Meet the Board, Staff & Volunteers
This is some of our team, who play a vital role in the running of Mid Argyll Youth Development Services. Without everybody's help and involvement MAYDS would struggle to meet the needs of the young people throughout Mid Argyll. All our staff & volunteers have been through the PVG scheme to ensure their suitability to work with young people. MAYDS runs a volunteer program which encourages anyone and everyone to get involved, without barriers to ability, age, experience, etc..
Fiona Kalache
MBE MANAGER
Fiona has worked for MAYDS since 2008. Her position as Manager means she deals in all aspects of running MAYDS from staffing, funding, monitoring and evaluation, policies & procedures, finance etc.. Fiona has BA degree in Health & Welfare and a Masters in Health & Wellbeing. Fiona has certificates in Child protection, ABI's, SHARE training, COSCA Counselling Skills and Drug & Alcohol awareness to name a few. Fiona is a keen swimmer and has three children.
Lynn Johnstone
Admin/Psychotherapist
Lynn also joined MAYDS in 2008, initially as a part-time youth worker. Since then Lynn's role has changed and she now works as MAYDS Admin and Counsellor. Lynn has a BSc degree in Applied Social Science, SVQ level 3 in working with offending behaviour and 2021 achieving her Diploma in Counselling awarded by The Spark/COSCA. Lynn is continuing her CPD to gain further counselling knowledge and skills.
Lynn also likes to swim, walk & has two young children & numerous pets.
Karen Poppleton
Senior Youth Worker
Karen started with MAYDS early 2013 as bank staff, she previously worked as a social care worker for Argyll & Bute council.
Karen helped out at the young parents group as well as working at a number of the other youth groups.
Karen was promoted to Senior Youth Worker in 2018 and has completed a number of courses including First Aid, Child Protection, Understanding Autism, Makaton Levels 1- 4, Special Education Needs and Disabilities. Karen also has 3 years experience of working in a primary school learning centre for children with Additional Support Needs.
Karen has three children and 2 dogs.
Sarah Nicolson
Sessional Youth Worker
Sarah started volunteering for MAYDS in 2012, she completed her qualification in childcare through college in June 2018. Sarah is now a sessional youth worker working with young people of a variety of ages and needs. Sarah also runs the local After School Club. Sarah has completed First Aid, Fire Warden, Food Hygiene, Internet Safety and Youth Bank training. Sarah enjoys horse riding and spending time with her friends.
Joanne Illidge
Sessional Youth Worker
Joanne joined the MAYDS team in January 2021.
Joanne works as a sessional youth worker at our drop in youth sessions.
Joanne has previously worked as a Young Carers Worker and has a vast amount of knowledge in working with young people. She has recently completed Child Protection training and Understanding Autism.
Joanne enjoys walking and generally being outdoors but does love a good box set too! She like crafts, in particular putting together a scrap book of days out and memories and also likes to colour to unwind.
Hannah Nicolson
Sessional Youth Worker
Hannah started volunteering with MAYDS in 2018 and is now a sessional youth worker. Hannah followed in her sisters footsteps and joined MAYDS as soon as she was old enough.
Hannah completed her Modern Apprenticeship in Youth Work with the council in early 2020.
Hannah has also completed Child Protection, Makaton training, Diabetes awareness, Anaphylaxis Awareness and many more. Hannah works at all of our youth groups with young people of a variety of ages and with children who have Additional Support Needs. Hannah also works in another setting working with Vulnerable Adults who have Additional Support Needs.
Neil Parkinson
Sessional Youth Worker
Neil starting working at MAYDS in 2018, where his role is to run J.A.M. - Just About Music, which is on every Wednesday evening, teaching everything from writing to recording to editing & playing. Alongside this Neil will organise concerts & gigs for the young people to participate in. Neil is also a musician in his own right, gigging with his band whenever possible.
Chloe McChesney
ASN Youth Worker
Chloe joined the MAYDS team in 2022 as a part time Additional Support Needs Youth Worker. Chloe has a substantial amount of previous experience over the last few years from gaining her qualifications and working with children with additional support needs in a school setting. Chloe likes to go out walking in her (very limited!) spare time with her dog called Blaze.
Fiona Annan
Sessional Youth Worker
Fiona joined our team in 2023 to work with Young People with Additional Support Needs at our ASN sessions. Fiona has extensive knowledge and experience of working with young people with additional needs. Fiona is also an artist and enjoys spending time painting and selling her artwork.
Mina Curran
Sessional Youth Worker
Mina joined our team in October 2021. Mina has previous experience of youth work and worked in an Additional Support Needs school in London. Mina also works in Residential Care for the Elderly. Mina works with a wide range of our young people both in clubs and out in the community when staff do outreach work with young people on Friday and Saturday nights.
