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Breakthrough UK - Controlled by Disabled People

Board Members

Previous Board Members

Obituary

Staff

Management

Board Members

Jackie Driver
Chair
Jackie is currently Head of Policy (under secondment) at the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

"I am proud to be on the Board of Breakthrough UK whose aims and visions to improve access to employment and training are close to my heart."

Vivienne Stone
Deputy Chair
Vivienne also works for the Equality and Human Rights Commission. She worked for 16 years in Local Government as a disability and generic equality officer, before being seconded to the Disability Rights Commission to write their document 'Disability equality in the best value regime'.

Over the past 18 years Vivienne has been a member of GMCDP, MDF and Nalgo's Regional Disabled Members Group.

Dean Cavanagh

Deputy Chair

Dean has worked in local government since leaving school.  For a number of years Dean has been involved in disabled people's rights at work and has been heavily involved in developing a disabled people's network for his employer.  More recently, Dean has moved into the area of access and the Disability Discrimination Act, and is relishing the challenges that lie ahead.

"I am excited about the prospect of working with such an established and ground breaking organisation as Breakthrough UK as the work Breakthrough undertakes is very important in promoting disabled people's rights and independence within the workplace."

Angela Madeley
Treasurer and Company Secretary
Angela has been actively involved in the disabled people's movement for about 15 years and has been a Disability Action Trainer for over 10 years. She is also currently the Chair of Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People (GMCDP).

"It was as an Executive Council member of GMCDP, I first heard about and became involved with the concept of a company being created in Manchester in partnership with the City Council, controlled by a majority of disabled people and specialising in the employment and training of disabled people. Breakthrough UK is the very successful result of that idea."

Councillor Martin Pagel
Board Member
Martin has served as a councillor for Manchester City Council since 1990. He became deputy leader in 1996, a post from which he stood down in June 2004. In addition to this, he has also held responsibilities for Employment and Young People within the Council. As well as serving on the Board of Breakthrough UK he is also a director of Manchester Enterprises and the Progress Trust. Martin Pagel has written a publication on the growth of the disabled people's movement: 'On Our Own Behalf', available from GMCDP.

Councillor Basil Curley

Board Member

Councillor Basil Curley is a Councillor for the Charlestown Ward and Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Adult Services.

His earliest experience of participation in terms of employment and training for disabled people was as Chair of Manchester Direct Works Department which gave him the opportunity to engage with disabled people to develop modern apprenticeships for young people. 

He is dedicated to achieving equality of opportunity for all Residents of Manchester to ensure quality of life, promote independent living and provide a mechanism for exploring, enjoying & using talents and skills. He actively promotes the importance of understanding differences between people of mixed characteristics and how involvement in working together can benefit both disabled and non-disabled people alike.

Kirit Patel

Board Member

Kirit is the Race Equality Programme Co-ordinator for Oxfam’s UK Poverty Programme.  Since April 2005, he has been developing a programme of work tackling the inequalities, discrimination and poverty experienced by Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities, primarily in the North of England.  Over the last decade, Kirit has managed the Kath Locke Centre, a multi-agency community health resource in central Manchester; and been a senior manager for the Black Health Agency, a key voluntary organisation delivering health projects and services for BME communities, locally and nationally. 

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Previous Board Members

Tom Raines (retired June 2007)

Board Member

Noel Traynor (retired April 2007)

Board Member

Michèle Scattergood (retired March 2007)
Board Member

Sam Balkwill (retired December 2006)

Board Member

Councillor Brian Harrison (retired January 2006)
Board Member

Joseph Schofield (retired October 2004)
Board Member

Teddy Webb (retired June 2004)
Board Member

Brenda Crooks (retired November 2002)
Board Member

Harry Bennett - (retired Jan 2002)
Treasurer

Peter Wheeler - (retired May 2000)
Treasurer

Tom Hughes - (retired May 2000)
Board Member

Paul Davidson - (retired August 1999)
Deputy Chair

Tracy Yankowska - (retired June 1999)
Company Secretary

Allan Whitehead - (retired September 1998)
Treasurer

Sylvia Edwards - (retired May 1998)
Board Member

Michael Stanford Wyatt (retired February 1998)
Board Member

Kevin Hyett - (December 1997- March 2004)
Chair

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Obituary

It was with great sadness and a deep sense of loss we announced the sudden death on 16th March 2004 of Kevin Hyett, Chair of Breakthrough UK Ltd since it was first set up in 1997.

Kevin had a long history of involvement within the disabled people's movement, spanning over 20 years. His involvement with Breakthrough has been significant; even prior to incorporating the company he was involved for some 2 years on the "shadow Board" which guided and directed our development, and he has been an active and committed chair ever since the incorporation. His refusal to compromise on the basic principles of Breakthrough, coupled with an astute understanding of organisational and commercial matters brought a unique contribution to the company and support to all those who worked with him.

Breakthrough steers through some stormy waters at times, running a successful day-to-day business, whilst challenging the establishment - and the disabled people's movement - to do things differently. This is in no small part due to Kevin's vision, that not only can disabled people run services but we can do it at least as well as, and probably better than, the established providers - and that those services can be based on a "social model approach".

The support that Kevin gave to us all, especially those of us he sent out "onto the golf course" to promote our approach, cannot be overstated. We have been shocked and devastated by our sudden loss, and send our thoughts and best wishes to Angela his partner, his family, friends and colleagues.

Lorraine Gradwell,
Chief Executive

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Staff

We can justifiably claim to 'practice what we preach' as a company controlled and managed in the majority by disabled people. On average, 60-70% of the workforce are disabled people.

Although Breakthrough UK is majority-controlled by disabled people, we aim to bring together disabled and non-disabled people at all levels of the organisation to work towards the independence of disabled people.

The current staffing level is approximately 40 spread across the:

Management and Administration function

Training Team

Employment Teams

Employment Advocacy Team

Office of the Chief Executive

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Management Team

Chief Executive - Lorraine Gradwell

Assistant to the Chief Executive - Gary Timperley

Resource Manager (HR & Information Systems) - Rob Riley

Resource Manager (Finance, Buildings & Compliance ) - Theresa Cartmill

Resource Manager (Marketing & Promotions) - Jane Touil

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