MEET THE TEAM AT ASPIRE IN THE COMMUNITY:
Meet the Aspire in the Community team, Barry, Marie, the Operations team, Service Managers and Luna the (The Aspire in the Community Mascot)
We strongly believe in the following values and the care we provide is underpinned by them, with all of our staff being selected to join our teams, based on their personal commitment to these values:
A.S.P.I.R.E: Achievement, Support, People First, Integrity, Rights, Excellence.
Barry
Joint Managing Director
barry@aspirecare.co.uk
” Hi my name is Barry Taylor,
I am the joint Managing Director of Aspire in The Community. I live in Huddersfield with my wife Lynda, my two children and my Cavapoo dog Luna.
I have worked in care services since 1992 initially as a Support Worker in Sheffield at the ripe age of 23 and since then I have progressed and worked at every level of front line care delivery and management/senior management within my field of work.
I am very proud to say that since Aspire’s inception in May 2009 the company has grown into a highly regarded, well respected organisation which caters for individuals who require differing levels of support to maintain a wonderful life………..everyone deserves a wonderful life I am sure you agree. I have a real passion for what we do and the quality of services which we provide, quite honestly I love what we do.
In my spare time I have a real appetite for the outdoors which also includes a love of camping with my family, and for my sins taking my daughter to watch Manchester United play at Old Trafford. “
Marie
Joint Managing Director
marie@aspirecare.co.uk
“My role here at Aspire in The Community is joint managing director. I am responsible for the delivery and quality of care within the company – a responsibility I take very seriously as I want to ensure that every person we provide care to, loves being here supported by us, feels part of our “family” and is able to achieve their fullest potential.
I have been working in social care since 1991 and I have learned so much from every person I have supported. I firmly believe that every individual, irrespective of their behaviours can be supported in their community, making friends and benefiting from enjoying their interests and hobbies, as well as work and educational opportunities.
I really enjoy spending time in every one of our services, listening to the people we support and ensuring their needs are being met in the most person-centred ways. I have been proud to see many of the people we have supported, moving onto more independent living in the same way I have been proud to see service users with the most complex of behaviours, living purposeful lives in their community.
In my personal life, I spend most of my time with my daughter and husband watching my son playing rugby. We are all huge Rugby League fans and love being on the side-lines at weekends cheering him on!
When I’m not watching rugby, I love catching up with and spending time with friends and other members of my family.“
Jo
Operations Manager
jo@aspirecare.co.uk
“I am Jo Denning the operations manager. I started with Aspire in the community at the beginning of May 2021 and I have worked in health and social for the past 30 years.
I have worked at every level within the care profession which I believe gives me a good understanding of what support and training our staff need as well as our service users. My goal is to ensure everyone we support has a voice, has a say in the running of their home and most of all how they wish to be supported. It is important that our staff are trained to ensure our service users get the best support possible. If you can say to yourself after every shift I would be proud for any member of my family to have received the care and support I have given today then you have achieved our goal.
I am proud to be part of Aspire in the Community’s team.
Outside of work I love spending time with my family I have 2 amazing grandchildren who bring me so much joy. Long walks with our ageing Staffie helps me to relax at the end of a day”
Abdul
Finance Director
I am the Finance Director and Company Secretary of Aspire in the Community and live in Bamford with my wife. We have three grown up children and three adorable grandchildren.
I am Chartered Accountant with over 50 years’ experience, including over 30 years of running my own general accountancy practice. During this period, I have been providing accountancy and financial advice to businesses specifically in the care sector.
I have been managing all the financial aspects of Aspire in The Community since the company’s inception.
My hobbies include walking, travelling, visiting theatres and I love my football as a proud season ticket holder of Manchester United for many years.
Gemma
Manager @ Burton Road
Hi, my name is Gemma and I have worked for Aspire in the Community for 8 years. Over this time, I have worked across most of our services before becoming the Registered Manager at Burton Road. I have gained a vast amount of knowledge, understanding and experience supporting individuals who have a Learning disability, Autism, Mental Health concerns and complex needs.
I am a passionate Manager and want the best for the individuals we support to live a life which is person centred, promoting independence choice and dignity.
In my spare time I like to spend time with my family and friends, walk my dog Milo and go shopping.
David Little
Manager @ The Gate Residence
My name is David Little and I joined the organisation in May 2024 and am the Manager at the Gate in Dodworth.
My first experiences with people with disabilities was as a volunteer in summer schemes and have since trained as a Learning Disability nurse and worked in a number of different settings including being a Community Nurse, supporting people in residential care, supported living and nursing services.
The reason I enjoy my work is that I like to be able to support people to become more independent, to have choices and be involved in their local communities and have a positive lifestyle. I also like to use my experience and knowledge to help support people develop in their own way to support others.
When not at work I spent time with my family and our Yorkshire terrier going on walks in the countryside and I also have just started playing golf again.
Ella
Manager @ Station Road
My name is Ella, I have worked for Aspire in the Community since 2010. I have worked my way up through the company and across all our Barnsley services. Working at different levels has enabled me to have a greater understanding about the issues our staff may face and how best to support them.
This ensures our service users are supported to gain independence and social inclusion.
I have gained extensive knowledge in Autism and Behaviours that challenge, not only from supporting people but also through training. I am passionate to ensure our service users feel safe and live the best life possible. one of my aims is to be the best manager I can be for the benefit of everyone I work with.
In my personal life I am a busy mum of four. Caring for them takes up a lot of my time but I enjoy nothing more than spending time with them and my extended family.
