Tim Ayrton – Director and Team Leader

Tim previously spent 10 years in the NHS as a London Ambulance man and has also held a variety of commercially based positions mostly in consumer goods.

He attended Oak Hill College, (a branch of Middlesex University) and achieved a Diploma in Theology and Pastoral Studies. The curriculum included studying counselling up to degree level.

He worked with national charity Care for the Family for eight years and has recently been accredited to use the relationship tool Prepare/Enrich.

Joy Ayrton – Director and Team Leader

Joy also worked in the NHS and is a Chartered Physiotherapist. She has completed a foundation course in Counselling with the Barnabas Training Consortium and has also undertaken study into Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Child Bereavement. Joy trained with St Nicholas Hospice to support the bereaved child or young person. We would like to emphasise that this work is not the same as child counselling, which we do not offer.

Joy also worked with Care for the Family for four years and she too is an accredited Prepare/Enrich practitioner.

Anne Gardner – Parenting and Child Bereavement Support

Anne is a retired senior school teacher. She previously taught child care in a school in Essex where she was also responsible for setting the child care exam papers. Anne has many years experience of working with children and has established and led a number of parent toddler groups. She volunteered to work in the Family and Community Team soon after Tim & Joy arrived in the County. Anne has undertaken further training with Family Matters Institute and is now an Accredited Parenting Practitioner.

Caroline du Plessis – Family Support

Caroline is a trained teacher specialising in drama, classical ballet and fitness. She taught in South Africa for 10 years before moving here with her family. While her children were still small she continued teaching classical ballet to children. More recently she has focused on teaching fitness to older people with special emphasis on those with lower mobility or physical limitations. After her husband died of leukaemia in 2009, Caroline and her children received support from Tim and Joy at Number 72. Caroline is now enjoying being able to work with Tim and Joy, and in particular giving help and support to those experiencing bereavement.