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  1. About Us
  2. Our People

Our People

Such an individual service requires the involvement of many dedicated professionals. The North East Autism Society employs a wide range of people with different skills and expertise. Please see below for details of our Trustees and Senior Management Team members.

John Phillipson - Chief Executive

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John Phillipson has been involved in social care and education since 1975. He has managed a very wide range of services having worked as an Assistant Director with Barnardos North East for several years before joining North Tyneside L.E.A. as Manager for S.E.N.  

John went on to be Head of Children’s Services and latterly Director of Social Services in North Tyneside. Since 2005 he has been Chief Executive at the North East Autism Society where services are being modernised and transformed to improve outcomes for children, young people and adults with autism.

Published: 6th November, 2013

Updated: 17th February, 2020

Author: Lisa Taylor

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Gavin Bestford - Chair of Trustees

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Gavin Bestford, Chain of the Board of Trustees

Gavin Bestford is a retired Local Government Finance Officer and Accountant having worked for over 30 years for the City of Durham from where he retired in 2000 as Head of Financial Services and Deputy Director of Finance. He lives in Durham and is married with two children. His connections with the Society began in 1990 when his son, then aged 4 became a pupil at the Society’s school and from which he progressed through to a placement with our Adult Services. Gavin became a Trustee of the Society in 2002 and was appointed as its Chairman in 2005.

Published: 6th November, 2013

Updated: 14th August, 2015

Author: Lisa Taylor

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Dr Rakesh Chopra OBE - Trustee

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Dr Rakesh Chopra OBE, Trustee

Rakesh is a GP in Ashington Northumberland where he has worked for the last 24 years. He is married with 2 children.His son is autistic and became a day pupil at Thornhill Park School at the age of five. He has now progressed through to a placement with adult services.


Rakesh has taken on the role of Trustee in order to help the Society take forward its excellent work with children, young people and adults with autism as well as supporting their families.

Published: 6th December, 2013

Updated: 14th August, 2015

Author: Lisa Taylor

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Malcolm Bainbridge - Trustee

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Malcolm Bainbridge, Trustee

Malcolm retired in 2014 after 37 years with Barclays Bank where he worked since he was 18. He specialised in the business sector where he gained experience in corporate finance and looked after the banking relationships of north east businesses. Born and raised in the Sunderland area, he now lives in Durham and is married with two children. Malcolm has been a Trustee of the Society since July 2006.

Published: 6th December, 2013

Updated: 5th November, 2015

Author: Lisa Taylor

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Jillian Crumbie - Trustee

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Jillian Crumbie, Trustee

Hello, I live in Durham. I studied at New College Durham acquiring a HND in Business and a Hon's Degree in Social Work. At present I am a full time carer for my son who has autism. I have three children and my middle son has attended the school, college and New Warlands Farm since 2003 as a day pupil. Even though I am always juggling my time I found I have gained a great deal by joining the organisation in 2005 as a Trustee of the Society.

I believe it is important that the views of parents should be heard. Still to this day I feel privileged that I am part of such a fantastic organisation that is known throughout for its first class care. It has been wonderful to see at first hand how with the Society’s support our children, young people and adults have a wonderful future being in such caring and importantly enabling environment and how the Society continues to expand.

Published: 6th December, 2013

Updated: 14th August, 2015

Author: Lisa Taylor

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Donald Walker - Trustee

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Don Walker, Trustee

Born in Nakuru, Kenya in 1947 and after an exciting and adventurous childhood in Kenya, I came to the UK for further education spending four years in North Wales of which three years were on Anglesey at HMS Conway. The next 24 years were spent as a Deck Officer in the Merchant Navy of which the last ten years were as a Master Mariner with other external related appointments. I then joined Northumbria Police in a civilian capacity from which I retired early in 2009.


I moved to South Tyneside in the late 1960s and married in 1975 and have one son.


An early diagnosis of my son’s Autism led to him being refered to Thornhill Park School for his education in 1991 and the start of my involvement with the North East Autism Society, forming closer ties to the Society after being appointed a Trustee in 1995.


I have had the pleasure over the years of seeing a first class autistic service both develop and expand and become widely recognised for its expertise and quality.

Published: 6th December, 2013

Updated: 14th August, 2015

Author: Lisa Taylor

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John Hodgson - Trustee

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John Hodgson - Trustee

John has been married to Julie for 33 years and has two grown-up children. With vast experience in senior positions in the Construction Industry and having served as Chairman for the North East Region of the Building and Engineering Services Association, he has previously sat on school Governing Bodies, where he has enjoyed contributing to the development of young people and he is now proud to serve as a Director and Trustee for the North East Autism Society. John is a proud North easterner who likes to be involved in making a difference.

