About AES

The Team

Advocacy (Essex) Services Ltd has now been in existence since October 2008 and throughout this time our governance has been under constant review and evaluation. The AES Directors have a clear understanding of the culture, needs, difficulties and challenges that vulnerable people within Essex face. The Board of Directors have a real commitment to advocacy and the benefits that the service provides. They bring a diverse mix of skills and experience that ensures AES Ltd is a forward thinking organisation. AES Ltd is also supported by a part time Contract Manager, full time Project Manager and two part time Administrators.

Carole Cecil - AES Chair

Carole is currently the Chief Executive of BATIAS Independent Advocacy Service. Her relevant qualifications include a Certificate in Advocacy from St Andrews University and Post Graduate Diploma in Business Studies (DMS) Dist. She has been with BATIAS since 2000, an organisation that works across South Essex supporting people with learning disabilities. BATIAS has a staff team of 50 and 40 volunteers who work from the three offices in Grays, Brentwood and Southend. Carole came into the voluntary sector thirteen years ago after having spent over 20 years as a Senior Buying Controller within the retail trade. As well as being the Chair at Advocacy (Essex) Services Ltd she is also a Trustee for the BBWCVS.

Moira Rowland - Director

Moira joined ILA in 2005 as a consultant deputising for the then Managing Director during an extended period of illness. Upon his death in 2006 she became a full time Director of the company. Before this she worked for fifteen years as a team manager within Essex County Council, and three years as a Quality and Development Manager. She also spent a period managing a women's refuge. At the University of Greenwich she completed a Master of Art in Management and undertook a Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Organisational Development in the Public Sector at Nottingham Trent University in 1999. She also has a Certificate of Qualification in Social Work.

Avril O'Sullivan MBE - Director

Avril is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Tending Mental Health Support and has recently been awarded the MBE. She was the Advocacy Team Manager at the Independent Advocacy Service Tendring Mental Health Support for twelve years, growing the organisation from herself and one part-time admin to eight full-time advocates and two full-time administrator staff and volunteers and a team of qualified counsellors. She was nominated by Essex County Council for her work, spanning over twenty five years, with people with a learning disability and was subsequently awarded the MBE. She has been a citizen advocate in the same partnership for over ten years and has a range of relevant qualifications including an accredited course in Advocacy from Essex University, Diploma in Humanistic and Person Centred Counselling and Bereavement Counselling and NVQ Level 4 in Care Management.

Gary Clinton - Director

Gary came to advocacy in 2002 feeling that it was a natural progression of the work he began with the Citizens Advice Bureau, where he specialised in helping people to overcome debt and in advice work delivered within the community. This followed a long career in construction that was ended due to a serious accident. The belief that people are best served by society when their voices are heard is reinforced by Gary's experiences of delivering services to some of the most vulnerable members of our community. Empowering people's voices is the most life-changing experience that many of the clients of advocacy experience, and Gary feels honoured to be involved in this process. A senior advocate within Age Concern Essex, Gary delivers generic and statutory advocacy services across Essex.

Derek Butcher - Director

With a background as Works Convener for the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGW) at Paxman's Diesel at Colchester, Derek was also Branch Chairman with TGW and Chairman of Health and Safety at Paxman's for 25 years; during this time he also contributed to important union meetings held in London during Sir Jack Jones' tenure. Derek then became involved in the Miner's Strike, working closely with Arthur Scargill and his people to help collect funds all over the country for the miners. At the time he was on the Lexden Church Council and also ran a Lexden Youth Club for 13 years. Derek was then employed by Essex County Council to act as Site Manager for the Wood Corner and Brick House Traveller Sites and subsequently lived on-site at Wood Corner for 12 years, up until March 2011. During that time he helped organise a number of Traveller's children groups and was also responsible for setting-up and running an ongoing annual Country Fair day for more than 5,000 local people and visitors, an event to which he still contributes. Derek also contributed to the structuring and development of health and social networks, including the Local Involvement Networks (LINks), and played an important role in high-level consultations that were held to help define and secure the future of Essex County Council's Traveller's section. Derek has recently retired and lives quite contentedly on the Brick House site with his wife Liz, two dogs and a few chickens.

Brian Cairns - Director

Brian joins the Board of AES with over twenty five years' experience working in further and higher education institutions. Initially starting his working life as an apprentice agricultural engineer in 1977, following further training he obtained an HND and BSc Degree in Agricultural Engineering before moving into a lecturing role. He then worked at a number of colleges before eventually moving to Writtle College where he became a senior lecturer in agricultural engineering. After completing a Diploma in Management Studies in 2000 Brian then undertook a number of management and business development roles and was responsible for apprenticeship contract management, health and safety inspections and quality assurance. With key successes in business development at Writtle College, Brian left in 2007 to take on the role of Director of sustainable built environment at MOVE Lifelong Learning Network where he became Regional Director. Brian has personal experience of working with learning disabilities as he is a Court Appointed Deputy for his older sister and has recently worked with learning disability teams in Oxfordshire to secure a supported living placement after his elderly father had a fall.

Wendy Bartholomeusz - Administrator

Wendy spent many years working in the office of the chief executive of an international educational publishing house before moving into the voluntary sector, where she currently leads the management committee of a club for older people. Wendy is also a member of the Uttlesford Care Network Committee and the Abbeyfield Felsted Executive Committee and has a City & Guilds qualification in Teaching Basic Skills. Family, friends and gardening consume most of her spare time.

Tara Pamment - Administrator

Tara's career is mostly based around administration work with 15 years experience; however she was a community carer for the elderly for 2 years. Tara was in the Territorial Army where she obtained her C1 HGV licence. Tara lives in Colchester with her family and enjoys reading modern fiction.

Julie Harkus - Project Manager

Julie's working background is very customer focussed having worked for Barclays PLC for 19 years. The opportunity for voluntary redundancy led to a complete career change when she joined Colchester Community Voluntary Services as Deputy Chief Executive Officer. Areas of responsibility included line managing the Shopmobility and Community Transport schemes and taking the organisation through PQASSO (Practical Quality Assurance Scheme for Small Organisations). The past six years have been in patient and public involvement (PPI) - working with PPI Forums and the Essex & Southend LINk (local involvement network). Julie's personal interests include Jazzercise and gardening.

Michelle French - Contract Manager

During Michelle's career she has enjoyed business management roles in various sectors including manufacturing, construction and service. She has been responsible for delivering business growth whilst maintaining a strong focus on customer service. This is her first role within advocacy services. Michelle lives in Maldon with her family and when time allows she enjoys the theatre, travelling and crafts. She also volunteers with the charity, BRA, based at Broomfield Hospital.