Who We Are
Eleanor Meynell
Eleanor studied piano at Chetham’s School of Music and has been a free-lance pianist and singer working internationally for many years. She has performed at Wigmore Hall, at the BBC Proms, at the Royal Festival, Carnegie Hall, the Royal Opera House, La Scala Milan and Buckingham Palace and recorded regularly for the BBC Radio 3 as a member of the BBC Singers for 5 years. She first discovered her love of sharing music with those in residential homes through a friend and it has formed part of her professional life for the last 15 years. As a result of the pandemic, Eleanor decided to quit her touring career and focus her energy on bringing music to those who most need it in the UK. She also the co-founder of classical chamber group enSEmble26 which brings high quality classical music to her local community and this summer she launched her small opera group Opera That’s Nice! bringing live opera -gala style picnics to people in their gardens. She is passionate about music’s power to transform in small-scale settings for anyone and everyone!
Dr Helen New
Dr. Helen New is Consultant in Paediatric Transfusion Medicine at NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), London, and was previously a Paediatric Haematology Consultant at St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust for 14 years. Until recently she was consultant lead for the NHSBT London Therapeutic Apheresis Service. She is a national leader with an international reputation in blood components and transfusion for children, authoring guidelines and undertaking research. She is Chair of the UK Blood Services’ Standing Advisory Committee for Blood Components. Music has been central to Helen’s life. She grew up in a musical family in Cambridge, her father a skilled amateur pianist with a passion for chamber music. She is a committed amateur violinist and has been strongly involved in organising and playing in orchestras from her student days to the present. Her daughter is a professional musician, currently developing a singing and conducting career, and her son was an international soloist as a treble singer. Helen has personal insights into the aims of the charity from a close relative, a retired musician with dementia in a care home. Despite little short-term memory he still loves to listen and talk about music and it brightens his life.
Dr. Alison Telfer
Alison Telfer worked as a researcher in the Biochemistry Department, at Imperial College London, for most of her working life. Although retired now, she is still associated with Imperial as an Honorary Research Fellow. She has lived in south east London since 1969 and is very involved with her local community and has two children (and grandchildren) who live near her. Alison first became involved with elderly people, some having dementia when her mother was involved with the Red Cross in the 60s and helped her deliver ‘Meals on Wheels’. Her mother became high up in Camden Age Concern and her family were often involved in supporting elderly people: visiting, organising fund raising fairs, driving clients to respite or holiday places. In more recent times, she has had to care for two relatives and some friends who suffered from dementia and therefore understands that elderly people with dementia need stimulation and feels strongly that this new charity is a something worth supporting.
Sue Pascoe
Sue Pascoe is a qualified nurse who went on to train as a district nurse and has held a variety of posts that have focused on the development of community-based services before moving into a commissioning role. Her most recent post being Deputy Director of Nursing, Quality and Safeguarding across 5 North West London Clinical Commissioning Groups. Her clinical area of specific interest is the care of older people. Her work over recent years has focused on the commissioning of services that improve the care of those living in care homes as well as the skills, competencies and experience of those working within them. Her professional interests lie in the on-going development of clinical leadership and the nurturing of constructive relationships across the whole health and care system that lead to an improvement in the delivery of person-centred care. At a personal level Sue is, living in a musical household, surrounded by music and recently joined a community choir. Her father, Charles, had dementia and spent the last year of his life living in a care home. Music was one of the very few things that helped to stimulate his lost memories. He loved to listen to it and Sue loved to watch him do so.
Clare Halliday
Clare Halliday CMgr MCMI is an Executive Director - Senior Counsel at Goldman Sachs International. Alongside advising the Private Wealth Management business, she is a member of her division's Charity Committee, Diversity Forum and Woman's Network. Prior to her role at Goldman Sachs, Clare worked as in-house counsel at the FTSE 250 asset manager, Jupiter Asset Management, and previously as corporate counsel at the law firm Slaughter and May. She has a wealth of experience in advising boards and other governing bodies, including as trustee for the charity Mobile Art School in Kenya (MASK). She holds a degree in Law and Economics from the University of Edinburgh as well as a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Exeter. She is also a Chartered Manager holding a Chartered Management Institute Level 7 Diploma in strategic leadership and management practice.