Marion Rogerson – Chair of SENSORY PEOPLE
Marion is registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) as an Occupational Therapist (OT)she is married with two grown up daughters and has two grandchildren. Marion gained her Post Gradate Certificate in Sensory Integration in 2019 and has been volunteering for the charity as a clinician and managerially since its inception in 2015. Passionate about “early intervention” and “investing to save” Marion believes that all children should be given an opportunity to fulfil their potential whatever challenges they face – after working for 35 years in various roles in the NHS, Civil Service and with Local Authorities, she is now enjoying working on a 1:1 basis and in small groups using (Ayres) Sensory Integration Therapy with children and their families.
Julie Grainger – Trustee
Julie has been an Occupational Therapist for over 20 years. She has worked mainly in older adult mental health services, both inpatient and in the community and is currently employed by Dudley Council as a community OT. Julie became a Trustee of the charity after her grandson, who has a diagnosis of Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder, received numerous sessions of sensory integration therapy and witnessed the beneficial outcomes that followed.
Jo Corcoron – Trustee
Jo practiced as a Learning Disability Social Worker in a Community Team for 16 years. Nowadays she is a stay at home mom and Home Educator for 2 boys (ages 8 and 5). The eldest of whom is Autistic with ADHD, Dyspraxia, Hypermobility and Sensory Processing Disorder.
Jo initially became involved with Sensory People charity when looking for an OT to provide much needed services for the Home Education community.
Jo’s son has benefited greatly from the Cool Kids programme and from Sensory Integration Therapy. Having seen those benefits first hand, she was delighted to become a Trustee for the charity to help it grow and benefit as many children and their families as possible.
Joy High – Trustee
Joy qualified as an Occupation Therapist in South Africa. She worked with a variety of children, including visually impaired for whom she wrote the first home/preschool programme. In the 1980’s she applied for a senior Paediatric Occupational Therapist position in Wolverhampton and immigrated with her family to the UK. She soon became a team leader for Paediatric Occupational Therapy and Learning Disability Occupational Therapy. She retired in 2004 and is pleased to be a Trustee for Sensory People, working again with Marion Rogerson who was once her Line Manager in Wolverhampton.
Andrea Grant – Trustee
Andrea is a trained nurse who has worked in Intensive Care and in the community and now runs a Care Agency.
Andrea is married with three children, one of whom has sensory needs. When Andrea was searching the internet looking for speech & language therapy and help for her son’s sensory issues, she found Sensory People. Early in 2024 Andrea agreed to become a trustee on our Sensory People Board.
Donna Blakemore – Speech and Language Therapist
Donna is a registered Speech and Language Therapist with 30 years of experience working with children with a range of speech, language and communication difficulties. She has worked within Community Paediatric SLT teams where she specialised in working with children and young people who stammer. She is a Mum of two. Her youngest has sensory processing difficulties and when he was younger he received Ayres Sensory Integration Therapy from Sensory People for nearly 3 years. She therefore understands first-hand the struggles faced by children with SPD and their families. The remarkable changes Donna observed in her son as a result of this therapy led her to want be part of the Sensory People team and she has been working as an independent Speech and Language Therapist with the charity for four years now. She is currently completing her training in Ayres Sensory Integration Therapy.
Sarah Goudie – Fundraising and Parent Support Group
Sarah supports our fund raising and parent support groups. Sarah was introduced to Sensory People by a volunteer of the bread2share CIC she ran for six years working with bread making as a therapeutic tool in the social care sector. She is a practicing artist and co-develops General Office Gallery/Studios in Stourbridge.
Lisa Biddle – Administrator
Lisa joined us at the end of November 2023 as our Administrator. She comes from an administrative background but has been a stay at home mum of 2 for the past few years. When Lisa decided it was time to get back into the workplace she was keen to develop her understanding of Sensory Integration Therapy and has already attended some one-to-one sessions. She takes care of the day to day admin and will be the person who sends out or receives any emails or online queries.
Alison Naylor – Head Coach
Alison taught in primary schools for over 30 years before leaving in 2021. Within her teaching she spent a number of years working with children with additional needs, supporting them to achieve their full potential in a happy environment. She started working with Sensory People in January 2022, coaching children on a 1:1 basis in the field and at a nursery, and working with the other coaches to run the group holiday schemes at Easter and in the summer holidays. Alison has two grown up daughters who are both primary school teachers, and enjoys walking, swimming and gardening when she isn’t looking after her numerous animals.
Louise Morris – Invoicing
Louise spent 23yrs in front line banking before having her 3 children, one of whom has sensory needs. She has volunteered for over 30yrs as a Brownie Guider.