Meet the Team

Our team are committed to carers. Many members of our staff team and Board of Directors are current or former carers themselves, so we understand the reality of caring.

Our Staff

Anne Connolly

Operations Manager

Anne has overall responsibility for delivery and development of our services for carers, including managing our amazing team.

Much of Anne’s work is focussed on ensuring we can continue to offer the support carers tell us they need. This includes leading on evaluation, monitoring and income generation.

Anne works closely with our Chief Officer and Board of Directors who ensure both strong governance and that MCF continues to develop to meet the needs of carers.

Anne has worked in the voluntary sector for over 15 years now, previously in roles providing advice, advocacy and wellbeing coaching, for local and national mental health charities and local advice organisations. She has a personal understanding of the needs of carers through supporting her late father.

Anne Connolly

Operations Manager

Anne has overall responsibility for delivery and development of our services for carers, including managing our amazing team.

Much of Anne’s work is focussed on ensuring we can continue to offer the support carers tell us they need. This includes leading on evaluation, monitoring and income generation.

Carer Support and Admin Coordinator

Daniel first became involved with MCF many years ago when he accessed our support as a young carer. This led to him volunteering with us, and later becoming a paid member of staff. Daniel’s role with us was first in admin and he is the true definition of developing his skills on the job. He now has NVQ Level 3 in Business and Communications and leads on both our admin and publicity, most notably our website, social media and monthly online newsletter.

Daniel now uses his passion for supporting carers and his own experience as a carer, in a combined admin and support role providing direct support to carers over the phone, and supporting our groups, trips and coffee meetings. If you call our main number, it is more than likely Daniel who will answer.

Daniel Cooke

Carer Support and Admin Coordinator

Daniel first became involved with MCF many years ago when he accessed our support as a young carer. This led to him volunteering with us, and later becoming a paid member of staff.

Management Information and Carer Support Service Coordinator

Ian leads on data management, but also works closely with carers as a member of the Carer Support Service team. Ian is committed to ensuring that carers are offered opportunities to meet up with other carers to share experiences and knowledge, but never forgetting those carers who may be experiencing isolation and not always able to leave the person they care for.

Management Information and Carer Support Service Coordinator

Ian has had a long career mainly in financial control and management information, but over that time he also volunteered with numerous charities in positions where support and guidance was offered to people, often during times of crisis. Ian is a former carer himself and understands the huge pressures placed upon unpaid carers.

Hannah Kennedy

Carer Support Service Coordinator

Hannah is passionate about supporting carers to improve their quality of life. A former health coach and crisis worker, she has extensive experience over several years providing support to people going through difficult situations. A former carer herself, Hannah has real insight into the needs of carers and the challenges they face.

Hannah’s work is focussed on both service delivery and development. She coordinates our walks, several of our support groups, as well as trips and breaks. Hannah also uses her creative skills to implement service development based on the direct feedback carers give us about what would benefit their wellbeing.

Steve O’Connor

South Manchester Locality Coordinator

Steve became part of the Manchester Carers Forum team at the beginning of December 2020. Before joining the team, Steve had worked in adult social care for over 25 years as a social worker, developing policy, training staff, community work and inspecting care homes and home care. He also worked with carers as a local authority commissioner of carers services and has personal insight as a carer for his late father.

In his role as Locality Coordinator Steve leads the Carers Manchester South team, whose work is focussed on raising awareness of the needs of carers and promoting Carers Manchester. Steve also leads on engagement work with carers in South Manchester, conducing gap analysis to look at what support carers need and how this can be provided.

Steve O’Connor

South Manchester Locality Coordinator

Finance Officer

	Afara is an accounting professional with over ten years experience in the field. She brings this expertise to manage MCF’s accounts on a day-to-day basis and provides advice to our Board of Directors. Afara strives to bring her best to the organisation so we continue in a strong position to deliver support to carers.

Afara Welch

Finance Officer

Afara is an accounting professional with over ten years experience in the field. She brings this expertise to manage MCF’s accounts on a day-to-day basis and provides advice to our Board of Directors.

Chief Officer

Dave has overall responsibility, together with the Board of Directors, for the management of MCF and the development of strategy. A carer himself, Dave provides strong and clear leadership.

Chief Officer

Dave has overall responsibility, together with the Board of Directors, for the management of MCF and the development of strategy. A carer himself, Dave provides strong and clear leadership. He is a skilled negotiator and networker with a comprehensive understanding of policy, strategy, legislation, staff management and development. With his background in education, and together with Directors, Dave is actively involved in training and education work with Manchester University and Manchester Metropolitan University. This relates to the work in both their social work and health and social care programmes.

