Baroness Jill Pitkeathley OBE - Eurocarers' President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baroness Pitkeathley has had a vital role in the carers' movement in the UK and abroad.  She is particularly interested in organisations working together to promote carers' interests at national government and global organisation levels, and has helped countries as far away as New Zealand work towards creating Carers' organisations.  She is also passionate about having carers participating directly in the management of carers' organisations.

 

Her official involvement with the carers movement began in 1986 when she became Chief Executive of what was to become Carers UK. While she had never been a carer, she says that she was fired up by a sense of injustice that there were 6 million people propping up social care and no one even recognised the term 'carer'.

 

In 1997 she became a Life Peer (receiving the title Baroness Pitkeathley) and changed her focus to being the vice-president of Carers UK rather than chief executive in order to accommodate her duties in Parliament. She is now a Deputy speaker in the House of Lords.

 

Within the UK she has chaired four non-departmental bodies, been the chair for the UK Lottery Distributor's New Opportunities Fund and CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) and is President of  Volunteering England, trustee of the Diana Fund, founder member of Acevo (Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations), and has served and chaired many influential committees. She has also been a researcher and author.

 

In 2006 she was the winner of the UK Charity Awards 2006 Outstanding Achievement Award and featured in The Good List of those who have made most contribution to British society.