Contact Us:
07716 744 662 (MON - FRI   9AM - 1PM)

Our Team

One of the things that makes ADD-vance special is that all our team members are parents of children affected by ADHD, Autism or other related conditions. We are unique in bringing a parents perspective and pragmatism to our work while all team members are qualified and trained in their specialist area, to ensure that all our services are provided to a high professional standard. Our team includes specialists from psychology, social work, teaching, nursing and more besides.

Our Trustees

Nick Dilworth

BA (Hons), ACA

Chair of Trustees

Nick was inspired to get into working with ADD-vance after hearing about their great work through a friend. His passion for working with Charities runs in the family as his Father has spent over 30 years advising and assisting not-for-profit organisations. Nick is a professional Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales having qualified with Deloitte LLP. Nick has spent over 15 years working in Banking and Capital Markets in Compliance and Audit roles, currently with Winterflood Securities, part of the Close Brothers Group. Nick lives in St. Albans with his wife, two children and a very excitable Hungarian Vizsla called Peggy. 

Laura Walker

HR Specialist

Trustee

I’m Laura, Mum of two, wife and business owner. I have worked in Human Resources (HR) for almost twenty years; for the most part as an employee, up until the end of 2014 when I became pregnant with my eldest child and put the world of PAYE behind me and stepped into the unknown, self-employment. I love HR, I love people, I love communicating and I love resolving problems and so, Fresh Solutions HR was born.

I support organisations and individuals to realise that people come first. I am passionate about employee wellbeing and truly believe that if employers can create a healthy, loyal, empowered workforce, it will be fundamental to their success.

I support businesses through challenging situations, I help them get up to speed on how the latest legislation can be implemented into their business and I can help them to create that time and headspace, to bring that fresh perspective. It’s not magic, most of the time it’s there, within people, they just have to realise it, take a leap of faith and I’m there to help them do that.

Trustee vacancy

ADD-vance is looking to recruit 2 new trustees to add to the team. We are particularly looking for trustees who have experience in Legal or Marketing.  If you are interested please email jobapplications@add-vance.org with your CV and a short introduction on why you would like to be a trustee with ADD-vance

The Office Team

Debbie Wood

MBA(Exe), BA(Hons)

Chief Executive Officer

Debbie is a passionate believer in the importance of local charities and the benefits they provide to individuals and families. She has devoted her whole career to working in the Hertfordshire voluntary sector in agencies that support people to fulfill their potential. The work of ADD-vance and the impact it makes inspired her to join the Team in 2020, where she feels she has been given the privilege of leading the charity into its next phase of success. Outside work, Debbie is a busy mum to her two children and when she is not being their taxi driver, she loves to bake anything with chocolate in.

Mel Peeke - Specialist ASD & ADHD Trainer

Melanie Peeke

MA, Human Sciences

Specialist Autism and ADHD Lead, Facebook Admin

Mel has a background in corporate training and development and like so many of us went into motherhood thinking she had everything sussed. When life threw a few curve balls at her and she ended up finding parenting more difficult than expected, she found fantastic support from local schools and charities (including ADD-vance) to help her bring out the best in her autistic daughter and really enjoy family life. She is absolutely passionate about the positive impact of parenting courses in helping to build a sense of community, provide a supportive place to share ideas and allow time for reflection. Mel has been involved with ADD-vance since 2010 and is one of the founding members for our sister group – Spectrum Girls.

Danielle Ludlow

Coaching and ADHD Services Administration

Danielle is bi-lingual speaking Spanish as her second language. She doesn’t have to use this very often in her role but is very clever at making sure the coaching service runs smoothly and families are allocated their coaches as quickly as possible.  She has also added the ADHD Services to her role and arranges the QbChecks and school consultations. Danielle is a self-confessed fabric and yarn hoarder making a variety of craft items for friends and family 

Andrea Horne

Training Administration

Andrea is a very experienced administrator and also parent to two wonderful young people. She is very talented and looks after the training schedule, making sure all our courses and workshops run to plan.  Andrea loves to travel and is always planning the next trip away with her family.

Lisa Worrell

Office Administration

Lisa lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and their five children.

