Trustees

The Duke of Devonshire, KCVO, CBE, DL

Sight Support Derbyshire Patron

The (12^th) Duke of Devonshire succeeded his father in May 2004.  He was educated at Eton and Exeter College Oxford.  After Oxford he worked in the book publishing until his early thirties. Since then he has devoted the greater part of his time to his family businesses, including assisting in the management of the family estates in Derbyshire, Eastbourne in Sussex, Lismore in Ireland, and Bolton Abbey in North Yorkshire.

He was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for “services to racing” in 1997. The Duke was knighted in the New Year’s Honours list (Jan 2009), for his services to the Crown.  In August 2008 he was appointed to the position of Deputy Lieutenant for Derbyshire and was installed as the third Chancellor of the University of Derby.

In November 2010 the Duke joined the Shadow Board of the Local Enterprise Partnership for Derby, Derbyshire Nottingham & Nottinghamshire.

The Duke has followed on from his father the 11th Duke of Devonshire in being the Patron of Sight Support Derbyshire.

Martin Wilson, MA Oxon

I joined Derbyshire Association of the Blind in 2003 as a volunteer driver on the Mobile Resource Centre and the minibus. A native of the County of Essex and a graduate of Oxford University I spent 34 years in the Marketing, Sales and Commercial areas of Rolls-Royce based principally in Derby but also nearly three years in New York. This entailed working with customers all around the world. Married to wife Gill, we have two children and one grandson. I became a board trustee in September 2009.

Other interests are aviation ( I held a Private Pilots Licence for nearly 20 years), driving (including articulated lorries) , D.I.Y, travelling and golf.

Robert J Gill, FCA

I am Derby born and bred and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1981. I run an accountancy practice with my wife Margaret; we have two grown-up daughters and two grandchildren.

Sight Support Derbyshire were a tremendous help to me in many ways when I became visually impaired in 2009, so much so that I felt I wanted to give something back to the charity and became a volunteer and trustee in 2011.

Amongst other events I have abseiled off Jurys Inn in Derby and “Firewalked” to raise funds for the charity. In my spare time I support my local football team and enjoy spending time with my family and listening to music.

Jean Sharp, BSc, RMN, DipSW

My first experience of sight loss was in the early 1960s when as a young child I was fascinated to visit my mother on the eye ward at the DRI following surgery. I was intrigued that the doctors could make her eyes see better.

My interest in visual impairment was cemented when I met a former CEO of Sight Support Derbyshire, a formidable and inspiring woman.

I joined Sight Support Derbyshire as a volunteer in the fundraising team in 2009. Since then I have enjoyed the exhilaration of abseiling at Monsal Head, worn Rudolph’s antlers whilst Christmas bag packing at Morrisons, and got thoroughly wet at the Duck Race a few years ago!

I have travelled extensively as a sighted guide including standing in Nelson Mandela’s cell on Robben Island, horse riding in the Cuban mountains and visiting the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps. I have made some amazing friends on these holidays and am in awe of their personal achievements.

I have over 45 years’ experience of working in both Health and Social Care in various positions and bring that wealth of knowledge to the Board. I am also the proud mum to my daughter, who is a solicitor, and my son, who is a computer engineer for Google, and intend to draw on their expertise to enhance my role as a trustee!

I have served on the Board of Trustees for Sight Support Derbyshire since 2015. Currently I work part time as a mental health specialist for Nottinghamshire Police which gives me more time to commit to this worthwhile charity.

Sarah Clifton

I originally grew up in Beeston, Nottingham and after leaving University in 1995, I began a career in hospitality which eventually led me to a career in HR, initially working for a brewery in London and for the past 16 years in the financial sector. In 2022 after living in Manchester for 10 years with my husband and child, we moved to Derby to be closer to family and friends.

I’ve undertaken various volunteer roles previously and had been interested in becoming a Trustee for a charity for a while. Following a family member being diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition, I became aware of Sight Support Derbyshire and the great work they do in 2023. I was fortunate enough to be taken on as a Trustee in early 2024 and hope that I can provide support with my HR experience as well as continuing to understand and develop into the broader Trustee role.

Outside of work I enjoy being outside on countryside walks or gardening.

Jayne Cowell

I was born in Staffordshire but following a career in Policing and Defence I returned to Derbyshire three years ago.  My experience in Policing was really diverse but much of it was centered around ‘Safeguarding’.  Following a period of leading multiple teams in various areas of safeguarding I also introduced it into areas of Policing where it had previously not been considered.  I am passionate about helping others and have held many volunteer posts throughout my career supporting both adults and children.  I have run, cycled, abseiled and completed lots of other activities to raise funds for so many different charities.  Now that I am only working on a consultancy basis I am delighted to support ‘Sight Support Derbyshire’ as a Trustee.  I also volunteer for ‘Papyrus’, a charity that is focused on raising awareness and preventing suicide in young adults Under 35.  I aim to support both charities in any way that I can.