As a family, John was first introduced to the North East Autism Society in 2010, when he was looking for an appropriate service provider for his son, Connor, who is autistic. John wants to help drive the Society forward during challenging Economic times.

Published: 17th July, 2017

Updated: 12th January, 2021

Author: Lisa Taylor

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David Parker - Trustee

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David graduated from Newcastle University with a degree in mathematics before training as a Chartered Accountant in the audit department of a national accountancy firm in Bristol. After qualifying he moved back to his native north east where he worked for a local independent accountancy firm before moving to be the Financial Controller of IAM Sold, a Fast Track 100 property auction house. Following this he worked at Newcastle United Foundation heading up their finance team as Finance Manager, before moving to Home Group's accounts team. He has extensive experience of working both for and with a wide range of charities and is proud to have the opportunity to use these skills developed to serve as a trustee of NEAS.

Published: 18th July, 2017

Updated: 19th September, 2018

Author: Abby Patterson

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Kevin McAlister - Trustee

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Kevin McAlister - Trustee

Kevin is from Stockton-on-Tees, married with two children.

His son Cameron is autistic and addended Thornhill Park School when he was four and a half. Working his way throughout the Society provisions until leaving and going on to ESPA. Kevin has been a Trustee for the Society on a number of occasions, firstly from 1996 to 2001 and again from 2009 to 2012.

Kevin left his full-time work in funeral operations for a national company and is now working part-time as a business consultant that has allowed him to once again take a more proactive role within the Society.

Kevin believes that the trustees have a wide range of backgrounds, knowledge and skills to help support senior managers to drive the Society forward. Kevin also wants to give his time back to support the charity for all the support his family has received over the years.

Published: 18th July, 2017

Updated: 12th January, 2021

Author: Lisa Taylor

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Brian Stoker - Head of Care

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Brian Stoker, Head of Care

After serving five years in the 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards Brian left the army in 1990 looking for a career which he would find both challenging and rewarding. He found this career at the North East Autism Society. Brian initially worked within Children Residential Services for five years before moving to be part of the development of Adult Services. After spending five years as a Residential Home Manager he moved to the role of Head of Adult Care Services.


Brian believes the challenge remains to provide a person-centred approach in planning and providing flexible personalised services for people with autism and their families.


We achieve this by adapting services to meet the needs of the individual and through the development of a highly motivated staff team who have the theoretical knowledge and the practical skills to support individuals.

Published: 9th October, 2017

Updated: 17th February, 2020

Author: Lisa Taylor

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  • Our sites

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  • What is Autism?

    Autism is the word used to describe a lifelong difference in a person’s neurology. It’s very difficult to say exactly what ‘it’ is because it can’t be separated from the person.

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    What we do

    We help remove barriers to support individuals with autism and learning difficulties into employment. This new service has been designed to support both the individual, and also the employer.

  • Child Residential Care

    Child Residential Care

    We design individual programmes for each child or young person who stays in one of our residences to ensure their specific needs are met. We offer weekly, termly and 52 week residential placements.

  • What We Believe

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    We provide a wide – and ever growing – range of services for autistic children, young people and adults, and those with other examples of neurodiversity.

  • Our Homes

    Creating a 'home from home' environment for autistic children and those with learning difficulties

  • Trampolining Sessions

    Trampolining Sessions

    Our FREE trampolining lessons are open to children, young people and adults with special needs.

  • Family Workshops

    Family Workshops

    Our workshops focus on empowering parents to use their natural skills to support their children in the home environment, enabling confidence, and opening parents up to a life as part of their community.

  • Volunteering opportunities

    Volunteering opportunities

    Volunteering is all about making a difference to other people's lives. Taking time out to change things for the better can be great fun. Find out about the list of roles available and the benefits volunteering can have.

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Autism family workshops autism groups autism leisure activities autism respite care Autism workshops Befriending Children's residential care outreach support Parent and sibling workshops respite care short breaks Volunteering Volunteering opportunities
How to donate

How to donate

By giving a donation or regular gift you are supporting the vital work we do with children, young people and their families. Read more

Donate Fundraise

Published: 6th November, 2013

Updated: 10th December, 2020

Author:

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North East Autism Society | 15 Lumley Court | Drum Industrial Estate | Chester-le-Street | County Durham | DH2 1AN

Tel: 0191 4109974 or E-mail: [email protected]

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