Board of Trustees

Nigel Law

Married with three adult children.  Appointed as a District Judge in September 1996, and have sat in Wigan, Preston and now Blackpool County Court.  I am a training judge, and an appraising and mentoring judge and an IT liaison judge.  I am Chairman of the Lancashire Outward Bound Association and Vice Chairman and Trustee of the Swallowdale Trust (under 25s).

I have lived in Carleton and Thornton since I was 19 years of age and have watched with interest the growth of Trinity Hospice from its inception through the efforts of Dr David Cooper and others, to the present date.

Rosemary Varley

Until retirement in 2005 I was Director of Personnel at Blackpool & the Fylde College. I was employed at the College for 24 years in various capacities including Staffing Officer, Deputy Chief Admin Officer and College Registrar. I was seconded on a part-time basis toFurnessCollege as HR Director in July 2004.  Since 2005 I have also undertaken assignments forFurnessCollege,KendalCollege,CarlisleCollege,SouthwarkCollege, Leeds College of Technology and Tribal Consultancy. I currently chair the JCNC (Joint Consultation and Negotiation Committee) at Kendal College and have previously chaired at both Furness and Carlisle Colleges. Prior to my appointment at Blackpool, I worked for Lancashire County Council dealing with personnel and staffing matters in 100 schools and two colleges. I am a past National Negotiator for ACM (Association of College Management), a registered Trade Union.  I continue to be an elected Council member of ACM now AMiE (Association for Managers in Education-Colleges and Schools). I have served as a member of the National Association of Colleges HR Managers’ Committee, representing the North West. I have been a Trustee of Trinity Palliative Care Services for 12 years. I was invited to become a Trustee following ‘volunteer’ involvement in the development of Personnel policies and procedures for the organisation. I consider it a privilege to be involved with and to contribute to the work of Trinity. At first hand I have witnessed the wonderful care and empathy provided for all patients and stake holders.  I consistently support the ethos and values of this wonderful organisation. Widowed in 2008, I am mother of two, grandmother of five.

Bill Holmes

Born 1949 in Bolton Lancashire. Graduated from Imperial College, London University with a degree in Chemical Engineering 1970. Travelled around the world for three years 1970 – 1973. Worked in the Chemical industry for 30 years (primarily with ICI and then its spin-off companies), mainly in production management in Australia and then the UK.  Finished up as Managing Director of European Vinyls Corporation (UK) Ltd – largest European producer of PVC.  Became a Trustee of Trinity Hospice in 1993 when they were looking for someone with general business management experience and I was working at ICI Hillhouse Site (Thornton). I had always supported cancer charities since the untimely death of my father at the age of 38, and I was happy to volunteer to get involved. Chairman of Trustees at Trinity from 1998 to 2010. Vice – Chairman from 2010 to 2011. Now retired and active in sport, walking and travelling. I have two grown up children.

Richard Debicki

Currently serving as a member of Lancashire Constabulary in the role of Chief Superintendent and Divisional Commander for Blackpool and the Fylde.  As part of this role I have overall policing responsibility for the Western Division of Lancashire Constabulary and lead in excess of 800 members of staff.  I have been in this position for the past 12 years, following a number of roles within the organisation which have seen me progress to my current rank.  I take career development seriously and wish to influence policing further at a local and national level through progression to the next rank (Assistant Chief Constable).   Outside of the organisation I have a keen interest in charitable and community work and can demonstrate this over a number of years.  I recently established Trinity Palliative Care Services & Brian House as a Divisional Commander’s charity of the year.  I am a member of the Organising Committee for an annual celebrity/sports dinner in support of the Prince’s Trust which has taken place for over 10 years.  My staff and I were also involved in the Million Makers campaign for the Princes Trust and raised several thousand pounds for this cause.   I am thoroughly committed to improving the quality of life for vulnerable members of the community, and the community as a whole.  It is this commitment that drives me in my career and personal life.  I have a strong sense of service and recognise the importance and value of quality public services in delivering change and improving the quality of life for the local community.  

Christopher Beverley

Senior Partner of Blackhurst Budd Solicitors in Blackpool and the Deputy Coroner for the Blackpool and Fylde District.

Member of the Lord Lieutenant’s Panel for the Queens Award for Voluntary Service and a member of the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army Bridge Project.

