Board of Trustees

Our Board of Trustees lead the organisation and provide good governance in accordance with the requirements for charities.  The skills and expertise within the board help us deliver the best service for carers in Leeds.

Andy Rawnsley – Chair of Board of Trustees

Andy has been a Trustee since 2011, becoming Chair of the Board in 2020. During his professional life Andy worked with and alongside people with learning disabilities and their families in Leeds for almost 40 years, working in a range of positions in both the statutory and voluntary sectors. Immediately prior to his retirement he was the Chief Executive of Aspire Community Benefit Society, a staff-led public service mutual, providing care and support services to adults with learning disabilities. 

Andrew Bottomley

Andy is a carer for his partner and has been connected within the care sector on a strategic level for a number of years. Both within his role at Carers Leeds and also as a governor of Leeds and York NHS Partnership Foundation
Trust, he utilises his management and organisation skills gained from his previous employment.

He also volunteers for Leeds MIND, sits on the NHS Mental Health Vocational Strategy Group and is a member of Yorkshire and Humberside Learning Partnership Focus Group.

Steve Hume – Treasurer

Steve is a qualified accountant who worked for Leeds City Council for over 38 years. Steve has extensive experience of all aspects of finance within the public sector. For the final 15 years of his career he led and managed the support services functions supporting Adult Social Care Services in the Council and is acutely aware of the importance of Carers Leeds Services to the people of Leeds. Steve joined the Carers Leeds Board shortly after his retirement from the Council in 2021 and is currently the nominated Treasurer Trustee on the Board.

Rod Basnett

Rod is a retired Category Manager from a commercial importing company where he worked for over 25 years, training and leading teams to design, develop and deliver products for the UK retail markets.

6 years ago Rod’s wife suffered a stroke, and he became her prime carer, leading to significant  changes in his lifestyle. He has come to understand the difficulties as well as the rewards of being a carer.  Rod joined the Board in 2021 and brings his many years in business management and his more recent experience of becoming a carer.

Carol Gill

Carol is a Human Resources (HR) Business Partner for a Health Care Community Interest Company having previously worked for Leeds City Council as a Head of HR for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Children’s and Families.

During her time with Adult Social Care, she supported the workforce impacts of service transformation. Carol also worked with Carers Leeds in her role to support working carers. Carol joined the board as she left Leeds City Council has a broad range of knowledge and skills around Human Recourses and Health and Safety including commercially run HR Services for Schools.

Arshad Mahmood

Arshad is a qualified solicitor and has recently stepped down from managing and running his own law firm. He now works as a consultant for several law firms and coaches’ football and cricket in his spare time.

He also was the primary carer for his father for around 16 years, who had suffered a major stroke and therefore has first-hand knowledge of what it is like to care for a family member and the important role that unpaid carers play. He joined the Board in 2021.

Yvonne Palmer

Yvonne initially trained as an English teacher but left the teaching profession to join local government. She worked for Leeds City Council for over 25 years, initially as a Team Leader in the Finance Department, then in later years dealing with complaints and appeals for the Council Tax department.

She retired early as her husband was showing symptoms of Huntington’s Disease, and she was his carer for over 5 years. Having no children or siblings, Yvonne found the support offered by Carers Leeds invaluable, and she became a Trustee in the hope that she could use her own experience as a carer to help other carers, and could give something back to the organisation.

Lucy Moore

Lucy joined the board of trustees in 2023. She has worked in museums and heritage for many years, specialising in socially engaged practice. Lucy grew up as a young carer, worked as a paid carer in her early 20s, and as an adult has provided unpaid care for family members. The lack of injustices that both paid and unpaid carers has driven her to become involved with Carers Leeds. She is also a trustee of Leeds Civic Trust and the Royal Numismatic Society.  

Lindsay Gollin

Lindsay has been a Business Manager in General Practice in Leeds for the last 7 years and has witnessed the vital role that Carers Leeds plays in supporting carers in the city. 

Lindsay has a management background in both commercial retail and the third sector before moving into the NHS. She brings a broad experience of operational management, contract delivery and team development that she hopes will support the continued success of Carers Leeds. 

Carers Leeds supports unpaid carers:

Carers Advice Line: 0113 380 4300
Carers Advice Email: advice@carersleeds.org.uk