Board of Trustees

ADHD Aware is governed by a Board of Trustees. All of our trustees are volunteers with lived experience of neurodiversity (either themselves or a family member being neurodiverse).

Our trustees are responsible for ensuring the charity’s resources are managed and used to meet its purpose, in compliance with our constitution and the law. They are also responsible for conflicts of interest, safeguarding and reporting to the Charity Commission.

Linda Saltwell – Trustee & Co-Chair of the Board

Linda has been involved with ADHD Aware since 2015, and has experience of neurodiversity within her family.

Her professional background is in community development work and person-centred therapy. Linda was Chief Executive at the Trust for Developing Communities in Brighton until Sept 2016. Since her first community development job with Salford Community Health Project in 1991, Linda has gained over 30 years of experience in statutory and charity work across the country. She also ran a private counselling practice for a decade, in London and Brighton, specialising in LGBT, addictions and moderately severe mental health issues.

Katie Hudson – Trustee & Co-Chair of the Board

Katie is a senior executive working in the technology sector with a 20+ year career in global FTSE100 companies.

She volunteered as Treasurer of ADHD Aware 2018-2022 and now serves as Co-Chair, alongside Linda. During her time as Treasurer, Katie helped to more than quadruple ADHD Aware’s grant income, enabling significant expansion of our services.

Katie is neurodiverse and is proud to serve as an advocate for neurodiverse people, speaking and writing regularly on the topic of neurodiversity. She is also on the Board of Trustees for both Autistica and ParaPride.

Dominique Gibbons – Trustee & Treasurer

Dominique’s interest in mental health and peer support dates back to volunteering for Durham Nightline, a helpline run for and by students; and completing an introductory course in counselling skills.

Her professional background is in financial analysis, project cost control and accounting. More recently Dominique has worked as a Finance Manager in the private sector, and Executive Assistant in the charity sector.

Dominique began seeking an ADHD assessment in 2018 and was eventually assessed and diagnosed in 2021. She began volunteering with ADHD Aware in 2021 and was voted onto the Board as Treasurer in 2022.

Amy Knowles – Trustee & Secretary to the Board

Amy has volunteered for ADHD Aware since 2020, including as part of our newsletter team. Her keen awareness of the challenges neurodivergent people can face stems from having a close family member who is autistic.

She is working towards a Masters degree in Community Psychology; a field which looks beyond the individual, to the impact societal factors can have on wellbeing.

Amy also volunteers with East Brighton Food Co-operative. She collects service-user data on behalf of this emergency food aid organisation, which often illustrates the difference that social interaction, inclusivity, and nutrition can make to a person’s mental health.

Tony Larkin – Trustee

Tony has completed a Counselling Certificate and Life Coaching Diploma.

He has lived in Brighton since 2000, and during this time discovered that he is neurodiverse. In 2014, after learning about ADHD Aware through a Brighton Dyslexic/Dyspraxia Support Group, Tony became involved in forming the ADHD Aware Committee, before it evolved into our Board of Trustees.

Tony organises and volunteers at our drop-in sessions: meeting and greeting attendees, offering a listening ear, and supporting people to take part. Tony enjoys being part of a team that helps people live better lives.

Dave Clarke – Trustee

Dave works with perpetrators of domestic abuse, and has experience of working in social services, family centres, respite, residential, and therapeutic communities. His professional history includes youth work and teaching, ranging from working with excluded pupils up to final year undergraduates.

Dave has volunteered with ADHD Aware since 2018. He was a committee member before becoming a trustee. He has co-facilitated our drop-in session, our supporting partners group meetings, and a 10-week course we ran in 2021. Dave likes to offer ideas and contributes to video content. He is awaiting an ADHD assessment.

Nadia Bunker – Trustee

Nadia is Director of Music at a local prep school. She has been a trustee of Brighton Festival Chorus, and has volunteered with Friends of Westdene and Under the Bridge Studios. Nadia has seen the impact of music on those with neurodiversity.

She first attended ADHD Aware’s peer-support meetings for partners and for parents following her husband’s diagnosis, and as a mum to three daughters. Nadia now facilitates and host our meetings for partners. She created and is an admin on our Facebook group for partners of people with ADHD. She also hosted our first webinar.

Helen Davies – Trustee

Helen has ADHD and dyslexia. She is a single parent to a wonderful adopted boy, and is passionate about a trauma-informed approach becoming more mainstream.

Helen runs ADHD Amigos, a free in-person social for ADHD and neurodivergent adults, meeting monthly in Brighton. She also runs a not-for-profit organisation which supports ADHD/neurodivergent adults and parents.

Helen is an NHS Clinical Director addressing transgender health inequalities. She has 35 years of nursing experience and has previously worked as a management consultant. She is experienced in running action learning sets and workshops. Helen is a qualified lecturer, mentor, and programme manager.

Tara Allen – Trustee

Having worked and studied in the field of mental health since 2011, Tara has qualifications in three different modalities of psychotherapy, and in organisational dynamics. Tara works as a Psychotherapist in an NHS IAPT service (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies). She also runs a small private practice.

Previously, Tara worked as a Complex Needs Support Worker, helping people with issues around substance use and complex mental health difficulties. She also did a year of volunteering as a mentor for girls from less advantaged backgrounds.

Tara was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, and provides supervision to our support group volunteers.