Nominations to Committee

1 David Deacon (Leeds): While studying for a degree in Infectious Diseases at the University of Edinburgh, I was introduced to student radio and quickly it developed from a casual interest to a passion. During term-time I planned, produced and presented a live slot broadcast via the internet as well as reading for my degree. During the 2009 and 2010 Edinburgh Festivals I was a key part of the station coverage of the festival, conducting interviews with performers and reviewing shows. This experience made me decide to pursue a career in broadcasting, and so I took on the role as Broadcast Assistant (initially!) to Pain Concern to produce “Airing Pain.” I spent the next six months assisting Paul Evans in the production of these programmes and soon begun to appreciate the importance and value of these programmes to people in pain. Though I have left the role to pursue other projects, I remain attached in an advisory capacity. I am currently being considered by BBC for a role at BBC North, Salford Quays.

2. Sue Clayton (Canterbury). Sue is a former chairman of Pain Concern UK, a charity that was based in Kent. The work of this innovative charity inspired people in Lothian to set up Pain Concern in Scotland. Sue is a retired magistrate, and past member of the British Pain Society’s patient liaison group. She co-edited their booklet Understanding Pain: Information for Patients. She provided some of the research used in the College of Health’s report Living in Agony.

3. Anne Damerell (Staines). Anne has represented Pain Concern on the National Voices and the Neurological Alliance. She has served as a patient representative in various NHS forums for over 25 years. Starting with Action for Sick Children, she has been a health authority member, a community health council member, and she has served on the patient liaison group for two Royal Colleges. She was a member of the advisory working group set up by the British Pain Society to look at setting up the patient liaison group for the society.

4. Brian East (Haddington). Brian is a chartered accountant and Director of the Scottish Gallery. He is a trustee of the Scottish Galleries Association. He has been treasurer for Pain Concern since its inception. Brian is actively involved in a number of charities. He set up a charity Medicines for Lithuania, at a time when the hospitals in Lithuania didn’t even have basic drugs like aspirin and insulin!

5. Heather Wallace (Haddington). Heather is current chairman of Pain Concern, member of the Chronic Pain Policy Coalition executive committee, Co-Secretary to the Cross Party Group at the Scottish Parliament and a member of Airing Pain Advisory Board. She is a past member of the British Pain Society patient liaison group. She served as a health councillor in Lothian for over 10 years. She has been nominated as a ‘woman of achievement 2010’.

6. Chris Hughes (London). Chris is a retired Social Worker who has worked for BackCare as manager of their hugely successful Helpline. In 2010 she joined Pain Concern as leader of our team of Pain Ambassadors. In May 2011, she represented Pain Concern at a meeting founding the European Pain Alliance, bringing together patient charities from across Europe.

7. Marion Beatson (Glasgow). It was years before Marion was referred to the pain management services that transformed her life.  Pain management “taught me that I wasn’t alone nor was I the only one in pain who has problems and feels guilty for getting frustrated. It was ok to do things a step at a time. I feel it is important to get out the information and provide the help that people need to prevent them from feeling alone and isolated.
It is also important to educate the families of those in pain to ensure that they get what is needed for their loved one (e.g aids, nurses, etc.).”  Marion represents Pain Concern on NHS HealthCare Improvement Scotland, Managed Clinical Networds Group. She also represents Pain Concern on the Long Term Conditions Alliance Scotland. In March 2011 she gave a witness statement to the Cross Party Group at the Scottish Parliament.

8. Fiona Townsley:  She sits on the Scottish Chronic Pain Steering Group and is a volunteer with Pain Concern. Fiona had an accident in 1997 where her wrist was severely damaged. After several operations she was told nothing else could be done. “I could not use my arm and was living on painkillers trying to get through life but wishing it was all over! I eventually got myself referred to see D Pete Mackenzie who changed my life. I got a spinal cord stimulator in 2007 and it has given me my life back.”

9. Helen Whitson (Ormiston). Helen is a retired nurse. She is current Secretary to Pain Concern. Helen is involved in various voluntary and community organisations, including running a support group at her local hospital.

10. Andrea Ma (Edinburgh). A graduate in Business Studies, Andrea has helped Pain Concern with publicity and more recently with fundraising. She is Co-Secretary to the Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Group on Chronic Pain where she is responsible for organising the meetings, maintaining the database and preparing Minutes and ensuring the group works to the rules of the parliament.

11. Rosie Saunderson (Edinburgh). Rosie is a graduate in Neuroscience. She has been working as Pain Concern’s publicity officer, running a publicity steering group chaired by Journalist Dorothy Grace Elder. Rosie has greatly improved the listening figures for Airing Pain internet radio programme through press releases and pursuing contacts. She has been developing Pain Concern’s new website.  She has been acting as office manager on many occasions.