Healthwatch Lancashire Team

Aysha Desai BA (Hons) Applied Social Studies

Project Officer,Central Lancashire

Aysha started with Lancashire LINk on 2nd March 2009 as Community engagement officer. Her previous job was as an Outreach Officer/Project Coordinator with Pukar Disability resource Centre in Preston which she carried out for 16 months. She has gained valuable experience of working in the voluntary sector and helped service users in a variety of areas but primarily around accessing disability related benefits and organising personal care through Lancashire County Council. She has also organised the delivery of non-vocational courses for the benefit of carers and other disability groups. Prior to this, she spent 12 years working in the area of Social Housing as a Housing Officer, dealing with re-housing applicants into social housing, ensuring they met their tenancy conditions and dealing with anti–social behaviour. She has a BA (Hons) in Applied Social Studies and a Post-Graduate Diploma for Advanced Studies in Housing.

Amanda Higgins MA, BA (hons)

ProjectOfficer, East Lancashire

Amanda began working with the Lancashire Link in October 2012 as a part-time Community Engagement Officer in the North office and also as a part-time Health Improvement Mapping Officer in Burnley. The health mapping project was commissioned by the Burnley locality steering group with the aim to inform commissioners of existing health improvement services in Burnley and to identify gaps or duplications of service provision. Amanda has previously worked for the British Red Cross and also as a social researcher for a child rights charity in Bangalore, India. This entailed researching the educational status of children with disabilities and exploring the changing policy arena to identify successes and continued failures. Amanda is now working as a part-time ProjectOfficer with the East Lancashire team.

Leslie Forsyth

Chief Executive Officer

Lesley Miller

Administrator

Lesley has been an administrator for many years, before coming to this post she have worked in various companies doing a variety of roles from telephonist/receptionist to Credit Controller. She enjoys working with the team as everyone is friendly and supportive, which makes coming to work a pleasure.

Lesley is looking forward to and doing her best to help make Healthwatch Lancashire successful. Lesley works Tuesday to Thursdays.

Ilyas Patel

ProjectOfficer, North Locality

Ilyas works in the north office full-time. He previously worked as a Community/Social Inclusion Officer at Preston North End Football Club, where he delivered anti-racism workshops to local primary and secondary schools, as well as working with community groups and being the main contact for BME communities. He says a highpoint came when he was asked to do a presentation in front of delegates from the PFA (Professional Football Association) on behalf of the organisation, ‘Kick it Out,’ to showcase the project and the community work achieved by the club.

Sheralee Turner-Birchall

Volunteer Co-ordinator

Sheralee joined the team in 2014, after spending many years working within a variety of roles within the Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector, including The Prince’s Trust, Young Lancashire, The Children’s Society and Groundwork.

Previous to this she worked within local government as a Principle Officer, managing Information, Advice and Guidance Services and earlier as a Civil Servant within Employment Services. Sheralee is also a freelance Trainer and Assessor, managing a training centre. She also continues to undertake voluntary work for Jigsaw Mawdseley Equine and People Trust.

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