Friends For Life / SPICE

Kim Barrett

Personalisation Lead and Friends For Life Lead

As our Personalisation Lead and Friends For Life Group Lead, Kim’s role is to ensure the people we support lead the lives they choose. This includes planning day trips out and creative activities with the Friends For Life Group. She works closely with individuals, families and support teams to enable people to reach their dreams, wishes and aspirations. Kim drives all aspects of the personalisation agenda as Future Directions continually strives to deliver a truly personalised service. She feels privileged to have the opportunity to change people’s lives.

if you need to contact Kim, please call 07579 850 507.

Melanie Chapman

Project Manager

As project manager for SPICE and Volunteering, Mel’s role is to ensure that people supported by Future Directions are recognised as experts by experience and that a range of paid and volunteering opportunities are open to them. Mel has worked with people with learning disabilities for over 25 years. She began as a researcher in service and academic settings, supporting people with learning disabilities and health and social care practitioners to carry out research to help to improve their health and lives. She has always been committed to co-production, believing that people are experts in their own lives and that their views and opinions are vital to improve services and support. 

Mel has worked for Future Directions since 2020, first with the Friends for Life team, and more recently with SPICE (Supporting People Into Community Employment).   Mel supports the SPICE group to plan and deliver training for Future Directions staff. She also supports them to interview and teach learning disability nursing and social work students at the University of Salford.  Mel also supports SPICE projects including the Green Superheroes, hate crime awareness and Safe Place Schemes in Stockport and Rochdale. 

As Volunteering Lead, Mel works alongside the Volunteer Co-ordinators to develop and promote volunteering opportunities within Future Directions and externally. 

If you need to contact Mel, please call 07421 387 765

Jayne Mitchell

Friends For Life Community Connector

Jayne supports the ‘Friends for Life’ group which enables people to engage and be valued members of their communities and to develop and maintain meaningful friendships to reduce loneliness and social isolation.

Jayne works closely with the people we support looking at what activities and events they want the ‘Friends for Life’ to organise, promote and host, these include larger events and smaller local activities.  These encourage new and existing friendships. Jayne supports people to connect in their community for the purpose of building healthy relationships, wellbeing and a sense of belonging and to remove barriers that people may face and just be there to listen and help people with any issues they may face. If you need to contact Jayne, please call 07579 852 194

Lindsay Bosson

Project Support Worker, SPICE/Volunteer Mentor

Lindsay has worked in mainstream and special education roles for 10 years and moved into adult social care in 2020, first as a community support worker and then co-ordinator for a day service. Lindsay joined SPICE in April 2024 and works alongside our experts by experience to design and deliver training to our new and existing staff and other organisations, including the University of Salford. Lindsay also supports the SPICE group with a variety of projects including: Green Superheroes and Hate Crime Awareness – ensuring that people are supported to have their voice heard. Additionally, Lindsay works with the Volunteer Co-ordinator to develop volunteering opportunities for people we support. If you need to contact Lindsay, please call 07421 125 824

Ruth Dodd

Community Connector – Life Stories

As part of our Life Stories project, Ruth works alongside Noel to uncover the life histories of those we support, especially those that were in institutional settings for much of their early lives, as well as those who retain strong family connections, and produce accessible formats so that we can see and appreciate the whole person and not just the label of learning disability/autism.

Rene Phillips

Volunteer Co-Ordinator

Rene is based between Marle House and our Riverbeal Cafe and Community Hub. Rene works closely with our volunteers here at Future Directions, working alongside them to provide skills they need to attend their jobs and support them into employment.

If you need to contact Renee, please call 07421 126 041

Noel Fagan

Community Connector- Life Stories

As part of our Life Stories project, Noel seeks to uncover the life histories of those we support, especially those that were in institutional settings for much of their early lives, as well as those who retain strong family connections, and produce accessible formats so that we can see and appreciate the whole person and not just the label of learning disability/autism.