Julie
Manager @ Rushbrooke
My name is Julie Gibson, I joined the organisation in June 2021 as the Manager of Rushbrooke in Huddersfield. I have worked in care for 34 years . I am a qualified LD nurse and have been a Registered manager for the last 17 years.
I have worked in a variety of settings, residential, supported living and nursing services. I am committed to promoting, dignity choice and respect in the services I work in.
I am passionate that the service users I support have the same access to leisure and health services and lead a varied and fulfilled life.
In my spare time I enjoying spending time with family and friends and walks with my dog.
Jeanette
Training and Development Consultant
My name is Jennette Askew and I am in a privileged position to nurture, support and above all, provide the highest quality training for Aspire care.
I am a highly accomplished and qualified lifelong learning trainer, coach and development consultant with over 20 years’ experience of working in the vocational education sector.
I have a specialist knowledge of the care sector Diploma qualifications criteria and the CQC and OFSTED standards, which I embed into my training delivery.
Coupled with my experience of learning and development delivery and working through transformational change, I have developed an approach that is person-centred, participative and highly interactive.
With a practical eye for detail and people I am able to simplify complexity, making training applicable, relevant, and fun.
My mission is to develop participants’ skills and knowledge to achieve their individual learning goals.
Mark
Positive Behaviour Support Lead and Trainer
‘People supported, who display behaviours we call challenging are attempting to communicate an unmet need, what we call ‘challenging’ is their way of communicating distress.’
My name is Mark and my role at Aspire is to lead on organisation wide positive behaviour support and capable environments. To reduce restrictive practices through quality-of-life improvement, I provide strategy and policy review, training, coaching, and mentoring to support staff, management, and leadership teams in using evidence-based approaches.
I have been delivering training for over twenty years, and a principal instructor under the BILD code of practice for physical interventions since 2009. I have worked with hundreds of organisations, training many hundreds of trainers and thousands of staff working in Adult Learning Disabilities, CAMHS, Mental Health, Acquired Brain Injury, NHS Acute hospital settings, Dementia, Foster, and Adoption Services in the UK.
I am a visiting lecturer at the University of South Wales as part of the BSc Violence Reduction delivery team, a CAPBS Coach, and trained in Functional Behaviour Assessment, I also practice Non-violent resistance (NVR) to support the families of those children and young people displaying behaviours of concern.
I am married with two grown up children who make me proud every day, three rescue dogs, and in my spare time I enjoy reading and coaching children, and young people, the gentle art of Aikido.
Karen
Quality and Compliance Lead
Hi my name is Karen Parrish, I have worked in Health and Social care for 30 plus years in a wide range of care settings, I started work at Aspire in August 2021.
Throughout my career I have always kept an open mind and had a continuous desire to learn, both of which are important in the role I now have.
Working in Health and Social care means working with some of the most vulnerable people in our society and we all have a responsibility to provide safe and compassionate care, I feel very fortunate that my job with Aspire gives me the opportunity to continue to do this, and, as part of a team to keep learning and improving the services we provide to the people we support.
Outside of work I very much enjoy walking our springer spaniel, gardening, reading, going on holiday, and most of all spending time with my family.
Abbey
Recruitment Manager
abigail@aspirecare.co.uk / recruitment@aspirecare.co.uk
My name is Abbey and I am delighted to introduce myself as the Recruitment Manager here at Aspire in the Community.
I have worked within the world of recruitment for over 10 years, predominantly within the Health and Social care sector. I love all things recruitment, but nothing quite beats delivering the good news to a candidate that they have been successful and secured their dream role.
As well as all things recruitment, I also ensure all our prospective applicants pass our scrupulous pre-employment and compliance checks to ensure our service users are safeguarded, and above all, that they receive only the highest quality of care and support that they so rightly deserve.
I’m a Mum of two young children – so when I am not playing barbies or peek a boo, you’ll find me in the kitchen baking, having family days out, or watching a true crime documentary.
Awais
Human Resource Advisor
awais@aspirecare.co.uk
My name is Awais, and I am the Human Resource Advisor. I bring a passion for social care and a strong foundation in human resources to this role. Over the past few years, I have gained hands-on experience in social care, beginning my journey as a support worker and eventually evolving into the role of an HR Operations Support. This experience has allowed me to develop a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the field, as well as a strong commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of those we support.
In addition to my practical experience, my academic journey has been anchored in the realm of HR and organisational psychology. I earned a first-class undergraduate degree in Business and HR Management, and I furthered my studies with a Distinction in my Masters in Strategic People Management. Complementing these achievements, I hold Level 7 certification from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and maintain an Associate membership status. Currently, I am pursuing my Ph.D. with a focus on understanding organisational psychology, an area that I believe can significantly enhance our approach to social care.
Paige
Company Administrator
01924 400036
Hi, my name is Paige and I joined Aspire as the company Administrator in October 2023. Throughout my career I have worked in a number of key administration roles that have been essential to the running of organisations I have worked for. I am extremely organised and process driven and love multi-tasking, which makes me the perfect person to provide key administration support for the management team and our services here at Aspire in the Community.
In my spare time, I have two wonderful little boys to keep my on my toes, as well as my Samoyed dog Kobi and I also run my own personalised children’s clothing business.
” I’m Luna – the office dog!!!
I love coming here and it makes my day when service users and staff members pop in to give a stroke! Everyone is brilliant, the best team ever! Woof “
Councils We Currently Work With:
