Charlie is a marketing and communications professional with experience spanning the legal, arts, hospitality, voluntary and community, and public sectors. She holds an undergraduate degree in English Literature and a master’s degree in digital marketing communication and leadership.
She is currently civil servant working in corporate communications and is a Chartered Institute of Public Relations accredited practitioner. Prior to her current role, she worked in non-profit organisations in Northern Ireland and England.
Originally from South Devon, she enjoys being by the sea and creative writing.
Charlie is very much looking forward to joining the Engage with Age board!
Born in Belfast but now lives on the Antrim Coast overlooking the sea.
Studied in Edinburgh, Manchester and London. My working career started in Manchester where I worked in the voluntary sector with young offenders. I then moved back to Belfast to become research officer for the Equal opportunities Commission, soon to return to the justice system to provide services for offenders.
I increasingly became active in the community and moved into community development to work in housing, and education in London, Wales, and finally the age sector, when I became director of Engage with Age in Belfast.
When I retired in 2016, I ran a bed and breakfast at my home in Ballygally which was a completely new experience, enjoyable but hard work.
I now enjoy my time walking, singing in a choir in Belfast, attending classes in History and Literature, exercise groups, and visiting my family in Wales and England.
Christina currently works as Programme and Membership Coordinator at CO3, where her role focuses on end-to-end programme delivery and maintaining and growing the membership. She brings 20 years experience in membership work, with a strong emphasis on valuing, listening to, and delivering for members.
Through her programme delivery work, Christina has developed a clear understanding of the value of all stakeholder relationships, aswell as the importance of a robust and ambitious strategic plan that is practical to deliver, and has the full buyin of the operational team.
While Christina has not previously served as a Trustee, she has developed a strong interest in good governance and has proactively built her knowledge and understanding in this area.
Christina has a deep connection to East Belfast and was drawn to Engage with Age through her caring responsibilities for her mum, which highlighted for her how vital it is to support, value and include older people as an essential part of healthy, thriving communities.
Outside of work, she is adapting to life with an empty nest!
Gillian Graham has over 30 years’ experience working within the health and social care sector, covering family and childcare, fostering, and hospital discharge. She has experience of working with older people, particularly those who are housebound. Outside of work Gillian has served as a member of the NI Co-Op Regional Committee, working to support the Co-Op’s ethics and values and strategic direction. Gillian is a member of the Belfast Trust Carer’s Network, promoting the needs of carers across all of the Trust’s departments, and also has experience of being a carer.
Anne joined the board of Engage with Age in 2014. Anne is Chairperson of the Belfast East Seniors’ Forum. She qualified as a state registered nurse in 1960, and worked in the community within North Down and Ards Occupational Therapy Team from 1976 to 2001.
She represents the Belfast East Seniors Forum on the Greater Belfast Seniors Forum (G6), and volunteers within her local community, taking a lead with the Winter Wanderers walking group, and facilitating arts and crafts sessions.
Leigh joined the board of Engage with Age in 2019. She has been a Non-Executive Director on Boards since 2017, is currently a Trustee of Sustainable NI and has mentored for the Prince’s Trust and Women In Business. She has a particular interest in dementia and inter-generational engagement.
Leigh is in the Senior Leadership Team at the Northern Ireland Utility Regulator, focusing on protecting electricity and gas consumers. Leigh has worked in the energy sector since 2010, having previously been Senior Regulation Specialist for SONI, the electricity system operator in Northern Ireland, with responsibility for strategic stakeholder management, governance and compliance.
Debbie works at the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) as Programme Manager for Technology and Innovation. She previously worked as Training Manager in Advice NI, as well as Regional Digital Inclusion Coordinator in Leonard Cheshire Charity. She is a member of the CIPD and is a recognised Foundation Chartered Manager with the Chartered Management Institute. She has a Masters Degree in Human Rights Law from Queen’s University Belfast and has served as Trustee in several charities over the years.
Anne Marie McCartney is Director of Finance and IT for Orchardville Society Limited, a charity committed to changing the lives of people with learning disability and autism. She is a qualified accountant, and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, with over 30 years of experience. She has worked within the private sector as Chief Finance Officer and Financial Controller for companies including Jans Holding Limited, Thompson Aero Seating Limited, and Magellan Aerospace. Anne Marie has also worked as a Finance Manager for Bank of Ireland.
Gillian joined the board of Engage with Age in 2012 and served as its Chairperson from 2013 to 2017. Gillian works as a Senior Environmental Health Officer with Belfast City Council. For ten years her role with the council involved working on the Age Friendly Belfast programme, co-ordinating the Belfast City Council Age Friendly Plan, working with a range of agencies and also older people. She represents Belfast for the World Health Organisation’s Healthy Cities programme. Gillian is also a volunteer scout leader.
Marianne worked in the public and not for profit sectors in England. She undertook executive roles in Human Resources with housing associations, and non-executive roles with the NHS, and SMEs. Prior to retirement Marianne ran her own consultancy business specialising in leadership coaching, governance, strategic reviews and board effectiveness. Marianne was a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors. Having retired, Marianne moved to Belfast to be near family.
John Wisoner has been in the NI Civil Service (NICS) for over 42 years and have worked in 4 different Departments across several different disciplines. He is a Deputy Principal within the Dept. of Justice (since 2018) with responsibility for ICT services, their good practice and value for money, and manages a budget of £6M+. He is secretariat to a Committee made up of senior civil servants, and also other Civil Service committees. John has held several positions within trade union committees over the years (Health and Safety rep, Branch Secretary, etc.), and is also involved in raising awareness of, and finds for, various charities. In 2021 he completed the Boardroom Apprentice programme, gaining skills and an in-depth knowledge into the workings of boardrooms and committees.
Engage with Age can accept referrals of individual older people aged 50+ who are at risk of loneliness and social isolation, inviting them to participate in group activities. Engage with Age offers one-to-one telephone befriending support for individual older people but does not currently provide in person visits to individual older people. To make a referral please complete the on-line Referral Form and submit or alternatively please print off a copy of the PDF Referral Form and send it to us. See also the Referral Criteria for details of who can be referred.
Referral Form Referral Criteria