Hi! I’m Nigel.
After 36 years working in education (from secondary school mathematics teacher to university dean), I retired in 2014. I’ve lived in Lancaster most of the time since 1991 and my three children and two stepchildren did most of their growing up here and went to local schools.
I have been involved in voluntary work for almost all my life, first in churches and latterly in education. When I retired, I served as a trustee and Chair of the Board for a Multi-Academy Trust in Cumbria, as well as serving as governor of a primary school. Previously I had served as governor to a secondary school and a family of primary schools in Lincoln.
I got involved with the Lancaster Men’s Hub from the beginning as I was looking for a way to make friends and develop hobbies for myself and for one of my sons - you may have met us at our market stall in Lancaster or at a craft fair. The founding trustees have done a grand job getting LMH off the ground and established, and I am pleased to be able to do my bit now to help it in the next stage of its development.
I am grateful to LMH for what it has already given me. My life has been coloured by periods of depression and anxiety and it is great to be part of an organisation for men where it is okay to have struggles with one’s mental health and it’s okay to talk about it. Being a trustee doesn’t change me. I am pleased to accept the additional responsibility and use what skills I have to help LMH prosper, but I still value my LMH friends and will still join in with activities.