Board of Trustees

Ian Burnell FCCA (Treasurer)

 Hi, I am Ian, with a degree in economics from Hull University, and a qualified accountant.

I have recently retired from a career in Finance and General Management, predominantly in manufacturing industries serving automotive, aerospace and engineering markets.

With a little more time on my hands now, I joined the Board of Sheffield Mind, in order to give something back to the local community.

Having recently come on board, I hope to be able to use my experience to help the staff and trustees gain a wider knowledge of financial and commercial issues facing the organisation.

Although proud to be born in Yorkshire, I have spent a number of years doing ‘missionary work’ across the Pennines, hence my support for Manchester United. I also play league table tennis in Sheffield, where I am Treasurer, and Rotherham. With some time available now, I aim to resurrect my opportunity to play golf which has diminished in recent years.

I also enjoy Rock and Blues music along with history and cooking.

John Colley

Hello, I'm John. Since my early 20s, I’ve felt passionate about the need to create positive change in the community and I’ve worked in various roles, such as delivering music provision to young people at risk of causing anti-social behaviour and working with people with mental health issues and housing problems. I also enjoy organising events that not only raise funds for the charity but also bring people together.

I am passionate about Sheffield Mind and supporting people with mental health illness. I believe that my knowledge and experience of mental health and support services can be utilised to help Sheffield Mind raise its profile and develop services to meet the needs of the community. In particular, I’m interested in raising the profile and voice of the service user at Sheffield Mind and feeding that voice into the board of trustees, using my own life experiences to reflect on the best ways to support people to be heard and feel able to speak out.

In my spare time, I'm a DJ and I love to read articles and books and watch documentaries, increasing my knowledge about different issues.  

Tim Cruickshank

Hello, I’m Tim. I am a qualified social worker and was a probation officer for approximately 20 years. At the end of that period, I went through a traumatic time in my life, when everything that could possibly go wrong, did.

My marriage of 20 years ended, my health deteriorated, my career ended and I went into a very dark and lonely place. I sought assistance to address my mental health issues and found that service provision for men was seriously lacking. I was fortunate to have a good doctor at the time and following a period of counselling, and self-reflection, I was able to rise from my dark place, and re-join society.

I joined the board of trustees at Sheffield Mind because I am interested in increasing the service user voice. I feel that because of my experience, I can provide a direct link between the client base and the management. It’s so important to ensure that voice is heard, so we can truly respond to the needs of people with mental health issues.

In my spare time, I am a big Arsenal fan and a trained referee. 

Ciaran Hurley

Hello, I'm Ciaran. At this moment, I’m a self-employed psychotherapist offering counselling and psychotherapy services to adults of all ages and young people aged 11-18. I have a particular interest in helping people who experience gender and sexual relationship diversity and I favour a trauma-informed approach.

Before training in psychotherapy I was a registered nurse from 1994 to 2020. In that time I worked in adult acute and critical care settings and in universities where I was involved in interdisciplinary teaching and research.

In my spare time I have a passion for making and hearing live music and arts events; spending time with friends in the beautiful outdoor places that Sheffield has to offer and re-modelling the interior of my home-converted campervan.

Ben Graney (Chair).

Hello, I’m Ben and I’m a Senior Finance recruiter. I'm a proud Yorkshireman and when I’m not working I enjoy leading and attending local events – especially if it combines my passions of sport, running and local charities. In addition to being on the board at Sheffield Mind, I am an ambassador for Sheffield Youth Homeless Charity, Roundabout. Mental Health is an issue that is close to my heart, and something I don't feel gets the attention it deserves, though that is changing. In my position as trustee, I want to support Sheffield Mind to raise money but also raise awareness.

In my spare time, I love to run -often combining my hobby with charity fundraising. 

Imogen Parker.

Hello, I'm Imogen, I work for the University of Sheffield in a Marketing and Communications role and I previously worked alongside Sheffield Mind as a delivery partner on the Age Better programme. After the last couple of years, the need for robust and holistic mental health services has been recognised like never before and Sheffield Mind has taken a lead on the pandemic effort, partnering with organisations across Sheffield (including the ICB and the NHS) not only providing support to individuals and communities, but supporting on regional efforts to tackle vaccine hesitancy. During such a vital time for the mental health sector, I'm really pleased to be playing my part as a trustee, bringing support and expertise in the area of communications and marketing.