Penny Leyland, Chief Executive
Penny co-ordinates the activities of all the staff and Trustees, ensuring the service runs smoothly and sufficient funds are in place to pay for it. Her business development skills and experience gained from managing several small businesses of her own are readily transferable to the charity sector where she has inspired several small, caring but financially impoverished charities to improve their position in the market place through critical step changes. As a mother and grandmother, she is a confirmed advocate of the need to equip young children with the knowledge and skills to make informed healthy choices and feels privileged to work with such a dedicated and professional team of staff and Trustees.

Jeanette McPhail, Operations Manager
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Jeanette joined Life Education Dorset as a Community Fundraiser for the West in September 2003 after a career break to look after her two children. As a parent and school governor she is acutely aware of the dangers facing children today and is committed to raising funds & awareness of Life Education’s work to ensure that Dorset children continue to benefit from this vital part of their education. Previous experience in marketing, business management & development and working with all sectors of the Dorset community has proved invaluable in her current role as Operations Manager. She enjoys working with such a dedicated team and her favourite part of the job is seeing the faces of children – both young and ‘old’ – light up when they meet their friend ‘Harold’!

Dianne Sinclair, Design & IT Support
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Having studied Graphic Design in South Africa and been involved with computers for many years puts Dianne in an ideal position to produce artwork and promotional material for the charity itself and events. She embraces what IT has to offer and uses her diverse skills to manage website content and ensure remote desktop connections run smoothly. As a mother, she wholeheartedly believes in the work we do. "Young people have SO many influences bombarding them from every direction these days, all we (at LED) can do is be the best quality influence with regards to substance/drug abuse & the health of their bodies."

Paulette Ward, Donor Development & Events (Fundraiser)
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Paulette recently moved to Dorset from Somerset. After spending many years in Branch Banking she moved into Community Education, firstly in Somerset and later at a secondary school in Bristol. At this time fundraising became a part of her role and it is also when she first became aware of the problems of young people and drugs. Paulette then went on to work at the South West Regional Office of the British Heart Foundation which is where her interest in Health Education, particularly with regard to young people, began. At BHF Paulette particularly enjoyed attending fundraising events which enabled her to meet with volunteers and supporters. At Life Education her role is Donor Development & Events. Working here enables Paulette to continue her interest in Health Education. When not toiling over a hot computer Paulette may be found walking along the coast with her chocolate Labrador, Rufus.

Lorraine Hewitt, Corporate Development (Fundraiser)
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Lorraine joined Life Education Dorset as Corporate Development Fundraiser in July 2007 having worked for six years as an Events Manager of a large corporate company. As part of a European marketing team she was actively involved in Marketing and PR initiatives and has worked with several children’s charities. For over 20 years she worked within business development and client relations throughout Dorset and Hampshire gaining an excellent working knowledge of local businesses. Having raised two children of her own she has an appreciation of the issues that young people often encounter in relation to alcohol, drugs, smoking and health and is very much aware of the peer pressure accompanying them. Her objective is to create awareness of the important work carried out by Life Education Dorset and to develop relations with local businesses to raise valuable funds on behalf of our young people.

Diane Day, Volunteer Co-ordinator
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Di has been working with volunteers for over ten years now and is looking forward to her new role with Life Education which is far removed from her first career as a commodity trader. After ten years in the fast moving commodity world and a career break to raise her two daughters, Di returned to work as a fieldworker for an educational charity. Visiting volunteers in schools gave her an insight into the many issues that trouble our youngsters today. Coupled with the knowledge that she has gained as a school governor, Di is convinced of the great value of the work of Life Education and is committed to ensuring that our fundraising volunteers are well supported so that many more children in Dorset can benefit from Harold’s advice.