Staff Team
CEO
Graham Galloway
Graham Galloway
Graham was one of the founders of Scotland’s first Meeting Centre, Kirrie Connections, and is actively involved with several other third-sector organisations.
In addition to his role with Meeting Centres Scotland, Graham holds the position of Co-Chair at the development support charity Outside the Box, and serves as treasurer for the Angus Rural Partnership
National Sustainability Lead
Colm McBriarty
Colm McBriarty
Before joining the team, Colm worked with About Dementia at Age Scotland and also with the Dementia programme at the Life Changes Trust. All of that followed many years of working with the National Lottery Community Fund in Glasgow, where he never tired of being asked if he knew that week’s upcoming lottery numbers.
In his spare time, Colm enjoys anything involving good beer and good books.
Royal Victoria Hospital Meeting Centre Manager
Fiona Barret
Fiona Barrett
Fiona joins us as manager of the first meeting centre to be established in a hospital setting at Royal Victoria Hospital in Dundee.
Fiona joined us from Dementia Friendly East Lothian where she has spent the last few years setting up and running the Musselburgh Meeting Centre. In her professional life Fiona has worked in health/social care professional education, suicide prevention mental
health and carer support and empowerment. Fiona’s work passion is co-production and the true involvement of people with lived in experience to help improve services and people’s experiences in health and social care.
In her free time, Fiona is involved in her local village community, and when she is not doing that, she can be found up to her elbows in textile art and stitching…always stitching!
East of Scotland Development Lead
Dawn-Claire Irvine
Dawn-Claire Irvine
Inspired by following Kirrie Connections in Angus as it grew and developed into Scotland’s first Meeting Centre, which continues to inspire many other ‘beacons of light’ to open up across our country, Dawn is our East Coast Development Lead. Dawn has a role in supporting the development and sustainability of new and existing Meeting Centres and ensuring that opportunities for connection, community, and collaborative working are maximised for their teams and members.
Dawn’s professional background sits firmly in the development, delivery and management of creative and cultural programmes for the Arts and Education Sector. For the last 2 years, she was Project Manager of the bold project within the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Research on the Experience of Dementia, and for 5 years before that, as Creative Engagement Manager (Dementia Friendly Community) for Capital Theatres, Scotland’s largest independent theatre charity.
She specialises in co-producing Dementia Friendly Communities using creative methods and person-centred approaches that put people living with dementia at the forefront of design, development and facilitation of their own experiences.
Dawn is passionate about the human right for everyone to be able to access a cultural life for as long as they desire, and working with Meeting Centres Scotland presents her with the opportunity to work alongside communities in developing more Meeting Centres across Scotland that offer people with living experience of dementia the choice to access that right, comfortably, in their own community.
When not working for Meeting Centres Scotland you might find Dawn in a beautiful ballroom, dancing the day away to the music of a Wurlitzer, convincing others to join her!
West of Scotland Development Lead
Lorna Hart-Thomson
Lorna Hart-Thomson
Lorna joins us from Alzheimer Scotland, where she led the National Dementia Advisor Service as well as her previous role of Dementia Advisor within North Lanarkshire. She has been involved in work with Scottish Prison Service, Intergenerational Work with schools, as well as building up sustainable groups for people living with dementia, which took place in a variety of places Sports Clubs, Pubs and Hotels.
Lorna has always strived to support people to help them improve their quality of life. Enabling, encouraging and empowering people has always been main features in Lorna’s work. Lorna has worked within Health and Social Care Partnerships and understands the importance of collaboration.
Lorna is really excited about joining Meeting Centres Scotland, as she believes they provide the local support that people living with dementia need, which become the heart of the community.
When Lorna is not working, she is spending quality time with her family, which includes, messy play and country parks.
Administration
& Finance
Linda Hadden
Linda Hadden
Linda brings her administrative and financial skills to the team. Linda previously worked for 19 years as the financial administrator at Angus Carers Centre, and she has a wealth of third-sector experience.
Linda enjoys hooking up her caravan and heading off for the weekend. Linda also enjoys going on the hunt for geocaches, playing her djembe drum, knitting and swimming (both indoors and out!).
Project Manager – Cancer-ready Meeting Centres
Erica Whittaker Wallis
Erica Whittaker Wallis
Erica is excited to be taking on the new Cancer Ready Meeting Centres project, working to improve the cancer journey for people living with Dementia and their loved ones.
Erica has been working in the third sector with unpaid carers in Edinburgh and Manchester for the past 8 years, where co-production has informed her work in developing services for unpaid carers and the people they care for. Erica has a passion for amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities and working creatively – learned from her roots in community theatre.
In her spare time, Erica enjoys spending time in nature with her partner and dog, followed by a satisfying pint in the pub!
Please do contact us with any questions, suggestions or comments we will be pleased to hear from you.