Management and Governance

Disability Sheffield CIL has a management committee of Trustees who all have personal experience of disability and the barriers that disabled people face in society. Our Trustees are committed to the concept of a social model of disability and a rights-based approach to services and public policy. They are accountable to both Companies House and the Charity Commission and ensure that Disability Sheffield CIL has systems in place to protect the interests of the organisation and its members.

Darren Lee – Chair

Darren Lee is Sheffield born and bred and is a Sheffield Wednesday supporter for his sins. Darren is a member of the British Institute of League of Learning Disabilities, and sits on Inclusion North’s Advisory Council.

Darren has been a volunteer quality checker at the Northern General Hospital and an advisor at the Assessment and Treatment Unit (ATU).

Darren is a Disability Representative at the Learning Disabilities Partnership Board

Darren is a good listener, loves animals , enjoys walking locally and likes listening to music particularly from the eighties.

Natalie Yarrow – Trustee

Born in Lincolnshire but raised in Yorkshire, I have lived with a visual impairment since early childhood and was fortunate to reap the benefits of both special and mainstream education. After leaving college, I worked as a Civil Service Telephonist until 1980 when I left to become a fulltime Mum.

I returned to education as a mature student, studying at the University of Lancaster and gaining a Diploma in Social Work Studies with BA Honours in 1998.

My subsequent career has encompassed a variety of roles, mainly within the VCF sector. I worked for four and a half years as Rotherham’s Personal Assistant Support Scheme Coordinator, supporting the Direct Payments Scheme from pilot stage through to full implementation. I was also instrumental in designing and implementing a new-model training provision for disabled people in Rotherham, moving on then to work as a Senior Participation Officer in Barnsley where my job entailed enabling users of health and social care services and their informal carers to have a voice in the design, development and monitoring of services.
Many of my roles have entailed supervising volunteers and managing fellow employees.

I spent a year working for the Alzheimer’s Society in Barnsley where I was responsible for kick-starting their Dementia Friendly Communities initiative, and then moved to Paces in High Green where I have worked for the past 2.5 years, first as Adult Services Development Worker, now as Funding Coordinator. Paces is probably best known for its non-maintained special school and its Leaping the Void provision which cater for children and young adults with cerebral palsy/other motor disorders; however, our most recent achievement has been the establishment of Paces’ new Personal Development Centre (PDC) which opened its doors on 29th September to adults with a variety of neurological conditions including Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, after effects of stroke and acquired brain/spinal injuries.

Outside of work, my interests and hobbies include spending time with friends and family (I am proud Mum to a 34-year-old Son, and proud Grandmother to an 11-year-old Granddaughter); eating out; going to the theatre and to concerts; visiting new places; reading (especially autobiographies); swimming and Pilates.

Matthew Gibson – Honorary Treasurer

Matt is an international tax and treasury partner with the world’s leading professional services firm PwC. He first became involved with Disability Sheffield through PwC’s Responsible Leaders Program, spending 4 weeks working with the organisation on a program run by the firm in conjunction with Common Purpose. He was so impressed by the organisation and their work in Sheffield, that he volunteered to take on the role of Treasurer in February 2015.

Matt is a chartered tax advisor, holds an Executive Master of Business Administration in International Business jointly awarded by Bristol University’s Graduate Business School and École Nationale Des Ponts et Chaussée (Paris).

He is the Finance Partner and Risk Partner and is a member of the leadership for his team in PwC London (London Region – Private Client/ Private Business). He was previously the People Partner for a team in PwC’s North East region with overall responsibility for human resources for 300 people. He is very familiar with governance and risk management procedures. In his work, he has advised a number of leading international charities and charitable foundations on how to structure and operate across borders.

Outside of work Matt enjoys listening to and playing music (he plays bass in Leeds indie band Spring). He also enjoys cooking (and eating!), reading, watching movies but most of all he loves spending time with his son, Nathan.

Christine Griffiths – Trustee

Christine is an Associate Medical Negligence Lawyer working for Switalskis Solicitors Ltd. Christine works with victims of medical negligence investigating cases that involved negligent treatment in order to obtain answers.

Christine is a Sheffield United fan and will often be seen at Bramall Lane. Christine enjoys keeping fit, travelling, reading, spending time with her family and waching live music. She is always in attendance at Tramlines Festival.

John Fuller – Trustee

As a Senior Civil Servant with a career starting in the private sector in HR, I worked in strategic posts on skills and qualifications in the Department for Education, on disability employment programmes in the DWP, on the Life Chances team in the Cabinet Office, and lastly Strategy Director at the (now tragically abolished) Independent Living Fund.

My career took me through personnel management, training and development, skills and qualifications policy, administration and reform of the national training system, the European training system, age discrimination and disability reform. I advised on reform of Incapacity Benefit, into work programmes, health and rehabilitation, and the creation of the Office for Disability Issues (ODI).

Since leaving full time employment I have held non executive board roles at a number of national and local charities, alongside parenting teens, rock bands, choir, allotment, running and cycling.

Kate Whittaker – Trustee

Kate Whittaker is a public law solicitor specialising in community care, mental health, mental capacity, disability discrimination, education and human rights law. She has acted for individuals and organisations in relation to a variety of cases, including helping patients and vulnerable individuals obtain health and community care support and appropriate education provision from the NHS, local authorities and social services.

Kate has brought and worked on judicial review cases on a broad range of public law and human rights matters, including a House of Lords case on the application of housing benefit legislation, and cases in the European Court of Justice, which include challenges both to European legislation and to the UK’s implementation of European Legislation.