Alison Bunce CEO, founder, leader and guiding force of Compassionate Inverclyde, an award winning Scottish charity. Alison is a Queen’s nurse who has combined her MSc in Palliative Care and an MBA with her community nursing experiences to inspire and coordinate an extraordinary set of community activities, supporting those most in need.
This community led initiative is changing the ways in which people think and act. It is an evolving experiment in, and movement to address, the opportunities and challenges of contemporary society. Alison is clear that Compassionate Inverclyde’s approach has always revolved around ‘ordinary people helping ordinary people in ordinary ways’ when confronted with crisis, illness, suffering and other difficulties. The underlying ethos is one of active kindness and collective compassion toward that encourages everyone involved to think, and act, as each other’s good neighbours. It is a positive, pragmatic way of inspiring and mobilising people’s energy, better nature and willingness to help.
Marie Claire is new to Compassionate Inverclyde and is very excited to take on this new and exciting role! She has a wealth of experience working with young people and adults throughout Inverclyde both in professional and voluntary roles. Marie Claire has a great passion and interest in working with people and communities. In all the work she does, she always aims for individuals to experience success and feel valued and included. The ethos of Compassionate Inverclyde is compatible with her own values and principles. Living and working within Inverclyde, Marie Claire was aware of the essential work that Compassionate Inverclyde carries out within the community and believes in the core values of brave, kind, and inclusive.
Completing a degree in Learning Difficulties and Disabilities, as well as her Masters in Education and Social Work, has provided Marie Claire with many valuable skills. These have all been further enhanced through the experiences she has had across her educational and social services roles.
Marie Claire is very much looking forward to learning from Alison and working with all involved with Compassionate Inverclyde. She sees her future as continuing to develop the lives and minds of young people, adults, and families, giving them memorable experiences and being a positive role model.
Doris has been a dedicated member of Compassionate Inverclyde since May 2017, initially volunteering before securing a permanent position. She appreciates the diversity of her work and finds great satisfaction in knowing that she is making a positive impact on the lives of those who may otherwise be isolated and lonely. Doris is proud to be part of Compassionate Inverclyde’s growth and development, driven by the kindness and generosity of ordinary people who contribute their time, skills, and expertise to help others.
Dorothy believes that all individuals deserve to be treated with respect and valued throughout their lives. This belief has motivated her to support people in their communities, helping them to navigate challenges such as loneliness, serious illness, marginalisation, or bereavement.
Dorothy’s nursing background has provided her with valuable opportunities to deliver palliative care services in hospices and the community. She has held senior leadership positions with organizations like Marie Curie and the NHS, gaining experience in both hospice and day hospice settings.
As the first Chief Executive of Ardgowan Hospice, Dorothy had the opportunity to fully appreciate the unique qualities of the Inverclyde community. She aims to leverage her leadership experience from various trustee roles to challenge and support the team at Compassionate Inverclyde, focusing on governance and user involvement.
Dorothy has a strong commitment to fostering a sense of belonging, direction, and pride within the organisations she leads. She is also a passionate advocate for volunteering and the positive impact it can have on community cohesion and well-being.
In her personal life, Dorothy enjoys spending time with friends, engaging in activities like swimming in the River Clyde and enjoying social gatherings with colleagues. As Chair of Compassionate Inverclyde, she is excited to contribute to the organisation’s growth and development, creating a local charity that the community can be proud of.
Graeme is a solicitor with experience of practising in a range of Scottish public sector organisations. As a specialist in governance, risk and control, and with a broad range of knowledge of public services in Scotland, Graeme brings to the Board of Compassionate Inverclyde knowledge, skills and experience which will support the development of the Board’s oversight arrangements. Graeme’s links to Inverclyde come from a number of years living in Greenock, seeing some of the challenges faced in the area, but also the strength in local communities and the desire to improve lives.
Willie Wilson is currently Manager of Branchton Community Centre and has over 30 years’ experience of working within the community of Inverclyde. He was a senior officer for over 20 years with Inverclyde Council as their Community Services Manager with responsibility for services such as community development, events and community centres. He also had time with Glasgow City Council organising major events like the George Square Christmas Celebrations and the World Pipe Band Championships.
In 2014 he became manager of Branchton Community Centre. During that time Branchton has been recognised as Inverclyde’s Voluntary Organisation of the Year and two of the staff have been awarded Community Champion of the Year. During Covid, Branchton made and distributed over 33,000 meals to people in need. Branchton is widely recognised as an example of good practice of how to run a community centre.
