Meet the Team
Staff Team

Liz Wilson
Chief Executive
Jules Dymond
Advice Services Manager

Kate Fincham
Welfare Rights Adviser

Kathryn Ayres
Office Coordinator
Andrew Davies
Welfare Rights Adviser
Jenny Shaw
Welfare Rights Adviser
Kathryn Wordsworth
Welfare Rights Adviser
Trustees
The Welfare Benefits Unit is supported by the commitment of our Trustees who work together to provide strategic support.

Paul Murphy
Chair
Paul has had a varied career in central and local government, Higher Education, the NHS and the private sector. He currently has a number of Trustee roles, and is a Non-Executive Director of the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Mental Health Trust.

Nicola Welch
Trustee
Nikki works in the Civil Service and has, for the majority of her career, worked within a welfare benefit setting. Nikki has over 20 years of benefits experience in central and local government, predominately specialising in all aspects of Housing Benefit and Local Council Tax Support.
Prof Charlotte O'Brien
Trustee
Charlotte is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of York, specialising in EU law, welfare law and human rights. She has volunteered , worked and researched with Citizens Advice Bureaux for 14 years. She runs the EU Rights project, a legal action research project doing advice and advocacy work with EU nationals, and researching the effects of recent welfare changes.

Helen Edwards
Trustee
Helen is the head of communications and engagement at Yorkshire Ambulance Service and leads a team who provide a communications service for patients across Yorkshire. As well as holding roles in the NHS, Helen has over 18 years local government experience in communications, having previously worked in both York, North Yorkshire and Leeds, as well as working in the financial services sector.

Prof Peter Ball
Trustee
Prof Peter Ball has been an academic for over 25 years and works at the University of York Management School. Through his teaching and research activities as well as his role school role as Director for Business and Community Engagement he works extensively with commercial and charitable organisations on various challenges and opportunities they encounter.

Richard Bridge
Treasurer
Richard is Head of Research at Youth Justice Board - he has worked in the private, voluntary and public sectors, more recently in social research roles within DWP and Food Standards Agency.
Richard worked for ten years in the social welfare advice sector primarily in the fields of welfare rights and debt, and prior to that in the private sector for over 15 years as the Financial Director of a mid-sized car auction in Leeds.
Mark Taylor
Trustee
Mark has worked at North Yorkshire County Council for more than five years in the Policy and Partnerships Unit, working on a range of policy but principally with the Stronger Communities Programme and managing the Local Assistance Fund, the Council's local welfare provision service.
Heather Brock
Trustee