Colchester Gateway Clubs

Victoria Gamble
Charity Manager

Victoria is our new Charity Manager. She has been with us since 1995 when she started as a Club Assistant. She then became Club Leader of our Friday Club at Wilson Marriage Centre, which was the largest Club of its kind in the country - until Covid hit in 2020. Meanwhile, Mandy and Victoria set up what was to become the Advocacy and Support Service and Victoria managed it from the start. She became Deputy Manager as Mandy moved towards semi-retirement, and is now Charity Manager, responsible for Charity operations, the Advocacy and Support Service, the Roy Clarke Award Scheme, and Clubs in Tendring. Victoria is a Registered Nurse Learning Disabilities.

Mandy Hudson
Manager - Colchester Clubs

Mandy has been with Gateway since the start, and was our Charity Manager for seventeen years. During that time, with the Trustees, she has steered the Charity through times of growth and times of challenge, particularly the Covid pandemic. Throughout it all she has been a constant presence at our Clubs, which are her passion. It is no surprise, then, that semi-retirement hasn't taken her away from them. In her new role she Manages all social Clubs in the Colchester area.

Ellie Gamble
Charity Administrator

Ellie has worked with people with Learning Disabilities since 1989, joined Gateway in 2002 and became the Charity Administrator in 2017. Initially she was a volunteer Club Assistant at Friday Club where she could be found directing two drama group films, organising local musicians to play live in the Coffee Bar, and on reception. She also ran our pre-Covid monthly Music Club and set up and teaches our thriving Ukulele Club. Ellie developed the Roy Clarke Award Scheme and can regularly be found teaching story-telling, song-writing, safety or health courses.

Veronica Scriven - Chair of Trustees

Veronica has been a Trustee since 1997 and is now our Chair of Trustees. Her background is in financial services and running a family business. Veronica can frequently be seen helping out in the background at our activities and fundraisers.

Sandra Hill - Trustee

Sandra started her Gateway journey 25 years ago when she was asked to help out taking members to Wild Duck for a long weekend. She been doing it ever since. She can often be found in the kitchen at Gateway events, cooking up a storm with her band of volunteers.

Susan Cadogan - Treasurer

Susan has a family member with a Learning Disability who is a very active member of our Clubs. Susan became involved with the Charity following our Advocacy and Support Service supporting her mother. She works in the University archive. Susan became a Trustee in 2019 and is our Treasurer.

Martin Lemon - Trustee

Martin says: I joined Gateway in early 2014 after working in financial services for 22 years. My first role was as a minibus driver collecting members from in and around the Colchester area to bring them to the Friday Club at the Wilson Marriage Centre, and then take them home after. I also helped at this club, and also the Thursday club in Clacton. I took on my new role as a Trustee at the end of 2020. Being involved with Colchester Gateway Clubs is very rewarding.

Jordan Southgate Trustee

Jordan says: I started coming to Gateway Club in 2012 as a support worker. I became a volunteer in 2016 and a Trustee in 2017. I have supported on Friday evening in the disco, and I did a parachute jump to raise money. I am healthcare consultant for all providers CQC and Ofsted. I develop care providers, increasing their care standards, training, and developing complex behaviour management plans. I do Quality Auditing for care providers and complete external mock inspections. I review all health and safety and care planning.

Shelley Anderson
Trustee

Shelley is well known to many of us at Gateway as she is the local Epilepsy Specialist Nurse. She is a qualified Learning Disability Nurse with many years' experience.

Juliette Ackerman
Trustee

Juliette is now a Trustee. She will be familiar to many of you as she used to be a member of staff working in our Clubs.

Mo Alcock
Club Leader

Mo has been working at Gateway since 1997. She can be found at all of our Clubs, and is Club Leader of our Thursday afternoon and Friday Clubs at Foxash.

Sarah Nevard
Club Assistant

Sarah has been with Gat4way for over 20 years and can usually be found wherever there is art happening. She says: "I believe in the importance of creative expression, helping people to find creative activities that they enjoy and to explore new ones and develop upon existing ones."

Nicola Grant
Club Assistant

Nicola says: I have worked for Gateway since 2018. I have a full time day job as a domestic abuse link worker and plan to complete my social work degree next year. I love Gateway as I feel everyone should have a right to socialise and have fun . I love Friday and Saturday discos when I see the members let loose, dance and smile!

Aaron McIntosh
Club Assistant

Aaron has been with Gateway since 2016. Having previously been a youth worker he started as a volunteer. Aaron is obsessed with sport, mainly Man Utd, and listening to and going to see Bruce Springsteen. He says "Gateway allows me to be myself and encourage the members to do the same, so we have lots of fun." Aaron can normally be found in the disco or organising pool, bingo and darts.

Lynne Gunary
Club Assistant

Lynne has been at Gateway since 2018. She says: 'I enjoy being with members, the art work, cooking and chocolate, and the disco." Lynne can often be found supporting members with art, and with their Roy Clarke Award Scheme work.

Lesley West
Club Assistant

Lesley has been at Gateway since the long-ago days at Brooklands. She originally volunteered, teaching trampolining. Over the years she has worked at all of the Clubs, and she was a big part of setting up and running weekends away and the Gateway Award Scheme. Lesley can be found in Kings Cafe at Kingsland most Tuesday evenings, and works whenever we need her. Lesley enjoys a cuppa.

Shirley Rand
Club Assistant

Shirley has been at Gateway since 2021. She says 'My favourite things is seeing the members smiling."

Gill Noles

Gill has had several roles at Gateway including Club Assistant, mini-bus driver and Gateway Awards. She can now be found at our weekly Well-Being Club in Clacton each week.

Emily Campbell
Advocate

Emily works as an Advocate, you can find out more about her and what she does on our Advocacy and Support page.

Jess Thripp
Advocate

Jess works as an Advocate - you can find out more about her and what she does on our Advocacy and Support page. Jess also works as a Club Assistant at our Tuesday Club.

Bethany Hanton
Support Worker

Bethany is our Support Worker - you can find out more about her and what she does on our Advocacy and Support page.