Our Team
Our trainers aren’t just educators; they’re mentors who bring a wealth of experience & expertise to every session. They possess the art of effective facilitation, ensuring that our training is engaging, accessible, and current. Participants gain actionable insights that can lead to lasting personal and communal growth.
Kate Blakemore
CEO / Founder and Trainer
Kate is a highly qualified counsellor and trainer, with a wealth of experience supporting workplaces in prioritising employee wellbeing and inclusivity. Kate leads on the Cheshire Menopause Strategy & Cheshire Women’s Collaboration, and is also the Founder & CEO of Motherwell Cheshire CIO.
With a special interest in women’s health & fertility, Kate is an engaging and expert consultant. With a background in retail and project management, Kate understands the challenges faced by modern businesses.
Carys Jones
Trainer
With a track record of delivering engaging, innovative training across the public and private sector, Carys is now leveraging her expertise to revitalise workplace wellbeing training. As a highly qualified counsellor, she utilises her therapeutic knowledge to provide employees with a wealth of actionable knowledge & strategies. Carys enjoys a particular focus on psychoeducation, equipping attendees with strategies and interventions that they can take away into their professional and personal lives.
Carys’ Masters in Psychotherapeutic Counselling included a research focus on counselling clients’ expression of anger and professionals’ responses to such anger. Through a number of interviews, she identified a range of common adaptive and maladaptive responses to anger within professional settings, and made recommendations for individuals working within supportive roles going forward.
Alan Fairclough
Within Thames Valley Police, Alan enjoyed numerous uniform roles up to Inspector rank – commended for developing an operating model (widely adopted nationwide) he then led TVP Operational Training Team. Developing Leadership packages, Human Rights & Equality Alan was then seconded to ‘Best Value Review’ before transferring to Cheshire to continue operational leadership e.g. Public Order & Community. A National ‘Customer Service’ Award was gained leading to promotion as a ‘Force Incident Manager’ & ‘Firearms Commander’ controlling numerous incidents across the county/region.
Ultimately promoted to ‘Strategic Partnerships’ supporting national/regional operations e.g. Refugee Receptance/HMIC Diversity Inspections – he also led portfolios such as ‘Hate Crime’ & ‘Stop/Search’ where through increased community engagement & consultation he improved outcomes & was commended upon retiring in Autumn 2024.
Alan worked as a consultant for over 20 years during/post his police career; Supporting Training For Success Ltd he engaged with public sector & retail to provide training/assessment on portfolios such as Human Rights, Law, decision-making and leadership.
Working for Police Care UK, he delivered a national ‘peer support programme’ for officers undertaking ill health retirement & alongside a clinical lead to deliver sustainable training models for Traumatic Impact Prevention Techniques.
Working for BUPA he developed the activity offers to carehome residents, meeting their needs and improving health & wellbeing – gaining national recognition for best practice in promoting these outcomes.
Alan volunteers for charities including training support for ‘Cheshire Search & Rescue’ & mentor for start up charities seeking CIO status etc.
Diane Wright
Before moving into Higher Education, I worked in the private sector for 20 years. My career began at Holt Lloyd Limited, the market-leading manufacturer and distributor of car care chemicals at the time. During my time there, I held various roles, including Market Development Manager and Marketing Manager, where I was responsible for the strategic direction and positioning of the organization’s products. I then became Marketing Director for a digital media agency. Additionally, I worked as a self-employed marketing consultant, supporting a range of businesses in developing their marketing strategies.
I later transitioned to Higher Education, taking on the role of Associate Dean for External Engagement and Head of the Business and Management Department at the Crewe Campus of Manchester Metropolitan University. I then moved to the Manchester Campus, where I became Head of the Management Department and Associate Dean for International at the Faculty of Business and Law. In this role, I focused on building global connections and developing international partnerships.
Since then, I have served as a Non-executive Director on several Boards, including the South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where I was Chair of the Board of Directors for five years until 2024. During this time, I supported the Chamber in shaping its strategy, driving membership, and collaborating with key regional stakeholders to raise its profile. I also ran a government-funded Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Scheme on behalf of the Chamber.
Currently, I work as an Independent Apprenticeship Assessor for the Chartered Management Institute.