Ceartas

Alasdair Lightbody has stood down from the Board of Ceartas. Alasdair has been a constant figure behind the scenes at Ceartas and during his period as Chairperson, Alasdair oversaw the establishment of Ceartas in March 2004 and was also at the helm when the organisation expanded in the summer of 2008 to support all adult care groups. Unfortunately, work commitments have restricted Alasdair’s involvement and he took the decision to stand down. Alasdair will remain a member of Ceartas and an enthusiastic ambassador for the charity as the organisation continues to grow.

Another Director moving on is Charlie Murphy. Charlie was a founding member of the organisation and after 5 years on board, due to other commitments, he has taken the decision to stand down. Charlie’s experience in the voluntary sector has been invaluable in the early years of Ceartas and during the period of the East Dunbartonshire advocacy tender Charlie’s “hands on” approach was greatly appreciated by staff. Charlie has recently finished working with staff to compile Ceartas’ business plan for 2009-12 and this was a further example of his commitment to the organisation

All at Ceartas would like to thank Alasdair and Charlie for their contribution over the years and we wish them well for the future.

New Chair
In the first Board meeting after the AGM, Director Martin Brickley was nominated as Chair and has agreed to take on this role with the organisation. Martin is a “well kent” face in East Dunbartonshire and has been heavily involved in Ceartas since becoming a Board member in 2006 serving in the organisation’s personnel and finance sub groups. Martin was elected vice chair last year and took on additional duties as work commitments hindered Alasdair’s involvement therefore Martin was ideally placed to become chairperson when Alasdair stood down.

New Addition
Margaret Lynch has recently joined the Board. Margaret is currently the Quality Matters (EFQM) co-ordinator for the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations; Margaret was previously employed as Head of Overseas Programmes for SCIAF and Chief Executive of War on Want, and prior to that worked in the Chief Executives Service of Central Regional Council.

In joining the board Margaret commented, “I care for the people who receive services from a range of providers as they are vulnerable because of their age or their mental or physical health. I have seen how uneven and inconsistent such service provision can be and would like to provide whatever support and assistance I can to an organisation which is working to empower vulnerable people to get consistent and quality services they need to live life and live it to the full”.