Meet Our Team

Shona Walsh - Chief Executive Officer

I’m delighted to be joining the team at Unique Ways.

I’ve worked within the Voluntary and Community Sector in the North of England for nearly 30 years, mainly in income generation.

I’m a Scot, but no longer feel I live in a foreign land, as Yorkshire feels very much like home now after living here for 10 years.  I moved to West Yorkshire in 2008 from South Manchester.

In my downtime, I love music (mainly 80’s & 90’s) and still enjoy going to gigs.  I also enjoy travel (UK and overseas), weekend walks, the theatre and am very much a reader.

Leah Webster - SEND Navigator

I’m Leah Webster, proud mum to three boys all of whom have SEND.

I’m trained to provide Independent Support and I’m also trained in SEND law relating specifically to Education and a qualified Support Broker.

I’m also a Member of the Steering Group for Family Voice Calderdale, the local Parent Carer Forum and I’m passionate about empowering parents, and supporting them to achieve the best possible outcomes.

I enjoy forest walking, reading and travel.

Vickie Holmes - Form Filling Practitioner

Hi I’m Vickie, I have been a Unique Ways Member for many years, having accessed their invaluable support from training courses to peer support.

I wanted to give back and began volunteering at Hebden Bridge coffee morning and form filling one day a week. I am happy to have now gained a full-time role as Form Filling Practitioner, offering DLA and PIP support over 4 days per week.

I have a background of working within SEND and have my own children with SEND. I fully understand the frustrations and struggles families face on a daily basis and long term. I feel that it is really important to stand together, fight injustices and make positive changes to give our children the best possible outcomes to achieve their goals.

Jill Greenwood - Sleep Practitioner

I LOVE MY JOB! Being the sleep practitioner at Unique Ways is one of the most rewarding jobs I have done…. and I’ve been working for a long time!

My background is in Early Years supporting children with SEND and their families. I have worked in Calderdale for over 20 years so am very familiar with services that are available and that complements my role here at Unique Ways.

I am interested in wellbeing and mindfulness and believe that we need to look after ourselves first in order to look after and support others.

I am a Crossfit fanatic, a part time runner and a yogi. And I love being outside in nature, whatever the weather.

Claire Brown - Operational Lead

Hi I’m Claire and I’m Operational Lead here at Unique Ways. I joined Unique Ways as a volunteer in April 2023, and took on the role as Operational Lead in September that year. It’s basically my job to make sure that everything here at Unique Ways is running smoothly and efficiently. The role is very varied and keeps me quite busy, but I’m really enjoying it.

A Southerner with Northern roots I moved ‘Up North’ from London with my husband and three children in 2018 to be closer to family and for access to greener more open spaces. My background was Project Management in the Corporate sector, but after moving to Halifax and receiving support from Unique Ways the charity remained a close interest to me. When the opportunity to volunteer here came up I jumped at the chance!

I have twins with a rare genetic condition, complex health needs and a learning disability.  As a Parent Carer myself I get a huge amount of satisfaction working somewhere where it’s so easy to see the positive impact you can have on peoples’ lives.

Joe Thompson - Family Voice Calderdale Coordinator

My role is to ensure that Family Voice Calderdale can help deliver the best possible outcomes for parent carers of children & young people with SEND in Calderdale.

My involvement with Unique Ways began a couple of years ago where, alongside Leah Webster, we wrote the content and delivered the very popular SEND in Education course. From here, I got involved initially as a volunteer, before temporarily offering cover for the form-filling service. I am very excited to have taken on this new role and look forward to seeing the positive change we can make together.

I was born in Bradford but have lived in Calderdale for the last 22 years. I have had stints living in Hipperholme, Elland, Sowerby, Walsden and Ripponden but was delighted when I recently finally got the chance to live back in Halifax!

I am passionate about fighting injustice and working towards equality for all.

Outside of work I try to exercise (when I don’t find excuses not to), especially for Yorkshire Terriers FC, my football team. I also love music and can often hear The Piece Hall gigs from my living room window!

Siobhan Garforth - Membership Practitioner

Hi I’m Siobhan, my role as Membership Practitioner is to explain the Unique Ways Offer, to signpost to other services, I get to run some of our many Peer Support Groups and prepare for our training courses.

On a personal note, I’m a mum of two, my eldest is diagnosed with autism and my daughter shows signs of slow processing with sensory problems.

I first found out about Unique Ways through the school SENCO, I have very good memories of the Peer Support Sessions and the Challenging Behaviour Course along with two other training courses I attended. So, when I was looking for more of a challenge, as I was only working a few hours a day as a lunch-time supervisor I jumped at the opportunity to volunteer with Unique Ways. I had been volunteering a year and a half, supporting Nicola Hanson (Membership Practitioner) before taking up the position when Nicola moved on to pastures new.

I am originally from Durham and came to Huddersfield to study Textiles and became a Carpet Designer at Interface in Shelf so I moved to Halifax where I have settled. I still do art in my spare time usually with a group of friends over a cup of tea and have started yoga again.

Emily Carpenter - Family Hubs Navigator

Hi I’m Emily and I’m the new Family Hubs Navigator here at Unique Ways. I am a new member to this amazing team and it is my role to further link the Family Hubs with Unique Ways so that we can share with our Members all the possibilities and support that is available throughout the borough.

I have lived in Calderdale all my life and I believe this is vital for this role as the knowledge I have of the borough is crucial. My background is in child care and education, since leaving education myself, I have worked with children in a variety of settings including nurseries and schools. This knowledge and experience of early years and education, I feel will be key to supporting families navigate the journeys through their child’s time in care and education.

Along with working experience, I am also a Parent Carer myself and I have fought similar battles with EHCPs, Personal Budgets etc. just like many of our Members, so I have a deep understanding of the struggle. I fully understand the emotional rollercoaster, as Parent Carers we sometimes have to fight for the best for our children. I have two boys currently on the neurodiversity pathway and one also has significant medical needs including a gastrostomy and heart condition.

I am really looking forward to being part of the team and using my knowledge and own experiences to help our Parent Carer Members, I get a great deal of satisfaction from helping others and I have already seen the great impact that Unique Ways makes. I am delighted to be part of the team and I know working with the charity to provide this positive impact will be highly rewarding.