Mark Johnstone
Volunteer
Mark was employed by MAYDS as a part time
caretaker/handyman/emergency call out in 2011. Mark left MAYDS employment in 2016 to focus on his business as a welder/blacksmith. Mark is also a tutor at Argyll College, teaching Skills for Work. Keen to still help out he has taken on the role of volunteer with MAYDS. Mark has completed first aid training.
Meah MacDonald
Volunteer Youth Worker
Meah recently began volunteering with MAYDS at the start of 2023. Meah has attended our groups since she was old enough and is now proving to be a great asset to our team as a volunteer youth worker. Meah works with our primary age youth groups.
Michaela Bruce
Volunteer Youth Worker
Michaela has joined the MAYDS team as she was keen to help out. Michaela volunteers at one of our busiest and youngest groups. Michaela has recently left school and will continue to volunteer at Mayds, she also works at the After School Club. Michaela has completed training such as Child Protection. Michaela will also start using the hours she has volunteered for working towards gaining her Saltire Award.
Charlie Hartwig
Volunteer Youth Worker
Charlie joined the Mayds team in November 2023 and will be volunteering at our older sessions. Charlie previously lived in America and is also a Freelance Artist.
Ruby Cook
Volunteer Youth Worker
Shayla Douglas
Volunteer Youth Worker
Shayla joined the Mayds team in November 2023. Shayla will be volunteering to work with our younger groups.
William Gallagher
Volunteer Youth Worker
Ross Davidson
Volunteer Youth Worker
William has attended MAYDS sessions for a number of years now, William is always keen to help and will be working towards gaining his Youth Achievement Award by helping at our ASN Sessions.
Euan Barr
Volunteer Youth Worker
Ross joined the Mayds team in November 2023 and will be helping out at our Additional Support Needs Sessions.
Euan volunteers at our J.A.M (Just About Music) session on a Wednesday night.
Jacky Preece
Volunteer
Jacky started volunteering with MAYDS in 2016. Since then Jacky has helped out on trips and supported us in various other ways. Jacky was co-opted onto the board in 2018 and became Chairwoman later that year. Jacky also helps out with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards and Scouts. Jacky has four children and is a self-employed landscape gardener. Jacky is a keen athlete who likes to cycle, run marathons & ultra marathons.
Pasqua Faccenda
Volunteer/Board member
Pasqua has been volunteering with MAYDS for a number of years. Pasqua helps out at the young parents group. Pasqua is also a member of our board, helping to shape and ensure the future of MAYDS. Pasqua has attended both Child Protection training, First Aid and Book Bug training. Pasqua has two children, one of whom is now a volunteer with MAYDS.
Raymond Flanagan
Board Member
Raymond has been with MAYDS from the beginning, currently serving on the board. Raymond is retired he was previously employed by the council as a CLD worker for youth services. Raymond previously helped run an annual summer camp for hard to reach young people in the Possil park area of Glasgow, the camp had been running for over 30 years. Raymond also ran the local youth forum and is a keen golfer.
Jean MacPhee
Board Member
Jean has been with Mayds since 2018. She has worked in childcare for over 30 yrs, set up Neighbourhood Nursery in Oxford and managed other settings. Jean, originally from Lochgilphead, came back home in 2005 and managed her own local nursery business for 13 yrs. She now works for the Council with the Early Years Team promoting good practice and outdoor play and is also a Therapeutic Play Specialist.
Jean also has 2 children aged 14 and 19 yrs old, in her limited spare time she enjoys walking with her dog.
Zandra Hunt
Board Member
Zandra joined the board recently in 2021. Zandra has two children teenage children, who are involved with MAYDS as young carers. Zandra has lived and worked in the Mid Argyll community for a number of years and is currently training as a counsellor.
Stephen Hunter
Chairman
After reading law and social science at Edinburgh University in 1976, Stephen worked in residential child care for Lothian Region before qualifying in social work.
Stephen has experience in child care, criminal justice, mental health as well as adult and elderly care. In 1984 he was appointed a Children's Report for Strathclyde Region in Glasgow.in 1984. Two years later Stephen was promoted to Area Reporter for Argyll and Bute and that is when he settled here with his wife and 3 children.
As a Children's Reporter Stephen was aware of the lack of community-based resources and together with panel members they established the Befriending Scheme for Argyll & Bute which has been running for nearly 35 years. Stephen was also a member of a youth development steering group in Lochgilphead supported by Strathclyde Region which lead to the creation of MAYDS. Stephen is proud to be a trustee of MAYDS today.