Mark Llewellyn
As Professor of Health and Care Policy at the University of South Wales, Mark has been immersed in the issues of carers and the third sector in Wales for many years. His work has centred on gathering evidence about the ways in which relationships between people, their carers, and the local and national organisations that support them can be improved, and applying that in practice. He has been particularly focused on the ways in which carers’ voice are, and are not heard, and the extent to which people are able to exercise voice and control over what matters to them. The key focus for Mark is to forge a connection between evidence, policy, and impact, and to maximise the positive contribution that independent research and evaluation data can make to the everyday experience of unpaid carers across Wales. Mark lives in South-West Wales with his wife and three sons, where he volunteers at the local cricket club.
Gareth Morlais
Gareth is a Welsh language technology specialist with the Welsh Government, working with groups developing speech-to-text, computer aided translation and conversational artificial intelligence, all in the Welsh language. Gareth’s voluntary role with Carers Trust Wales is independent of his work with government. In his spare time, Gareth is a trustee of Ymddiried Media Grants Cymru, was a non-executive director of Breaking Barriers Community Arts and runs several independent websites. Having helped care for family members, friends and neighbours, Gareth feels it’s important unpaid carers get all possible help and support.
Jo Galazka
Jo works for Unite the Union as a Regional Women & Equalities Officer in Wales. The role involves representing members in the workplace, negotiating with employers and fighting for fairness and equality in the workplace. She is passionate about ensuring carers are properly supported in work and have a voice in the decision-making process. She has lived in Cardiff for the last 10 years and is an avid campaigner for carers’ rights. Becoming a young carer at the age of 9 has shaped the person she has become and her lived experience has made her determined to champion carers’ rights at every opportunity.
Ifor Glyn
Ifor Glyn started his career at the Swansea Drugs Project, one of the first harm reduction agencies in Wales. He also helped establish a substance misuse service within Caerphilly Social Services and worked at WCADA (Welsh Centre for Action on Dependency and Addiction Ltd) before returning to the Swansea Drugs Project as its CEO in 2007. In 2017, Ifor took up the role of director of the Swansea Carers Centre, a charity providing a range of services to unpaid carers in Swansea, such as respite in the home, day centre, welfare benefits, counselling, activities, drop in, specific services for young adult carers, parent carers and mental health. Despite no longer working in the substance misuse field, Ifor continues to be passionate about minimising the harm caused by drugs or alcohol to individuals and communities. Additionally, Ifor is a Welsh speaker and is a frequent contributor to Welsh Language TV and radio.
Alison Harries
Alison Harries is CEO of Carers Trust Crossroads West Wales.
Alison has worked for Crossroads/Carers Trust since 2003 in various roles. Alison was the first Registered Manager under the then CSSIW in 2004, alongside her role as the Scheme/Business Manager. In 2007 the organisation underwent a merger with a network member in the same county. Alison’s new role at that time was Operational/Registered Manager, she was appointed CEO in 2016.
In April 2021 the organisation re-branded as Carers Trust Crossroads West Wales. The reasoning for “West Wales” was that there is no Network Partner in Pembrokeshire and we had formed a consortium with our Network Partners Credu and Carers Trust Crossroads North Wales to provide information, advice and respite care in Ceredigion. They are the only regulated Network Partner hybrid service in West Wales, regulated with Care Inspectorate Wales to deliver care alongside Carers Support Services that offer information, advice and access to financial support.
During Alison’s time with Crossroads, she has experienced many changes and challenges along with some wonderful humbling experiences of working with unpaid carers. Alison’s experience of being a young carer and, later on in life, balancing her roles as a working carer trying to look after ageing parents with poor health, and at that time a mother to a young family has put her in a good position when trying to understand why a Carer feels as they do and empathise with their situation. Alison is enthusiastic and committed to driving new projects forward. In her spare time Alison enjoys reading and spending time with her family, including her 3 grandchildren.
Becky Evans
I was born in Bristol and have resided in Llandrindod Wells for the past 41 years. Over the last 25 years, I have amassed extensive experience across various sectors, including Education, Care, Local Authority, Health, Social Services, and the Third Sectors. Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working with individuals of all ages, families, and communities. This diverse experience has shaped me into the professional I am today. I take great satisfaction in collaborating with colleagues to address critical questions and strive to do what is right, even when it is not easy. Engaging in these collaborative efforts often yields remarkable solutions that drive significant change.
