Our Board of Trustees is responsible for promoting the vision and objectives of Signature. They provide firm strategic direction to the organisation, setting overall policy, defining goals and setting targets and evaluating performance against those agreed targets. They ensure that agreed plans and budgets are monitored, delivered and evaluated by the executive team.
Members of the Board work alongside the Signature team at functions, meetings or other events. They act as representatives of Signature and promote and enhance our reputation and values.
John Walker joined Signature as a Trustee in October 2015, became Vice Chair in November 2016 and Chair in 2022. He is a Senior Lecturer at University of Sussex and convenes an undergraduate programme in British Sign Language and Deaf culture. John is a human geographer and his PhD thesis explored the cultural capital of the Deaf community in Brighton and Hove.
Mark joined our board in September 2017. Mark is head of centre for deaf education at City Lit in London. Over the years, Mark has taught and assessed all levels of BSL, from introductory to Level 6, and is a qualified Internal Verifier, also providing consultancy and advice for BSL tutors in other colleges.
Helen joined our board in December 2017 as trustee and treasurer and is currently Chief Operating Officer of Tyne Community Learning Trust, a multi academy trust of 9 schools in South Northumberland. A chartered accountant, Helen is responsible for running the Trust finance department and business service teams. Helen, who is from Huddersfield, remained in the North East after gaining her accountancy degree at Newcastle University in 1987.
Ian Robinson is semi-retired and is a freelance Trainer and Consultant on Deaf issues. He was Coordinator for Leeds City Council’s Deaf START Post 16 team working with FE & HE Deaf students in and around Leeds for 10 years. He managed a large team of CSWs, English Support, Educational Support Workers and Educational Interpreters that covered colleges around Leeds, ensuring Deaf post 16 students received quality communication support and developed independence.
Signature is a trading name of CACDP. CACDP is charity registered in England and Wales (charity number 1071662); a charity registered in Scotland (charity number SCO37901); and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales (company number 03581178). Our registered office is at first floor, Shannon House, Mandale Business Park, Belmont, Durham DH1 1TH | Legal, Confidentiality and Company Information