Together with her oldest son, and amazing team of volunteers, Lisa launched The Junior Reptile and Amphibian Club for Enthusiasts in 2016. The club invites children from all over the county and beyond to share their passion for everything reptilian. Opportunities to meet snakes, frogs, lizards, bugs and much more, the monthly free educational club welcomes over 80 children each month.  

With a calm and enthusiastic approach to whatever life throws at her, Lisa believes that honesty, compassion and self belief, (not forgetting a sprinkling of laughter), is key to achieving great things.

Sarah Edun

Office Administration - Volunteer

After her young energetic and vibrant son received a diagnosis of Autism, Sarah’s passion (calling) is now at the heart of helping other parents and children in any way that she can and volunteering helps her to do that. 
She is a team leader in her local Children’s Church where she also volunteers by teaching children aged 5-7. 
With a professional background in the Beauty industry Sarah is always happy to share beauty tips. Helping people gives her satisfaction.

The Training & Coaching Team

Catherine Ainsworth - Specialist ASD & ADHD Trainer

Catherine Ainsworth

Specialist Autism and ADHD Trainer, Website Admin

Catherine was first inspired to volunteer when she attended the 6 week parent Time Out course and the rest, as they say, is history. Catherine’s background in digital marketing and being Yorkshire in no way prepared her for the trials and tribulations of life as the parent of kids with ADHD and Autism but like so many others has found that you become an expert pretty quickly! Catherine provides parent training and also works behind the scenes on website improvements and other marketing projects.

Karen Hannan

Specialist Autism and ADHD Trainer

Karen has worked in primary schools for many years, and is the mother of 2 teenagers with complex needs including Autism and ADHD. She was also diagnosed with Autism when her search for information and understanding of her children’s needs revealed that many of the diagnostic traits applied to her too, explaining why parenting was so tricky for the family across the board. With a family history including neurodiversity and complex mental health needs, she recognises that she has had a lifetime of training and experiential learning that has led her to this point of being able to support other parents as they experience these challenges .She is passionate about increasing the focus on positively, recognising behaviour as the language of emotion and needs as well as helping the individual recognise their strengths. Karen believes that preparation for transitions up to and including to adult services, is key for success.

Louise Hodgson

Specialist Autism and ADHD Coach and Trainer

Louise is absolutely passionate about trying to help families who have children with ADHD and Autism, particularly in the early years, pre-diagnosis, as this is so often the time when parents need support the most.  Louise has been a keen stalker of ADD-vance for some time now and managed to attend many of their training courses in an effort to understand ADHD and Autism to help her in her home life but now also as a Specialist Coach.  Louise is excited to now be part of the ADD-vance team and able to dedicate her whole time to coaching through ADD-vance and raising her two lively boys, one with ADHD and one with an inability to stop talking (not medical, just noisy!).

Amanda O'Gorman

Specialist Autism and ADHD Trainer

Amanda’s first introduction to ADD-vance was following her son’s diagnosis of ASD and ADHD in 2013.  Via our courses and workshops, Amanda armed herself with as much information as possible and has been a keen supporter of ADD-vance ever since.  Amanda is passionate about her work in supporting and celebrating the differences of adults with ADHD and/or Autism in the work place and works closely with Potential Kids (a Hertfordshire based charity delivering social activities for children and young people with a learning difference).  Amanda combines all of this with her role as a busy Mum to two beautiful, impeccably behaved children! 

Annette O'Toole

MA Education, PGCE

Specialist Autism and ADHD Trainer

With a background in education and a passion for early years development, Annette brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience in this area. She originally came to ADD-vance after her son was diagnosed with ASD, and now combines her knowledge of education with her first-hand experience to help and support other families. 

Vicky Whent

Specialist Autism and ADHD Trainer & Coach
Robin Wilding - Specialist ASD & ADHD Trainer & Coach

Robin Wilding

Specialist Autism and ADHD Trainer & Coach

Robin is one of our original team of specialist coaches. She is also a busy Mum to four beautiful children. Her eldest child was diagnosed with Aspergers and ADHD at the age of 8yrs, leading her to train as a specialist coach with ADD-vance. She recognises the challenges parents face with their children and aims to offer strategies that work for individual families and children, to improve family life as a whole, offering a fresh perspective without judging. Everyone can feel as though they’ve run out of ideas and sometimes may simply need a little support to regain the confidence in their own resourcefulness.