Marian Keogh, Chair Marian has held the role of Chair of the board since January 2023, bringing years of executive experience and a commitment to the lives of children with additional needs. Expand Marian joined the board of Trustees in October 2022 and took over as Chair in January 2023. She retired as Chief Executive of the Children's Hospice Association in 2011. Since then she has had a variety of non-executive positions in the public, private and third sector. She is committed to improving the lives of children with additional needs, and their families and ensuring they have as many opportunities for play as possible.
Claire Lumsdaine Claire has held various roles across the public, charity, and private sectors, designing, delivering, and assuring digital projects and programmes. She has over twelve years of experience in user-centric digital services. Expand Claire has spent the last seven years working in digital transformation for the Scottish Government and has wide experience in technology across the Scottish public sector. Prior to this, she was Head of Digital Services at Victim Support Scotland and played a key role as part of the organisation's senior management team, leading the development and delivery of digital strategy and running IT across 53 sites.
Caroline Scott Caroline has worked in HR across a number of sectors over the past 20 years. Expand Caroline graduated from the University of Edinburgh and has worked in Human Resources across a number of sectors, in both the UK and overseas, over the past 20 years. Having returned to Edinburgh, Caroline is now VP People of Zego, and works closely with the business to find, develop and retain the best talent to grow the business. Caroline has undertaken much fundraising over the years and joined our board in January 2019.,
Ian Harris Ian has worked in various roles in the investment management industry and is a qualified Chartered Accountant. Expand Ian is a Chartered Accountant and has over 20 years experience in the investment management industry, primarily as a Partner and Chief Operating Officer of SL Capital Partners, the private equity and infrastructure division of Standard Life Investments. Ian has an honours degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Edinburgh. Ian joined our Board in 2019.
Dr Patricia D Jackson 'Children have a right to play and the Yard is superb in recognizing this, and making it possible, as well as supporting the whole family.' Expand Dr Jackson was educated in Belfast, trained at Edinburgh University Medical School and worked as a Consultant Paediatrician in Children’s Services at NHS Lothian. Dr Jackson acted in an advisory capacity to the Scottish Government in the development of ASN legislation and has a continuing interest in its development and implementation. She was a member of the SIGN Guidelines group for Management of Epilepsy in Children & Young People, and Co-Chair of the SIGN guideline group on the Diagnosis and Management of Children and Young People exposed prenatally to Alcohol. She is a past Chair of the Scottish Association of Community Child Health, and Past President of the Scottish Paediatric Society and a Senior Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Her support to voluntary organisations includes being a founder member and past Director of CHAS (Childrens Hospices Across Scotland), Vice Chair of the Family Fund, and previous Vice-Convener of Children in Scotland. As well as being committed to supporting the Yard as a current Trustee, she is a member of the Executive Committee for the UK Downs Syndrome Medical Interest Group, Vice –Chair of Down’s Syndrome Scotland, Vice –Chair of the Cattanach Fund and a newly appointed Trustee for FASD UK, and Children’s Health Scotland.
David Bowerman David comes to The Yard with 40 years of experience in Financial Services in Scotland and across the pond in the US. Expand David recently retired from a career spanning 40 years in Financial Services - and has experience of both running operations/technology and leading significant change initiatives, both here in Scotland and overseas in the US. He also Chairs an Edinburgh based venue finding company.
A Is The Yard open? Expand Yes, as of May 2021, all three of our sites – Edinburgh, Fife (Kirkcaldy) and Dundee – are open but all sessions must be booked in advance. If you are an existing member, you should already have heard from us and had the chance to arrange your return visits. If you are new to The Yard, please get in touch to arrange your first visit – email [email protected] or give our friendly team a call on 0131 476 4506 during office hours. We would be delighted to hear from you.
G Can I become a volunteer at The Yard? Expand Thank you for your interest in volunteering at The Yard. After reviewing our volunteering function in 2020, we made the decision to pause all volunteering for the moment. In part, this is due to the external situation, as we know we will not be able to resume in-person volunteering until social distancing measures are no longer in place. Alongside this, our services have had to change significantly due to the pandemic, so the kind of volunteer roles we offer will also need to change to better align with our services. Hopefully, in early 2022 we can reassess what the future of volunteering at The Yard looks like. Please follow @theyardscotland on socials for updates.
C What steps are being taken to ensure The Yard is safe? Expand Safety is our absolute priority so we’re working hard behind the scenes to ensure you feel confident when you visit. As well as implementing even more rigorous health and safety, cleaning and hygiene procedures, we continue to follow the latest government and Health Protection Scotland guidance, and we will not be hosting any families who are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. Get more information on the steps we are taking here or watch our videos for each site to get a sneak peek of what to expect.
N) My child attends the early years service. What membership do I need? Expand Our early years sessions are included in the standard Young Adventurer membership cost of £8 or £10 per month. These sessions are not clubs (respite) because they are attended with a parent or carer.
M) My child attends the 4-9s drop-in session. Which membership do I need? Expand Our 4-9s drop-in sessions are included in the standard Young Adventurer membership cost of £8 or £10 per month. These sessions are not clubs (respite) because they are attended with a parent or carer.
Neil Granger Working in engineering consultancy, Neil has extensive experience delivering projects including facilities for disabled children. Expand Born in Glasgow, but raised and educated in Edinburgh, Neil has worked in engineering consultancy since 2000 and is now Technical Partner at Tuffin Ferraby Taylor. Specialising in building services engineering and sustainability, he has extensive experience, in Scotland and further afield, leading multidisciplinary design teams and delivering projects such as education facilities, including daycare and facilities for disabled children. He has supported The Yard since early 2011 and joined our Board in January 2019.
E I want to support The Yard as it reopens – how can I do that? Expand With many in-person events postponed, people are getting creative with how we can stay connected. You can take part in a virtual challenge event from the comfort of your own home or neighbourhood - just have a look at our events page. As restrictions relax, there will be more opportunities to hold fundraising events or set a challenge with friends, family, colleagues or your street! From bake sales and fun runs to sponsored haircuts, browse our events page for inspiration and ideas, or make up your own! If you are in a position to make a donation to The Yard in this time of financial uncertainty facing charities, we greatly appreciate your support. The best way to do this is to make a one-off donation or set up a regular gift. This helps us in two ways – we will know it is a donation rather than membership, and we can claim an additional 25% in Gift Aid at no extra cost to you. Your support enables us to plan for a sustainable future by putting in place reliable and regular income streams to support our vital services. Our team is also working hard to secure this through our other income and funding sources. Thank you.