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SCL Board

The Board of Directors ensures that SCL conducts its affairs in accordance with its stated purpose. It sets the policies, strategies and objectives, and then supervises the chief executive and his staff who are responsible for delivering them.

You can find out more about the responsibilities of the board or learn how it is accountable to the members through elections and the power of removal from the documents at the foot of this page.

The board members are:

Mark Dutton (Chair)

Mark is currently the chair of Salford District Sports Council and also chair of Eccles Rugby Union Club. He also has a financial service and small business background.

Councillor Jimmy Hunt

More information about Councillor Hunt.

Steve Hitchen

Steve has been chair of Agecroft Rowing Club for 10 years and has overseen the development of the club over many years to its new home in the brand new Lottery Sports Fund building on Salford Quays. Steve has coached at the Commonwealth Games and has produced 10 national champions and 3 Henley winners. Steve is also an active member of Salford District Sports Council and chair of the North West Rowing Council. Steve also has business experience through this role in managing a small company.

Mark McGhee

Mark has been co-opted onto the Shadow Board to provide legal advice for board members. Partner Mark McGhee heads up the “Linder Myers” psychological injury department, the only such department of its kind in the country. The department has evolved as a result of Mark’s specialisation in all aspects of mental health law over the last ten years. Mark has an active interest in hockey and cricket.

Dr Julie Higgins

Dr Julie Higgins qualified from London University with a PhD in Immunology. She moved back to the north west in 1996 where she joined the health promotion team at West Pennine Health Authority where she dealt with a wide range of issues that affected health. Julie completed her Masters in public health in 1997 at Manchester University and later moved into a public health post. She joined Salford in 2000 as a specialist in public health (PH), and has been a deputy director in PH since 2002. Julie is at present acting director of public health for Salford Primary Care Trust.

Carol Ballantyne

In the 3 years Carol has been with SCL Ltd she has developed excellent relationships with both colleagues and members of the community built upon mutual respect and understanding. She is a founder member of Charlestown netball club, established 34 years ago, by a group of young girls who had recently finished school. The club now has over 150 members. Prior to joining SCL Ltd Carol was employed by an international organisation for 27 years, demonstrating loyalty and commitment. During this time she enjoyed many different roles culminating in departmental manager responsible for 150 team members. Following an amalgamation with another organisation I became heavily involved in a change management project, looking at various aspects of the business, including, culture issues, roles and responsibilities and cost management.     

Karen Keohane

Karen has been co-opted onto the board. Karen is currently the head of partnerships & delivery for Sport England (North West Region). Karen has a sports science degree from Liverpool University. Karen previously worked for Stockport MBC as head of sports development, a role that incorporated managing the successful Swim Stockport Scheme and the first GP Referral Scheme in the Country. Karen is an active tennis player.

Dean Gilmore

Dean is the Partnership Development Manager for the Salford North School Sports Partnership, based at All Hallows Business and Enterprise College. Dean has taught at both Primary and Secondary Schools in the city since 1990 and has always been active in school sports, most notably as coach of the Schools Under 11’s Rugby League team that represented Salford at Wembley in 1998. In his current role he manages a team of 8 school sports co-ordinators who in turn work in 42 primary schools in the city.

Janet Morecroft

Janet is employed by Salford Community Leisure as the assistant principal sports development officer (sports) and is based at the Watersports Centre on Salford Quays. Janet has worked in sports development for ten years, working initially as a sports coach and gaining experience working in both Salford and Manchester. Janet manages a team of six senior officers and also continues to deliver hockey coaching to young people in Salford.

Peter Shelley

Peter has worked for the leisure department for 12 years and is contracted as a duty officer. He has undertaken this role for the last five years at Fit City Irlam Pool. For the last 12 months Peter has worked as the aspire membership co-ordinator across the city, overseeing the membership scheme and working closely alongside Salford Community Leisure’s partner company Alliance Leisure, helping to promote and sell the membership. Peter also undertakes the membership advisor role at Fit City Eccles. Before working for Salford he was proprietor of his own retail shop and previously a shop manager and worked within the retail trade for a total of eight years.

Elizabeth Charnley

Elizabeth was born in Bury and has lived in Eccles for 10 years. Her work background is in healthcare, management and training. She is a health walk leader (currently leader of the Sunday morning health walk in Eccles) and a regular SCL service user.

A member of the Governing Body of St Andrew's CE Primary School in Eccles, she is also a member of Eccles Environment and Transport Group, a sub-committee of Eccles Community Committee.

Police Inspector Alan Smith

Alan has been a Police Officer in the Greater Manchester Police for 22 years. The last 16 years he has served in Salford as a Sergeant and Inspector. He was born in Salford and lived there until moving South for a spell in the Ministry of Defence. He has a BA (Hons) Public Management Degree; he is currently the Inspector in charge of the Central Salford Neighbourhood Policing Team, with responsibility for Ordsall, Langworthy, Claremont and Weaste

Adela Ramsbottom

Employed by Salford MDC, latterly working in Internal Audit, from 1973 until April 2000, gaining an ONC in Public Administration and AAT qualification during that time. I have been a Cub Scout Leader for 35 years and a Brownie Guide Leader since 1985. Assistant District Commissioner for Cub Scouts in Swinton and Pendlebury. In July 2005, I came to the end of my tenure as County Secretary for Greater Manchester West Guide Association , a position I had held since 2001. I have done voluntary work reading with children at St Peter's CE Primary School, Swinton. I was a local authority Part Time Youth Leader for about twelve years and a telephone counsellor for the National Children's Home for ten years. I swim almost daily using Pendlebury Pool and occasionally Worsley Pool and organise the Cub and Scout District Swimming Gala at Worsley Pool every year. This year the Swinton and Pendlebury District Cub Scouts held an indoor 5-a-side football competition at Pendlebury Recreation Centre.

