Our Chair, Peter Smith
Peter (pictured left), a retired social worker, has worked in adult social care for the past 40 years and brings a lot of experience with him. He has worked across North East England, mainly with older people but also with people with learning disabilities and people with mental health problems. Peter has undertaken a number of job roles including direct service management, registration, inspection and commissioning services.
Peter worked for 17 years with Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, including being a strategic commissioner for Independent Living services; Personalisation Manager for the Putting People First initiative and latterly managing in-house services.
Peter retired in September 2018 at which point he received the Gold Lifetime Achievement Award in the national Social Worker of the Year Community Care Awards.
In his spare time Peter supports a mental health voluntary organisation as a Board member; is an Expert by Experience at Teesside University and enjoys travel, gardening, stamp collecting and his grandchildren.
Executive Board Member, Liam Knowles
Liam is a Project Support Worker at Bridges Family and Carer Service.
"After seeing the great work completed by Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees and the way the team engaged with
our clients, I was thrilled to be asked to become involved by becoming a board member.
“This past year I have worked on several projects to support the health of Stockton, including providing
health advocacy, working with the Wellbeing Hub, testing for blood-borne viruses and delivering addiction
training to partner organisations.”
Executive Board Member, Jon Carling
Jon Carling is the former Chief Executive Officer of Catalyst Stockton-on-Tees. He had led the organisation since 2020 and was responsible for implementing the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Strategy, which aims to ensure that the sector becomes stronger and more influential in the development of public policy as well as playing a full role in the delivery of VCSE services in the Borough.
Jon is a local resident, he has previously worked in Durham, Middlesbrough and across the North East in the public sector, and a few years back he spent three years as Chief Executive of a voluntary sector infrastructure organisation in North Yorkshire. Jon fully understands how important the voluntary and community sector is in Stockton.
To develop a strong sector, Jon understands that we need to have a really good, detailed understanding of the issues Stockton faces, as a whole and for each community. He wants Catalyst to bring together people from all sectors and to use that intelligence to develop projects to address those needs.
Jon has been inspired by the resilience and passion from the VCSE sector in Stockton and sees Catalyst as a voice for the sector, and as an enabler, helping local VCSE organisations to do the work that they do.
Executive Board Member, Peter Mayes
Peter works for Starfish Youth Employment Initiative (YEI), providing compassionate support and a community approach that offers young people choices to make positive changes to their lives and to take the next steps.
Starfish is linked with wellbeing and has the experience to help people realise their unlimited potential, overcoming any barriers or obstacles that are getting in their way.
Peter has also been involved with local Healthwatch since 2015, having worked with both the Middlesbrough and Stockton organisations. Peter is also a Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees Community Champion.
Peter said: "I found that I wanted to be a part of it and to help make a difference to local people and their health matters. I have been involved with the team at Stockton on and off for a few years and the helped me so much to date and I feel I can give a lot to this from my background in wellbeing, mental health and the NHS."
"We are gathering real quality information directly from the public, from people of all ages, which is highly valued by Healthwatch and the local people themselves as we are giving them a voice and showing them that they can still make a difference.
Executive Board Member, Lucy Owens
Lucy (pictured left) became the new Catalyst Chief Executive following the retirement of Jon Carling.
Lucy has previously worked for the National Trust and has extensive experience in the voluntary sector, managing and working closely with volunteers.
Executive Board Member, Lynda White
After retiring from a career in the NHS as a Biomedical Scientist, Lynda (pictured below) thought it was time to give something back to the community and make a difference to the people around her.
Lynda has been a volunteer with Healthwatch Stockton-on-Tees for a number of years.
"I have an interest in health and social care in our area and the inequalities experienced within certain communities. This includes social, economic and diverseness, both in Stockton and Teesside as a whole.
"I feel that patients and carers should have access to health and social care in a straightforward way giving them a co-ordinated health and social care pathway."
Lynda is a representative for patients, carers, relatives and staff members as:
- A member of my GP practice Patient Participation Group
- Her role within the NHS
- An Elected Governor (Stockton) for North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust
Executive Board Member, Amara Iqbal
Amara (pictured below) joined Stockton Community Wellbeing Champions in May 2024.
“My passion involves networking with diverse communities and making a positive societal impact.
“I am also actively involved in supporting local organisations through running stalls on inclusion and diversity events.”
Non-voting Guest Members
- Andrew Poinen - Kooth
- Wendy Peacock - Everyday Language Solutions
- Youth Focus North East
- Lorna Joice - Northern Cancer Voices
- Leigh Trimble - Red Balloons
- Catherine Wakeling - Starfish Health & Wellbeing
Board meetings and previous meeting minutes
The Board Meetings for 2024 are:
- 7 February, 1pm - 3pm (Catalyst House)
- 25 April, 1pm - 3pm (via Teams)
- 27 June, 1pm - 3pm (via Teams)
- 5 September, 1pm - 3pm (Catalyst House)
- 31 October, 1pm - 3pm (via Teams) - CANCELLED
- 10 December, 11am - 1pm (Starfish Boardroom) - to be confirmed
If you are a member of the public and would like to attend one of our board meetings, please contact one of our team.
Board meetings minutes are available on request. Please get in touch if you would like a copy of the latest board minutes or from previous meetings.