Gill Malpas

I have been a committee member of New Horizons for the past 13 years.

After giving up paid employment I took a position as a volunteer Advocate with a local MIND association.  Whilst there I embarked on the Interpersonal Skills for Volunteers Certificate, Lampeter University.  I honoured to be asked to speak at the awards ceremony for current students alongside Jane Davidson and other luminaries.

Later, I completed a research project with the Mental Health Foundation which explored the benefits of peer support within drop-in centres, the work was published and also gained the accolade of being offered for sale at Kings College London, the only one of 6 national efforts that year. 

Being interviewed by Raj Persaud, the celebrity psychologist and author, for his radio programme Mind Matters which was aired on Radio 4, was also quite an privilege.  And much to my pleasure met several times with Dr Hilary Jones when he attended the launch of our website and also when he visited us in Aberdare.

I have also been a guest speaker at the Welsh Assembly Government, asked to give my views on volunteering. 

I hope to remain active in current role in order to help ensure the continuation of the service we offer. 

Phil Gillard

Born and bred in Aberdare, and living in Cwmbach, I joined New Horizons as a trustee (Cynon Valley Mental Health resource centre) as it was then called, in November 2000.

I am proud to be the Vice Chair of New Horizons and am totally committed to our vision of projecting the positive image of people suffering mental health problems through challenging discrimination by means of education, outreach work, information and support services.

Carolyn Sansom

Born in Cardiff and have always lived and worked in South Wales as a mental health nurse in the NHS. My current post is as the Tier 2 Eating Disorders Lead Clinician for Cwm Taf LHB.

Outside work I am involved in my local Quaker Meeting and also have some involvement with Quaker work at a national level and I am also a beginning gardener!

Delia Powell

I am Hirwaun/Penywaun born and bred.

I was a founder member of New Horizons when it started in 1994 at Green Street Aberdare.

My interest in Mental Health started through my daughter having mental ill health.

I am a licence lay reader in church in Wales which led in to working 3 half years as Assistant Chaplain in St.Tydfils psychiatric unit. I was also a youth counsellor and initiated the counselling service from Eye to Eye being delivered at New Horizons and local schools in the Cynon Valley 2001.

I was initially a volunteer for New Horizons however I became a Centre Worker in 1995 until I retired in 2006. I was appointed a trustee for New Horizons in January 2011.

Pam Abbott

Interests- Cookery, zumba, walking my pet dogs and my family
Where did you first hear about New Horizons?
When I was a mental health social work team manager I worked closely with New Horizons. Lately i have had contact with service users of the organisation
What made you want to volunteer on the New Horizons Committee?
I now have time to devote to becoming a committee member. I feel that my expertise in the field of mental health would enable me to contribute to planning of services etc.
What skills do you feel you can bring to the committee and New Horizons?
I am a qualified approved social worker under the 1983 mental health act. I have been involved with many committee meetings, conferences, vulnerable adults policy meetings and I have organised and chaired most of the above meetings.
What about the role are you looking forward to and what do you envisage to be challenging?
I am looking forward to being involved with service users again as I am able to empathise with their situations. I envisage multi agency working to be challenging but I am used to these challenges which occurred when I was a team manager for 10 years.
What is your future vision for the organisation?
To expand services and to work successfully with other voluntary and statutory agents to provide a comprehensive service which meets the needs of the service users

Andrew Chivers

Interests: Reading, sports in general and history.
Where did you first hear about New Horizons? I heard about it from the Vice Chair person.
What made you want to join the New Horizons Management Committee? I have a degree in accountancy and an interest in technology and wish to gain experience in my field of accountancy and web design.
What skills do you feel you bring to the Management Committee and New Horizons? With my accountancy degree I can look over your end of month reports and analyse whether the financial position for New Horizons.
What about the role are you looking forward to and what do you envisage to be challenge?I look forward to acquiring knowledge of the charity’s inner workings so that I can see how day to day activities affect the charity’s accounts so that I  can judge how current and future projects affect the organisation’s financial position. I feel the challenging bit will be to try and keep my work consistent with the previous Treasurers.
What is your future vision for the organisation?I would like to get a full range of accountancy experience and hope that I can continue to remain as Treasurer so for an extended period of time.