PATRON

Sally Phillips 

TRUSTEES

As the founder and chair of Me too & Co, I have responsibility for working closely with the Executive Committee, Parents/Carers and Volunteers to ensure the charitable aims of our organisation are realised. As we are a new independent voluntary organisation, priority areas of work include the setting-up of a solid infrastructure and raising the profile of Me too & Co within the Borough of Richmond and surrounding areas.

I hold a Swiss Hotel Diploma (BSc) and worked for many years at senior management level within the same industry. Most importantly, my personal experience of having a disabled daughter, and the years I have spent setting up and running services for children with additional needs, give me the attributes and knowledge necessary for this challenging role.

I joined Me too & Co in January 2006, becoming a trustee and vice chair. I felt certain that Me too & co would be an organisation that had to succeed as the trustees have great vision and a commitment to helping children with additional needs and their families. As the vice chair, I am responsible for supporting the Charity in all aspects and I feel privileged to be part of this organisation.

My background is creative and I am rewarded by the children’s engagement in painting, singing, signing music and storytelling. Having a child with Down’s syndrome, I feel that all children need their souls to be nourished and I believe that this can happen through play and the arts in a place where the children are valued and nurtured; where they have a sense of ownership and an opportunity to express themselves and not be judged. This, in turn, is very nourishing for me too!

I have over 12 years financial experience in the hospitality sector and am currently Group Accountant for a Hotel/Restaurant company based in central London. Having a disabled daughter myself I am delighted to offer in any way I can my professional and personal support to Me too & Co.

After working for several years in business, I spent time as a volunteer at the Wandsworth Carers Centre, followed by nearly 4 years providing information and outings for families with children with additional needs at a Richmond based charity. I have a wide knowledge of the statutory and voluntary services available to parents and carers in the Borough of Richmond, and am delighted to be able to help pass this information on to parents at Me too & Co, and work with the other trustees to provide improved services for them and their children.

As the Secretary of Me too & Co, I am in the position of supporting the Chair and the other Trustees in upholding the constitution and contributing to the management of the vital implementation of our infra-structure.

I am a UKCP registered transpersonal psychotherapist and the director of Terapia Training in Integrative Child Psychotherapy and Counselling. I originally trained as a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and supervisor.

As Trustees of Me too & Co our responsibilities are laid down by the Charity Commissioner and at present we are attending Committee meetings where our personal experience in having children with additional needs makes us highly valuable contributors. We know from our own experience how vital a group such as Me too & Co is in supporting families caring for a child with additional needs.

In our professional life we are the Co-founders of ‘Singing Hands’, and our main goal here is to introduce parents/carers and professionals to the amazing world of signs through songs, stories, games and rhymes. We are both qualified Makaton Regional Tutors.

Returning to England after many years in Asia, I found a lack of support and facilities for girls like our teenage daughter who is High Functioning Autistic. This led me to set up a group called ‘Girls Connect’ to help teenage girls with HF Autism and Aspergers and their families.

We help the girls to develop their social and communication skills and prepare them for independent living after school. ‘Girls Connect’ is now part of Me too & Co. My professional background was in finance after qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in London. Whilst in Asia, I was involved with voluntary work to help both British and local children. Nowadays, as well as running ‘Girls Connect’, I also enjoy teaching yoga, and am a mother to three teenagers. I hope you will all lend your full support to Me Too & Co which is doing a much valued job in helping so many children and families.

I started my career as a Residential Social Worker working with children with special needs. Returning to university as a mature student, I completed a BSc in Politics and Psychology and a Doctorate in Social Science. I joined the voluntary sector in 2003, managing a community development project at Richmond CVS, encouraging more users and carers to get involved in decision-making. I am committed to strengthening the voice of users and carers of services. I am currently employed as manager of the Parent Participation Project at Treehouse – a charity working to improve the lives of children with autism through education.

I became involved with Me Too & Co as a volunteer in April 2008, carrying out research to evaluate the services they provide. I have been greatly impressed not only by the quality and variety of services offered by this organisation but, more importantly, the inclusive and friendly atmosphere that greets all the children and their families. I am honoured to further my commitment to this organisation by becoming a trustee.

I became involved with Me Too & Co as a volunteer in September 2008 knowing nothing about the work that they do. I am so impressed by the services offered and everyone involved. I have come to see over time how important Me Too & Co is to the parents, and feel there should be a Me Too and Co in every town. I have to say also that the children are a delight. I have been in management most of my working life and am now retired. I am hoping to use my business skills to help Me Too & Co.

My professional experience has been as a human resources manager for over 13 years, working across the media, banking and professional services sectors and I currently work freelance for some locally based businesses. I’m also the mother of 3 boys who love coming to Me Too & Co. One of my sons has quadriplegic cerebral palsy along with other health problems and another has a cardiac condition. My personal goal is to make our life as a family as normal, full, constructive and positive as possible. I hope that through my involvement with Me Too & Co, I can contribute to helping other families touched by special needs achieve this goal also.