Meet the Directors

FOUNDER AND OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Jamie has always been community focused and is passionate about tackling stigma and highlighting the positive impact that those with lived experience can have on the City of Derby. 

Jamie believes that lived experience not only incorporates a peer knowledge but also compasses understanding of marginalisation, oppression, stigma and discrimination. 

Jamie's story covers many different paths, his lived experience includes addiction, homelessness, ex forces and depression and has been on his recovery journey now for 20 years.

Combining his lived experience with a career in the public sector and service allows Jamie to have an insight into what Staywell Derby CIC can do to support the work that is happening within the City.

Jamie has worked as a Social Prescriber as well as working for Derby Drug, Alcohol and Recovery Services 

He also is the Chair of the East Midlands Recovery Forum .

In his spare time Jamie runs a non alcoholic Spoken Word event in Derby called Silent Voices

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Pippa is a poet, performer, creative writing practitioner, activist and events organiser. 

They are a non binary person with a wide and wild range of lived experience including addiction and mental health issues including Borderline Personality Disorder. 

Pippa is passionate about using creativity and self expression as a vital part of recovery, allowing us to explore our inner worlds, unleash our voices, gain confidence and experience joy.

RECOVERY DIRECTOR

Rosa Bleue Parry has a great deal of lived experience around mental health issues and addiction.

Through her recovery journey she learned a lot about rehabilitation, recovery techniques and interventions. 

She is also a trained SMART recovery facilitator.

Rosa has a great understanding of how an holistic approach to recovery is fundamental to a persons well-being as well as the importance of positive human interaction, whether it’s passing the time of day over a coffee or a structured support session.

She is passionate about helping others to find their recovery path and understands that there are many different ways to recovery and every individuals journey is unique to them. 

‘It’s not how many times you fall down but how many times you get back up.’

LEARNING DISABLILITY AND AUTISM DIRECTOR

Matthew is a spoken word artists and motivational speaker for people who are on the Autism Spectrum.   

His journey started when he began writing and performing poetry since as a young adult. Writing has always been his way of processing his experiences of Autism ADHD and Albinism.  

In 2011 he began attending local poetry nights around the East Midlands in Derby Nottingham and Leicester, and is now the Host of Silent Voices spoken word event. 

He has also performed and spoken at many events across the country with a Learning Disabilities Charity called Mencap 

In February 2020 he published his first collection of poetry called A Different Kind Of School on Amazon.    ​ 

He also writes a regular blog and is now run his own motivational workshops called Awesome Self Discovery, that enable people on the spectrum to live a full life. 

DIRECTOR

David is a Professor of Criminology, where he undertakes research around addiction recovery and desistance from crime. 

He leads research into work on desistance from offending, recovery capital, and pathways to addiction recovery. 

He is interested in social identity theory and its implications for recovery, recovery and desistance, addiction treatment effectiveness, prison and community connections, and family experiences of addiction and recovery. 

 He is also a Honorary Professor in the School of Regulation and Global Governance at The Australian National University and Chair of the Prison Research Network of the British Society of Criminology  

He trained as a psychologist and criminologist, and has worked in practice, research, and policy in the areas of addiction recovery and rehabilitation of offenders.