Dave is Deputy Chair of Manchester Carers Network. He works with various organisations in both the statutory and voluntary sector in the development of policy to address carers’ needs. He represents MCF at local, regional and national level on a variety of working groups and is Co-Chair of the National LGBTQ carers advisory board. Dave negotiates contracts with funders and has oversight of the work of MCF, reporting directly to the Board of Trustees.

Board of Directors

Steven Bonham – Grant

Steven is our newest Director and brings his expertise as a solicitor to the Board.

Denise Chow

Denise has been a Director for many years, and has brought her personal insight as a parent carer into her role. Denise feels that at times the Carers Forum has been a life saver for her, as she has been able to meet and share experiences with like-minded people. As a result, Denise decided to become a Director because she wanted to give back a little of what the Forum has given to her. As well as her role as Director Denise can often be found utilising her craft skills through leading workshops at our Blackley carers group.

Denise Chow

Denise has been a Director for many years, and has brought her personal insight as a parent carer into her role.

Mike Lake

Mike has overall view of the Forum’s finances, both now and looking towards the future. Mike spent most of his earlier life in Essex until moving to Cheshire in his banking career.

Mike has overall view of the Forum’s finances, both now and looking towards the future. Mike spent most of his earlier life in Essex until moving to Cheshire in his banking career. Since retiring and with his financial background he became equally involved in voluntary work and a treasurer of various organisations, including two with a connection to music.

Having caring experience for his mother, in 2011 Mike decided to become our Treasurer to use his years of financial expertise to ensure robust financial management of MCF so we can continue to support carers.

David Laughlin

David has over 25 years of experience and has worked in the Lloyds and North American insurance risk markets.

David has worked extensively in the PFI/PPP and public sector arena for many years from a procurement perspective and has been heavily involved in many different types of projects going back to the introduction of NHS Trust Wave One in 1991.

David has spoken at many conferences highlighting the insurance and risk management issues of PFI projects, in particular within the Road and Health sectors. In addition he has worked extensively on drafting national framework risk contracts in the UK.

David decided to become a Director to help Manchester Carers Forum support carers after becoming a carer himself and to bring his expertise of risk management into the charity sector.

Catherine Lowe

Catherine was a young carer for her late mum, and she has cared for another family member who has mental health problems and substance misuse for several years.

Catherine became involved with Manchester Carers Forum nearly 20 years ago after a chat with a member of staff. She found that being with the Forum has given her so much support and help, that she can now give that back to other carers. As well as her role as a Director, Catherine also facilitates our carer support group in Wythenshawe.

Catherine Lowe

Catherine was a young carer for her late mum, and she has cared for another family member who has mental health problems and substance misuse for several years.

Gaynor is Chair of our Board. Having been a carer for nearly 40 years, caring for family members with mental health problems and substance misuse, she is well versed in the needs of carers.

Gaynor first became involved with MCF by chance over 20 years ago, through talking to her neighbour over the garden fence who pointed her in the direction of our support. Gaynor found that over the years this support taught her to have a voice. Those that know Gaynor know just how much she now uses her voice as a champion for carers. Whether that is through her weekly radio show for carers on All FM, the student social workers she engages with through their readiness for practice or her carer awareness raising to statutory services. In her role as Chair, Gaynor ensures being a voice for carers is at the heart of everything we do.

Gaynor Morgan

Gaynor is Chair of our Board. Having been a carer for nearly 40 years, caring for family members with mental health problems and substance misuse, she is well versed in the needs of carers.

Sara Radcliffe

Sara has held senior executive roles within the NHS including Accountable Officer and Director of Integrated Health and Care Strategy for over 30 years, most recently in Greater Manchester.

Sara has held senior executive roles within the NHS including Accountable Officer and Director of Integrated Health and Care Strategy for over 30 years, most recently in Greater Manchester. Her skills and experience are complemented by 7 years as a management consultant. She has successfully led organisations and delivered the strategic direction and implementation of highly complex care systems across a wide range of sectors.

Sara has recently left the NHS and is now an Associate of AQUA: Advancing Quality Alliance, Vice Chair of the Pankhurst Trust (incorporating Manchester Women’s Aid), Co-Chair of the Greater Manchester Women’s Health Strategy Group, a member of Chorlton Runners and volunteer and runner at Parkrun.

David Tindall

Since he left university in 2010, David has worked in the property sector, and run a number of businesses.

Since he left university in 2010, David has worked in the property sector, and run a number of businesses. He brings this expertise and pragmatic thinking into the work of the Forum to help keep the business side of things running, supporting the valuable work that all carers and volunteers carry out around Manchester.

David has also been involved in a number of fundraising events for the Forum, including a bike ride from Knutsford to Bath which was a bit of a challenge!