Brian Wroe

Brian is Assistant Director of Community Services within Salford City Council. This entails overall responsibility for Neighbourhood Management and Community Cohesion in the city. Brian is a former police officer with Greater Manchester Police. He achieved the rank of Chief Superintendent and served as Divisional Commander of the Salford Division between September 2001 and October 2004. As Assistant Director he now sits on a number of strategic groups within the city, notably the Children and Young People's Partnership Board and the Youth Offending Service Partnership Board. Brian has a degree in Politics and Contemporary History. He is a regular attendee at the gymnasium and enjoys road running. He is an avid football fan and enjoys distance walking. He is a married with two daughters and a grandson.

John Pennington

John has been an active volunteer within the Little Hulton community for the past 8 years, firstly joining the local residents association as vice chairperson a position John enjoyed for two years. In 1999 I moved on to form and manage a Social Enterprise in Little Hulton called Peel Community Sports Development Centre, where he helped to company through the process of gaining the prestige aware of Investors in People. John has also attained over the years a UEFA B coaching certificate, Community Sports Leader Aware, and is also a qualified referee. Recently he was invited to 10 Downing Street to meet Mr Blair in recognition for his work in the community and also won the Barclay Card Premiership Coach of the Month for his contribution to grass root football.

Robert Iball

I feel that I could bring an objective point of view on behalf of the users of the Salford Community Leisure facilities. I believe passionately in what I do and would like to encourage others to become involved in exercise in its various forms. I got involved in exercise when I was diagnosed as being diabetic and was advised by my doctor to exercise as a way of controlling my condition. Since then I have not only managed to do this, but I generally feel the health benefits of regular exercise, which is why I would like to pass this on to others.

I have also found that getting together with other people, to keep fit and well, is a very social thing too. I would like to feel that my input on the board would be a way of introducing “non-exercisers” to the world of exercise.

Mike Forth

My personal qualities would be the first things that I would bring to the Board of Salford Community Leisure. I believe those to be openness, honesty, a willingness to work hard as part of a team, and a desire to constantly seek improvement. I have always functioned as part of a team, and have shown the willingness to lead, take responsibility for decision-making. This use of my personal qualities has resulted in many successes and a lot of friends. Running parallel to my personal qualities is my experiences.

I have throughout my life been active as a sportsman in a wide variety of sports at every level, from beginner to advanced. I also have experience in offering sporting opportunities to other people and organisations at a local and national level. This experience gained has led me to believe that everyone should have the opportunity to engage in good quality sports provision at a local level, which may lead to progression, at a cost that local people do not find excludes them. The knowledge and experience I have gained through my involvement in Sport has driven me to my current position within Salford Youth Service as a senior manager with citywide responsibility for Outdoor Education and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Officer. I have successfully adapted from direct involvement with sporting programmes to strategically managing staff and budgets, to ensure current quality programmes remain exciting, challenging, developmental and accessible to the young people of Salford.

Finally, I would bring my qualifications as PE teacher, youth worker, manager and sportsperson. I am confident that my qualities, experience, knowledge and qualifications will allow me to fully contribute to the Board of Salford Community Leisure for the benefit of the people of Salford, of which I am one.

Adam Thomas

I would like to offer to the Board of Salford Community Leisure Limited the following:

Development experience as the Managing Director of a property development company for the last 5 years:

• With knowledge and understanding of dealing with development from concept through to completion including scheme vision;
• Consultant team selection,
• Brief development,
• Project management expertise;
• Planning experience
• Financial scooping and budgeting
• Liaison with statutory and private sector bodies and companies
• Fundraising with shareholders and financial institutions
• Market sector report analysis
• Dealing with building companies and suppliers
• PR and marketing
• Collaborative working

Before that, I was responsible for the funding and scheme development of all the Methodist Church property schemes throughout the country.  This included:

• Involvement in devising national strategy
• Oversight of circa £10m a year of funding
• Approval, oversight and review of over 1000 property schemes in a calendar year
• Management of a broad base of staff with a variety of disciplines
• Involvement in the national investment strategy for the Methodist Church holdings
• Development of marrying asset management plans nationally to the organisations vision.
• Input into the advice and guidance for property management and development for each local church

Before this I was the Principal Strategy and Resource Office for Salford City Council.

I have an excellent understanding of Salford and each of its areas.  I also know more of the facilities and many of the schemes that Salford Community Leisure Limited are involved in, not least as a user. I hope that I can marry my personal knowledge of the city to my work experience and offer advice and scrutiny to the Board and the company to continue to improve the leisure services and facilities in the city of Salford.

To contact the Board please contact the Board Secretary (Susan Leonard) on 0161 778 0439, susan.leonard@salford.gov.uk or write to:

Minerva House
Pendlebury Road
Swinton
Salford M27 4EQ.

Leisure IN Salford is operated and managed by
Salford Community Leisure Limited

This page was last updated on 29 October 2008

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