Our Trustees

Liz Toogood

I have lived in Bedford since 1987 and have been coming to the Centre since 2007. I am very proud and privileged to be a trustee. I have the equivalent of an MBA and have worked in the business world ever since graduating so am accustomed to the information we see and the types of decisions we need to make about the Centre’s future. I continue to work as a business mentor. I am also a Deputy Lieutenant which gives me opportunities to meet many different types of people and other charities throughout the county and hear their good ideas.

Kay Taylor (PhD)

I have been a trustee at the MS Therapy Centre for a number of years now, and am currently chair of trustees. I also use the services at the Centre, and know how lucky we are to have such a resource in Bedford. I lectured in human genetics at University College London until retiring due to my ill health. I gain further experience about charity governance by acting as a trustee at The Disability Resource Centre.

Laurence Culhane

I've spent thirty six years working in BBC local radio - starting in Northampton where I first came across the work of the Therapy Centre, and then in Luton and Dunstable where I was working when diagnosed myself with Primary Progressive MS.

At that time, fourteen years ago, I felt like the NHS in Bedford had very little to offer, and when I was asked at an AGM some years later to join the trustees I jumped at the chance to give something back and help make the journey easier for everyone.

Huseyin Huseyin (Medical Advisor)

I have recently joined the trustees at the MS Therapy Centre. As a MS Advanced Nurse Practitioner & Clinical Operational Lead at Luton And Dunstable Hospital, I often direct patients to use the facilities in Bedford as I know that they work hard to improve the symptom management of people living with MS.

Jean-Pierre (JP) Brown. 

My working background is in Telecommunications and Networks.  I was diagnosed with MS in 1982 and started coming to the Centre in 2010.  I became a trustee in 2015 as I wanted to give something back to this amazing facility for all the help and support it has given me.

Kevin Traynor, Treasurer

I finished paid employment in 2021 having worked in finance and accounting for more than 50 years with the final ten years specialising in charity accounting.

When I read about the treasurer role here at Bedford, I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to give something back to a deserving community.  I am very pleased to have been appointed. 

I joined a very hard-working team of volunteers and staff and have been quickly swept along with their enthusiasm, determination and enterprise.  I hope that I too can contribute to a long and successful future for the MS Therapy Centre.

Susan Napper 

I have been a trustee of the MS Therapy Centre since the very beginning, and have seen it change and develop over the years.  My working experience is in Accounts and Treasury at Texas instruments and then latterly as a GP practice manager. I have seen first hand the effects that MS has on people, and am pleased to be involved with the Centre and support all its fundraising events and activities.

Maggie Marshall

I have been a user of the MS Therapy Centre for many years, and have been active in raising funds. I am particularly interested in presenting views from the Centre users to the trustees.

Melanie Hawman

I am an experienced business and charity CEO with a history of working in civic and social organisations. For the last 12 years I have concentrated on working in Health and Social Care. 

Currently I ensure that the vision and values of the Disability Resource Centre are lived and aligned with the Charity’s purpose. 

As a person with lived experience of acquired disability, I understand the need for personal and professional change and am a qualified coach and counsellor. 

I first visited the MS Therapy Centre many years ago with a client who had been diagnosed with MS. I was blown away by the therapeutic feel of the Centre, the people who worked ther and the Centre users. 

When a chance to become a trustee arose, I jumped at the chance to be a small part of this wonderful charity. I love volunteering in such a special place. 

Alex Scott

I'm 44 and I have secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, I've been a member of the MS Therapy Centre since I was diagnosed 12 years ago. 

Before I had to give up working, I worked with people who had learning disabilities and mental health problems. I mostly worked in the community helping people with their everyday life. 

I try to keep active and I'm a keen archer, competing to a good standard mostly against able-bodied people, even though I am classified as a w1 disabled archer as I have issues with all my limbs. I've come 3rd and 4th in the last 2 British national disability championships I've completed in. 

I wanted to be a trustee so I could help bring a members’ point of view and guide the direction of the charity.