Parity for Disability’s Patron and Trustees
We are proud to have Lady Elizabeth Howarth on board as our patron.
Lady Elizabeth and past Aldershot MP Sir Gerald Howarth
Our Board of Trustees have a wealth of experience from a range of backgrounds and professions including health, finance, IT, HR, education and the military. Three members of the board are or have been parents of a person with multiple disabilities.
Paul Roper – Honorary President
Paul was Chairman of Parity for Disability from 1994 to 2012 and then Vice Chairman until 2023.
Paul’s son Mark was born with multiple disabilities and the family became involved with Parity for Disability when Mark was young.
Owen Durrett – Chairman
Claire Brunton – Vice Chair
Claire is a qualified speech and language therapist employed by the NHS. She works in nursery, school and hospital settings addressing the communication and feeding needs of children with a range of disabilities.
Claire’s brother has multiple disabilities and Claire was involved in Parity for Disability for several years, fundraising and sharing professional expertise, before becoming a Trustee in 2018.
Mark Bowen - Treasurer
Mark brings a finance background to Parity. He is a chartered financial advisor who previously spent close to a decade and a half in investment banking.
Linda Anderson
Linda was co-opted as a Trustee in January 2023, having been a Parity supporter since November 2008 when she responded to an article in the local paper asking for donations for Parity’s first Christmas Fayre. In 2012 she became an active fundraising volunteer for Parity when she left her career in public relations, having been a PR Executive for nearly 30 years. In addition to completing applications to charitable trusts and foundations, Linda took on the ‘temporary’ role of Volunteer Facilities Manager in 2018, from which she stepped down at the end of December 2022. Linda is also Vice Chair of the Arts & Humanities Society, which is affiliated to the Open University Students Association, supporting current OU students by providing study days, workshops and access to associated events.
Brian Blewett
Brian and his wife have been long-term supporters of Parity and are parents of one of Parity’s students.
Martin Hassett
Martin has been involved since the early days of the charity’s services. A retired engineer in the Oil and Gas Design Industry, his responsibilities have included managing the safe design of large Oil and Gas installations.
He was previously a Parity trustee more than 25 years ago before the current services started, returning to the role in 2016. Martin’s son Alex has used Parity’s services for several years.
He is also involved in other charity fundraising activities locally and nationally.
Chris Porter
Danny Randall
Danny Randall’s son Brian uses Parity’s day services, having accessed the Teen Scheme as a younger person and now using the Mytchett service. Danny is keen to give his time and promote the organisation’s future development.
Danny has been in management since the 90s with his final role being Officer in Charge at Yateley fire Station for 13 years. The 15-person team at the new Yateley fire station, completed in 1982, became an integral part of the community and for Danny this led to what has turned out to be a lifetime of charity work.
As well as raising money for the fire service charity up to 2019, Danny was Chairperson for eight years of a charity in Basingstoke helping to raise money for a Special Educational Needs school.
Kelvin Smith
Kelvin has raised over £90,000 for Parity for Disability since he started volunteering for the organisation in 1984. He has personal experience of disability, having cerebral palsy himself.
Most recently, Kelvin was the recipient of the British Citizen Award, which recognises exceptional ‘everyday’ people whose achievements may otherwise be overlooked.
Steve
Steve is a Rushmoor Borough Councillor and has been involved in one way or another for 20 years. He abseiled twice (A 150 foot drop), to raise money and made Parity one of his Mayoral Charities when he was Mayor of Rushmoor 2018-2019.
He has been the Council’s representative on the Parity Board for some years, and is proud and delighted to now be a member of the Board in his own right.