Skiggle, a specialist disability charity, which provides vital help and support to people with disabilities, their families, and carers, has appointed two new Trustees.
Paul Turner and Jayne Chester both bring extensive experience to their new roles, which they took up this autumn. Jayne’s role will also include being the charity’s Secretary.
Paul, from just outside Preston is an Engineering Sales Manager in the Paper industry and has previously run his own safari travel business. He has a strong background in volunteering and organising events, starting out as a youth leader and missionary in his late teens and early 20s.
Jayne, from Leyland, has spent her entire career in nursing across adult and paediatric care in both an acute and community setting. It was during her time as a children’s community nurse that Jayne first came across Skiggle and also cared for charity founder, Christine Singleton’s son, James.
Jayne has held two previous charity Trusteeships and has a wealth of knowledge within the charity forum.
Paul said: “Being asked to be a Trustee for Skiggle was a privilege I couldn’t turn down and I’m proud to be a small part of such a unique charity. With any charity, it’s always important to have Trustees that can take a step back for a more detached look at the charity and how it operates. Getting people to donate is difficult and times are tough, which in turn is part of the reason we are seeing an increasing number of people turning to Skiggle for support. We want to keep growing the charity and increasing member involvement as much as we can.
“We’re also trying to bring forward important environmental issues. There’s a lot of waste within the medical industry and Skiggle – through its Marketplace – is offering a way of reducing that waste as well as supplying people with what they need if its available.”
Jayne said: “I felt very honoured and proud to be approached to be a Trustee of Skiggle and, for me, it’s very personal. It’s about making sure those people out there in the community can get what they need when they need it through another source that isn’t just the NHS.
“Skiggle is about getting people the right help at the right time in the right place that doesn’t necessarily mean a trip to the hospital. I’ve always been one of Skiggle’s biggest advocates; whether that’s telling parents on the wards and out in the community about how they can access the charity, or talking to consultants and commissioners about how they can utilise the charity if they have equipment they no longer need.
“My vision for Skiggle is to help it flourish and grow. The absolute dream would be to see the charity’s services available worldwide at some point in the future, so if someone was on holiday abroad, they could use Skiggle. Knowing you can get help at the click of a button without worrying is a lifeline.”
Christine Singleton, Founder and Charity Manager at Skiggle, said: “I am thrilled to welcome Paul Turner and Jayne Chester to Skiggle. They both bring a wealth of experience, expertise, and organisational skills, which for a small charity like Skiggle is hugely valuable. With demand for our services continuing to rise, and with little to no public funding available, it is vital we find new ways of bringing money into the charity to finance our work.
“I am so excited to start working alongside Paul and Jayne to spread the word about Skiggle and how we can continue to improve the lives of people in the disability community and further afield.”
Skiggle – the only charity of its kind in the UK – provides vital help and support to people with disabilities, their families, and carers. The innovative charity operates an emergency SOS system and runs an online Marketplace for people to urgently access specialist disability equipment, care consumables, and other products – regardless of where they live in the UK.