Willie is also an experienced Board Member having spent time with local organisations such as CVS Inverclyde, Oaktree Housing Association, the Beacon Arts Centre and the Inverclyde Community Food Network. He is also just about to join the Board of the widely acclaimed Scottish Community Development Network.
Willie has also been involved with Compassionate Inverclyde since its beginning and was instrumental in setting up the Inverclyde Kindness Awards. Willie will use his experience in community work and in the Public Sector to help Compassionate Inverclyde grow in its early stages of being a charity.
Willie commented, “Having been with Compassionate Inverclyde for a few years I’m very motivated to help it develop into a strong Charity. I believe that my experience of managing a Charity for over 10 years can be a great help to everyone at Compassionate Inverclyde.
I first became involved with Compassionate Inverclyde as a NODA (no-one dies alone) companion in late 2018. I sat with my parents and grandparents when they died and was aware of the importance of
companionship and comfort at this time. It’s a privilege to be able to do this for others and I still sit as a companion when needed.
I have had three careers, corporate finance, communications sales and service and my last and greatest passion is primary teaching. I worked in two Greenock primary schools for over 20 years and loved every minute. After early retirement it was still important for me to contribute to Inverclyde and I am delighted to be a part of such an inspiring community.
My husband, Jim, and I both love diy and gardening, spending time with family, especially our wee grandson. I love all kinds of crafting, reading and cooking in any spare time I have left over.
Anne is a retired geriatrician from Lanarkshire, currently Chair of Kilbryde Hospice, and is proud to be a Trustee for Compassionate Inverclyde. From 2008-2016 she held senior posts for national policy and improvement programmes on Long Term Conditions; Healthcare Quality; Reshaping Care for Older People; and Integrated health and social care in Scotland. This experience developed her passion for cross sector collaboration and gave her more insight into the value of the community and voluntary sector.
As honorary professor at the University of the West of Scotland, Anne established the Scotland hub for the International Foundation for Integrated Care and works closely with the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland, the network of health and social care partnerships in Scotland and with integrated care colleagues across Ireland, Australia, Canada and Latin America. Anne helps Alison evidence and raise awareness of the outstanding achievements of Compassionate Inverclyde within Scotland and with a global community of academics, policy makers and health and care professionals.
Sarah has been a dedicated volunteer with Compassionate Inverclyde for six years, serving as a ‘No-one Dies Alone’ (NODA) companion. She has consistently demonstrated her compassionate and caring approach to those in need, particularly those facing the end of life.
In her role as a Trustee with Compassionate Inverclyde, Sarah has strived to create an approachable, honest, and transparent environment where she can listen attentively, exercise good judgment, and address challenges constructively.
Sarah’s thirty-seven years of experience as a school teacher, including fifteen years in senior management, have equipped her with strong people skills. Her career has involved hosting and contributing to various meetings, fostering a broad range of communication skills that she currently applies to teacher training at the University of Glasgow and public speaking engagements.
In her personal life, Sarah is married and resides in Inverclyde. She values her international family and takes great joy in being involved in her grandchildren’s lives, socialising with friends, and traveling the world with a keen interest in history.
Karen Willey has been involved with Compassionate Inverclyde since early 2019, when she joined as a NODA Companion. She has a long history of working in the voluntary sector, focusing on equality, education, and volunteering. Karen has volunteered with various organizations, including Terence Higgins Trust, Ardgowan Hospice, and the Beacon Arts Centre. She was thrilled to be invited to join the Compassionate Inverclyde Board and is eager to contribute to the organization’s growth and development.
Allison is a creative communications professional and qualified PRINCE 2 Project Manager, with more than twenty-five years’ experience across all communication, marketing, PR, fundraising, membership and event management disciplines.
She is results driven, consumer-focussed, with excellent project and team management skills having worked in many sectors including – private, third and public, to meet the needs of a wide range of businesses.
Allison enjoys building relationships to help engage and inspire a wide range of audiences and has a passion for continuous improvement, so when approached to join the board, she was more than happy to accept!
Her commitment to the board will focus on positive communication and marketing opportunities as well as collaborating with our fundraising volunteers. She will also be involved in developing the overall strategy and future direction of the charity.
Being local to Inverclyde, she was already aware of the work the charity engaged in and fundamentally believes in the importance of our core values – Compassionate, Helpful and Neighbourly.
