A welcome to the new Chair of the Board of Trustees

We are delighted to share that Amy Anderson has joined us as Chair of our Board at Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland. 🎉

We’d like to thank the outgoing chair, Jim Gibson, for the immense amount of time, wisdom, and dedication that he has brought to CHSS since he took the position in 2018. His advice was invaluable during the development of the No Life Half Lived strategy and the COVID-19 pandemic. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours. 👏

Amy chatted about plans for her time as Chair of the Board with our Chief Storyteller, Frances Traynor over a coffee.

Ask Amy Anderson what drives her, and the answer comes easily: passion. The passion to give voice to those who aren’t heard in the healthcare system. And the passion to work in partnership to ensure better care and services for those who need it most.

That commitment – and the optimism and positivity that pepper her conversation – is what Amy will bring to Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland as the new chair of trustees. And she can’t wait.

She said: “So much of what CHSS is doing is cutting edge – I’m thinking about the Long Covid work. And this organisation is very good at bringing patients and carers and volunteers along with staff, knowing they can contribute as much.

“I’m all for the smallest voices being heard so we know what people need. I’m a big believer in working in partnership so organisations do a bit more listening and give away a bit more of their power.

“It’s an exciting time to be joining CHSS, especially for someone like me who champions change.”

She brings a wealth of voluntary sector experience to her new role with CHSS, having worked for Carers Scotland, then as co-ordinator of the Family Support Service for

PAMIS (Promoting A More Inclusive Society) in Grampian, supporting those with profound disabilities and latterly for Down’s Syndrome Scotland in the north-east of Scotland.

She currently holds the role of Transforming Cancer Care Co-ordinator for the North of Scotland Region for NHS Grampian and sits as a non-executive director on the NHS Grampian board.

She said: “For anyone living with a long-term condition like stroke, chest or heart, it’s so important that they feel they can still make the most of their lives. For example, I’ve known people who have had a stroke, and apart from the physical impact, often it’s the mental impact that lingers. Their confidence goes and that’s so crushing.

“I think it’s here that the work CHSS does is so crucial. Your support enables people to push beyond what they can currently achieve, and it gives them hope. Hope is such an important medicine. That’s the true meaning of no life half lived.

“I’m looking forward to doing my bit, to going out and meeting people from across the organisation and those they support, and learning from everyone. I think I’ve got a lot of learning to do, and I can’t wait.”