Trustees

The Board consists of 7 Trustees who represent a wide range of disciplines essential to the running of the Trust. There are 3 Board meetings held annually.

PROFILES

Chairman – Dr John McClure

Dr McClure became Chairman of the Scottish Cot Death Trust in 2002. Prior to that, he had been a Trustee since 1991. He has also been a member of the Trust’s Scientific Advisory Committee since 1992. He was a consultant paediatrician and former depute medical director in Ayrshire and has had a particular interest in sudden infant death since the first Scottish survey was conducted in the late 1970′s, early1980′s. He has been particularly concerned in ensuring that good support for bereaved families is available across Scotland. Dr McClure has been a driving force in establishing a system of case review of sudden unexpected infant death which operates in Scotland and chaired the multi-agency steering group which produced draft guidelines on management of SUDI  which were presented to the Scottish Government in December 2007.

Vice Chairman – Mr Ian Halliburton

Having taken early retirement from Bell Lawrie Investment Management, where he was a Director, Ian has over 30 years experience in running a  small company, dealing with personnel and financial matters, budgetary control and strategy. He has a wide experience of Committees and Charities, having served on the Scottish Arts Council, and formerly as Vice-Chairman of Third Eye Centre and of Enterprise Music Scotland and Chairman of Platform Jazz. As well as his commitment to the Trust, his principal interests are hill walking (a Munro ‘compleatist’) and supporting the arts.

Trustee – Mr Jim Gill MBE

Jim’s daughter Lindsey died from SIDS in 1979. He is a local authority Emergency Planning Officer having retired after completing 31 years service with Lothian & Borders Police. For many years he was Chairman of the Borders Cot Death Action Group and has supported the work of the Trust since its inception. He has been a Trustee since 1991. In 2000 he was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for Services to Lothian and Borders Police and the Borders Cot Deaths Action Group.

Trustee – Mrs Eleanor Kerr

Eleanor is a Partner in the Private Client Department of Maclay Murray & Spens and is based in the Glasgow office. She specialises in all aspects of Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains Tax planning (including formation and administration of trusts), as well as the preparation of Wills, administration of executries and the Scottish law relating to charities. She is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and the Charity Law Association.

Trustee – Miss Agnes Malone

Agnes has a varied and impressive background, which started in nursing and developed into senior management roles both in the UK and abroad. On returning to the UK in 1980, she spent two years nursing in Roxburgh House, the adult hospice in Dundee, followed by posts with Tayside Regional Council Social Work Department, developing services for the elderly and the Archdiocese of Glasgow Social Services where latterly she was appointed Director of Social Services. Her most recent post was Chief Executive of the Children’s Hospice Association (CHAS), from which she retired in February 2006. Agnes has many interests and currently holds additional Trusteeships with the Pastoral Care Trust (Archdiocese of Glasgow) and the Mungo Foundation.

Trustee – Dr Tom Turner

Dr Turner  has recently retired as Consultant Paediatrician in Glasgow at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and the Queen Mother’s Hospital where he worked for almost thirty years. He has a particular interest in the care of newborn infants and was the Clinical Director for the Queen Mother’s Hospital for several years. He represented his colleagues on a number of important National Committees and was Advisor to the Scottish Executive on maternity and children’s services. Dr Turner has also been actively involved in the education of doctors and nursing colleagues. He has a grown up family and several grandchildren. His main recreations are walking and gardening.

Trustee – Ms Yvonne Millman

Having graduated from Nottingham University Yvonne began her working life in social work in and around London. In March 1996 she had her first child, Sam, who tragically died as the result of a cot death, aged 10 weeks.  Fortunately, Yvonne was referred by her Paediatrician to a local parent support group which helped enormously both in the months following the cot death and also when she became pregnant with her next child, Daniel.

In 1988 Yvonne and her family moved to Aberdeen and was asked by two community midwives if she would consider setting up a support group in Aberdeen. She co-ordinated the support and fundraising aspects of this group for seven years as well as helping with befriender training days. Today Yvonne has three children Daniel, Leah and Aaron and is a lecturer in the School of Applied Social Studies at The Robert Gordon University. She recently ran the London marathon in order to raise funds for the Trust.

Staff

At present the Trust employs 4 full-time and 1 part-time staff.

Executive Director – Mrs Fiona Brown

After qualifying as a nurse in Northern Ireland in 1992, Fiona went on to forge a career in the voluntary sector. She has worked for several charities, principally in the field of health, over the past 16 years. In 2001 she graduated from the University of Ulster with a Masters in Marketing, obtained after a period of 3 years part-time study. Fiona has been Executive Director of the Trust since 2007.

Community Services Nurse – Ms Lynda Bathgate

Lynda joined the Marie Curie Hospice Glasgow palliative care team when she qualified as a nurse. Here she gained significant experience supporting people in their loss, grief and bereavement.  She is able to use this experience within her role as Community Services Nurse and has now been with the Scottish Cot Death Trust since February 2009. She has very recently completed her MSc in Advanced Practice in Palliative Care and Applied Education at Edinburgh Napier University giving her both a Masters degree and a teaching qualification.

Community Fundraiser – Mrs Lynne Mackenzie

After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with a BA in Communication & Mass Media, Lynne went on to work within the Marketing and Media sector. Lynne started her fundraising career at Radio Clyde’s Cash for Kids Appeal, before being employed at the National Autistic Society Scotland.  Lynne was appointed as the Trust’s first ever fundraising employee in 2008 and since then has steadily worked to increase income from a variety of sources. Most notably, events such as marathons, walks and runs have grown significantly during the past 2 years.

Executive Assistant – Mrs Gillian McKenzie

Gillian joined the team in May 2010 having worked in the voluntary sector for many years, predominately in the Homeless sector. This gave her valuable insight to charity work and this is an area that she wished to stay in. Gillian is married with a young daughter and enjoys spending time with her family and participating in outdoor pursuits.

Finance Officer – Miss Angela MacKenzie

Angela is the Trust’s most recent recruit having taken up post in July 2010. Angela has significant finance experience gained whilst working in an accountancy firm for almost 20 years, during which time she completed the Association of Accounting Technicians Level 4 Certificate in Accounting.  She enjoys keeping fit by running and will be participating in the Glasgow ½ Marathon this year, raising sponsorship for the Trust.