ability to offer a voice to the most vulnerable people within our District.
Lyn has always been highly committed to working in partnership across organisations to improve services and support for people. The VCS Alliance epitomises this for Lyn, and offers the opportunity to strengthen the voice of communities with the Council and NHS organisations.
As a Trustee Lyn hopes to be able to offer support to the Alliance based on her experience at work and in her life as a carer.