I am also a wife, mother to three grown children, and a proud grandmother to two wonderful granddaughters. Living in Wales, I feel fortunate to be surrounded by nature. My upbringing was marked by the support of individuals who believed in me, which has always motivated me to make a positive impact on people's lives. I am committed to promoting inclusivity, diversity, and the importance of valuing one another. My aspiration is for everyone to have someone in their lives who supports them and helps them thrive.
Chris Lines
Chris is a freelance communications and PR consultant. He built up more than 30 years’ experience in the public, private and third sectors before setting out on his own.
As Director of Communications at Public Health Wales he built an award-winning team from scratch to save lives by reducing smoking and increasing vaccination and screening uptake.
At the Office for National Statistics, reporting to the National Statistician, Chris led work which increased public trust, improved organisational reputation and raised employee engagement.
Chris is as passionate now about the power of communication to build reputation and to change attitudes and behaviours as he was when he started out at a Cardiff PR consultancy in the 1980s.
Whereas the data and channels may have moved on, the essence of good communications is unchanged. It lies in audience insight and the imagination to develop stories which touch people’s emotions. Charities, voluntary groups and volunteers are the stuff of such stories!
Chris has presented nationally and internationally to conferences on corporate communications, stakeholder engagement, internal communications and crisis communications. A long-standing member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, he is also the founder vice-chair of CommsCymru, the network for public and third sector communications professionals.
In the football season Chris can be heard on the terraces at the Liberty Stadium as a member of the Jack Army whereas, in summer, he’s more likely to be found clapping politely at a cricket match, walking (slowly) in the Brecon Beacons or exploring Europe in his VW camper van.
Dr Clifford Jones
Cliff is originally from north west Wales and is a first language Welsh speaker, but now lives in Cardiff since qualifying in Medicine in 2003. He has been a GP since 2008, working in Neath, Blaenau Gwent and currently Newport. He also works for a NHS Health board as an Assistant Medical Director with a focus on quality, safety and the interface between specialist and community services.
Cliff has an active interest in palliative care. He has held numerous voluntary and employed roles in the field of End of Life Care, working to improve services and standards of care. He has been the End of Life Care lead for Royal College of General Practitioners Wales since 2015. He is currently a trustee for a community hospice and Chair of the Wales End of Life Care Community Services Group.
His other professional interests include medical education and teaching, value-based health care and reducing health inequalities. Outside of work Cliff enjoys watching Sci-fi and reading Terry Pratchett books, and can usually be found commenting on primary care issues on twitter on social media.
Naheed Ashraf
Naheed Ashraf is the Strategic Transformation Programme Lead for unpaid carers in the Gwent Regional Partnership, where she plays a key role in transforming how services for carers are planned, coordinated and delivered. With extensive experience across diverse organisations and disciplines, Naheed has gained award winning national recognition for her work. In addition to her regional work, Naheed contributes to shaping national policy and strategy as a member of the Welsh Government Ministerial Advisory Group for unpaid carers. Her passion for supporting carers is deeply rooted in both her professional expertise and personal experiences, and she believes that supporting carers is a responsibility shared by all. Naheed’s leadership, vision, and commitment continue to inspire positive change for unpaid carers across Wales and beyond.
Suzanne Jenkins
Although she is (mostly) retired now, Suzanne has many years experience within the voluntary sector responding to need, creating partnerships, and promoting inclusion, including advocacy services, carers groups, disability transport, return to work schemes and information sharing. Suzanne is a counsellor so, unsurprisingly, projects in Wales have been about listening and highlighting that loneliness and isolation are not fringe issues. Projects include counsellors visiting isolated individuals at home to hear their concerns, increase self-understanding, improve personal care and mood, reduce negative thoughts and self-defeating behaviour, improve mental well-being and reinforce coping mechanisms. We also provided free counselling to jobseekers.
Suzanne's experience also includes independent investigation of complaints in the health and social services sector, working with community enterprise to build voluntary sector capacity, supervision of residential and domiciliary care contracts and being a magistrate, Director of a Health Authority, a London Borough Councillor and Chair of a Community and Mental Health NHS Trust.
In her personal life, Suzanne shared the care of her husband's mother, who lived with them, for eight years, managing her reducing mobility, diabetes and personal care and the decline in her cognitive and physical abilities as dementia tightened its grip on her everyday life
