David is our finance trustee, having qualified as a chartered accountant in 1992. He was Head of Finance and Company Secretarial at an Investment firm in Edinburgh for 17 years before retiring in 2024. He then set up Perthshire Handyman and provides handyman services across perthshire. David has a passion for the outdoors, especially in Perthshire.

I was a Local Authority Manager for 33 years, my last 20 years spent in Perth and Kinross where I retired as Director of Housing and Community Care in 2016. I’ve lived in Dunkeld since 2014 and am active in a number of Community Groups/trusts. I am committed to developing sustainable care arrangements at community level . I have 9 grandchildren and step grandchildren - but when family commitments permit , I enjoy fishing, walking, gardening, reading, writing and good company .

Dan is a hospitality consultant who has spent 30 years in the hotel industry and approximately 7 years as a trustee of various charities. He became a trustee and then chair of support choices as he believes we need to build resilience and support into our communities. He currently lives in crieff with his wife Susan and when he is not working enjoys travel and hillwalking in the mountains of Scotland

Donna currently works in the Self-directed Support Team at Social Work Scotland and is also a part time Personal Assistant.

She has worked in social care support for 30 years and considers it a privilege to work alongside amazing people in different communities, supporting independent living.

She loves hiking with friends, a good book and travelling.  

Eddie has been a trustee of the charity since early 2020. He has lived with a spinal injury for 16 years, giving him direct experience of how the care system, community alarms and related services are designed to work – and how they often fail in practice.

He brings first-hand knowledge of how the system functions and, through his personal experiences, is committed to helping improve it.

I have been a Support Choices Truste since May 2023, I retired from my role as Learning & Development Adviser with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) in 2022. My 15 years there included a secondment as a Senior Fitness to Practise Case Officer. Previously I worked with Capability Scotland in front-line, management and training roles, then as a Social Work practice teacher with Dundee Voluntary Action and as a freelance SVQ assessor and social care trainer.

I also undertake voluntary work as an NHS Volunteer Responder.

I have lived experience of mental health disability and as a carer for a family member. This, along with my professional experience, means that I am passionate about the need for person-centred, rights-based services that are: responsive to need; timely; and support desired outcomes. I bring this to bear on my role as a trustee on the Support Choices board.

I co-ordinate the Intergenerational National Network. I was, for some years around 1990 a trustee of the Engine Shed in Edinburgh. Until recently, I was a trustee of Outside the Box (OTB), of which Support Choices was originally a project. And I am currently a trustee of Dementia Friendly East Lothian. I have been retired for over 16 years, but my working life (from 1986 to 2009) was spent in community development. I was also involved in the very initial stages of the National Standards for Community Engagement. I have been a member of the Co-Production Collective since 2020. Since 2022, I have been a member of SNAP (Scotland’s National Action Plan for Human Rights).

The two skills I bring are: as an experienced board member, and an understanding of community development and of community engagement.

Being involved in the early stages of Support Choices, I was very happy to join the Board once it became established as an independent SCIO. I believe the the voices of people with lived experience should be at the centre, not just of decisions about their own lives, but also of wider policy decisions.