TALK Surrey CIO

I’m currently the Chair of TALK and I’m also the Group Leader at our Walton Group.

As a speech and language therapist, I’ve been involved in supporting people with aphasia throughout my 40-year career. I worked in the NHS for about 18 years, in hospitals and in the local community.  I then became a lecturer at University College London, where I worked for 22 years, before retiring in April 2021.  As Director of Studies, I was responsible for the speech and language therapy training course.  I also carried out research into aphasia therapy.

I joined TALK in 2003 as a volunteer at the Walton group. For some years, I delivered training for our volunteers and provided professional advice to the staff and trustees of TALK.  I became a Trustee myself in June 2017 because I wanted to become more involved in developing TALK’s work.  My main role as a Trustee is to liaise with local speech and language therapists and other organisations that support people with aphasia.  I feel privileged to work for TALK, helping to provide the best support possible for our members.

I live in Walton with my husband.  We have two grown-up children.  I enjoy travelling, cycling, walking, reading, knitting and going to the theatre.  I recently took up stained glass and have started to sell some of my creations at Hersham Village Market to raise money for TALK.

David lives in Ottershaw and runs his own property development business. “When my late father passed away after suffering a stroke and living withaphasia for four years, I wanted to do something to help other stroke sufferers and their carers to get the help and support they needed.  As a keen cyclist in 2018 I rode the entire route of the Tour De France, raising over £4,000 for charity, but was looking for something more local.  I came across TALK and thought that the work they did looked amazing.  They were looking for a treasurer, so I was pleased to offer my services.  There’s a lot of administration to sort out – but we’re getting there one step at a time!’’

I’m Pallu.  I was born in India but have lived in the UK since I was a year old.  I live in Normandy, Surrey with my husband (our 18 year old daughter is at University).  I studied Economics at London University and then Development Studies at the University of Bath.  For the last 30 years, I have worked within international development in more than 40 countries and for the UK government, academics, INGOs, social enterprises and management consulting firms, implementing public sector reform projects in a number of diverse sectors.

My hobbies include travelling, walking, playing tennis, reading, cooking and painting.  I am learning Spanish and the guitar.  Having spent my career working overseas, I would now like to support people closer to home as well.  Being the daughter of two doctors, I have always wanted to help within the medical profession and I am delighted to be able to work with TALK Surrey, hopefully on its strategy, raising its profile and telling everyone about its great work.

In addition to being a Trustee for TALK I am also the Volunteer Group Leader at Knaphill TALK.

My background is in teaching and I retired from teaching modern languages at secondary school level in 2011.

As I have always been interested in language and communication, I looked online for opportunities to explore these areas further during my retirement years and discovered TALK!  Volunteering with TALK has allowed me to pursue my interests while giving me the chance to offer practical support in the community.

I began as a volunteer in 2014 and in 2016 took on the role of Volunteer Group Leader.  Then, in 2017, I became a Trustee for TALK and feel that, in my capacity both as a Group Leader and as a Trustee, I am well placed to understand and communicate the needs of those attending a typical TALK group in order to ensure that they receive the best possible support.

Since retiring I have started learning to play the piano and have joined a Spanish class as I love learning new languages and trying them out when I travel abroad.  In my spare time I also enjoy listening to classical music and reading / watching crime fiction.

I’m Clive and have extensive business experience in market research and strategic planning, gained from working at Unilever, various ad agencies and from running my own business.  I have also held Trustee and Governor roles in the past and I’m currently a member of the Woking DoE Forum, a Committee member of a musical theatre company in Woking and Chair of Sport Woking.  I’m used to presenting and public speaking.

I was immediately struck by the work TALK does with communication as the aim, something I hope I can help with.  I was born and brought up in Somerset, went to the University of Birmingham and now live in Worplesdon with my wife.  We’ve got two grown-up children and four grandchildren. My main interests include music (classical guitar and musical theatre), and sport.  I used to play hockey, cricket and badminton; more recently though, I’ve taken up spinning which I really enjoy.  I also love walking, reading and travel.

I joined TALK in 2012 when I retired from work as a nurse after seeing an advert in Woking for ‘TALK’ volunteers – and thought that might just be for me! Seven years later, I’m still attending the sessions as a volunteer and have met the most incredible people. It’s amazing to see the recoverers overcome their many difficulties and how much they enjoy the sessions – it’s wonderful to see their personalities emerge. As volunteers, we learn something new every week.

When I discovered TALK was looking for trustees, I wanted to see how I could help. I discovered just how much organisation and work is needed to support even a small charity like TALK – the amount of legislation is phenomenal. I’m delighted to have been accepted as a trustee and hope in my role I can continue to help this amazing charity.

Having been a banker for almost 30 years, I have decided to pursue something different, and am now volunteering as a mentor for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) organisation in the UK.  With close relatives experiencing speaking and understanding problems after having a stroke, I am delighted to have an opportunity to join TALK Surrey to support people with aphasia and their families. 

I live in Woking and have two adult children.

In my spare time, I enjoy hiking and running. 

I work in the IT Network Communications industry and thoroughly enjoy working with a variety of people and across a wide range of projects.  My drive and passion have always been focused on how people achieve their goals – whether that be at work or in their daily life.  I joined TALK as a Trustee as I wanted to use my skills and experience to support the running of the charity, so that people living withaphasia, and their friends and families, have access to the amazing support provided by TALK.

I really enjoy spending my time with my family and friends, sharing experiences, and creating memories.  I love being active outdoors and I am always willing to try any sport or activity!  I live with my husband, son and our two very lazy rescue dogs.