Having had an involvement with the Hospice since its foundation, through clients and latterly in their care of a family member, I was anxious to help in a direct way and applied to become a member of Board of Trustees. I assist in the educational programme in providing medical students and staff with regular updates on ‘The Role of the Coroner’.

Mary Wren-Hilton (Chair)

I qualified as a doctor at Manchester University and subsequently worked in Manchester, Sheffield and Liverpool. I trained as a paediatrician but did spend some time working in adult medicine. I was appointed as a Consultant paediatrician at Blackpool Victoria Hospital in 1983. I have special interests in neonatology, cystic fibrosis and learning disability. The latter led to my interest in palliative care.

I became involved in medical management in 1989 and completed the senior management course at Manchester business school. I am at present the Divisional Director for Women and Children’s services in the acute trust.

I am interested in medical education and have been the undergraduate tutor for the families and children module of the Manchester medical course in Blackpool for the last six years.

Outside medicine my main interests are in cooking, music and reading, though I do occasionally put on the walking boots and take some much needed exercise.

Maureen McDermot

Started my career as a Secretary, working at the now University of Salford.  In 1970, I joined Salford College of Technology as a Lecturer, and stayed there for 18 years progressing to Senior Lecturer.  In 1988, moved to Blackpool and the Fylde College as Head of Department.  Later became Head of Faculty of Technology and a member of the College’s Senior Management Team.  At the end of the 1990s, became Director of Learning and Learning Technology, responsible for MIS, Learning Resources , and IT central services/hardware.  During those years, I obtained an OU First Class Honour in Mathematics and Computing and a MSc from UMIST in Computation.  After retirement, I looked after my elderly mother after a series of strokes until her death in 2004, so I know at first hand the stresses and strains of caring.  I was invited to become a Trustee in 1999 and did so in order to give something back to my adopted town.

Alan Hunter

Apart from a brief spell as a management trainee with the National Coal Board, I have spent my entire career in Local Government with various local authorities in the NW of England. I qualified as a Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (Cipfa) in 1973, came to Wyre Borough Council in 1985 as Deputy Treasurer, became Treasurer in 1988 and retired as its longest serving Chief Financial Officer in 2002.

I was delighted when approached to join the Board of Trustees as it gave me the opportunity to continue serving the community in retirement as I have all my working life, but in a decision making rather than advisory capacity. I am married with a married daughter.

Kathryn Burn

Qualified as a State Registered Nurse in 1968 and worked as a Staff Nurse on an acute surgical ward for seven months before undertaking midwifery training, qualifying as a State Registered Midwife in 1970.

Returned to Victoria Hospital in March 1970 to work as a Staff Nurse on night duty on an acute surgical ward and took up the post of Junior Sister on day duty in November of that year and Senior Sister fouryears later.

Moved to Trinity, the hospice in the Fylde in 1985, as Senior Sister, becoming Deputy Matron in 1992 and Matron in 1994. Retired in June 2005.

I have been very involved in fundraising for Trinity throughout the last 22 years and became a member of the speakers’ panel on my retirement in 2005. I became a Trustee because I am totally committed to supporting the staff who continue to provide Specialist Palliative Care to our community and feel that my clinical expertise and knowledge of how Trinity has developed over the last 22 years will be an asset to the Board.

Mansel Jones (Vice Chair)

After graduating from University of Wales, Cardiff with a BEng and PhD in Electrical Engineering, my wife and I came to the North West and after initially working for an engineering company in Oldham I joined ICI on Merseyside.    In 1975 I moved to the ICI site at Thornton where over the following 25 years I undertook a range of management and engineering roles on the site in such areas as the site power station, utilities, general engineering and chemical plant operations.   My latter role there was as one of the Senior Managers responsible for closing down the ICI activities there, a sad exit for a company that had contributed so much to the locality. Since then I have worked as a management consultant in various areas.

During my time in the area I have been actively involved in church work and I am also currently involved in a faith-based charity working with those who have experienced substance abuse and which also operates a social enterprise to provide first stage employment.

I am married with a married daughter and a son. I was delighted and felt very privileged to be invited to become a Trustee of Trinity Hospice and Palliative Care Services in 2003 and am very committed to the tremendous work it does within the community.