Governance

Anheddau’s credibility as an exemplar of social care is built from over 30 years of experience, knowledge development and competency building at all levels within the Organisation. In particular we possess a range and depth of knowledge and experience in the social care sector within our Trustee Board and Executive Board.

Anheddau is a Registered Charity and a Company Limited by Guarantee and is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. The day to day management of the Organisation  is delegated by the Trustees to the Chief Executive.  Duties are then carried out as appropriate by other managers within Anheddau.


Our Organisation Two-Tier Governance Structure

Tier One: Council of Management (Full Trustee Board in addition to CEO, Head of Service and Head of Corporate Services/Company Secretary in attendance). The full Trustee Board (Council of Management) meets quarterly in addition to the Annual General meeting.

Tier Two:  Executive Board.  The CEO, Head of Service and Head of Corporate Services meet with the Chair of the Trustee Board as the Executive Group.  This group meets at least six times per year.  At the Executive Group meetings the Senior Managers report to the Chair and matters not requiring full Board approval are addressed.  A report from this group is made to the Chief Executive and the Chair to the full Board.  The Board makes the final decisions and ratifies the policies by which the Organisation is bound. The Board receives the full minutes of the Executive Board.

As the Trustees of the Charity the voluntary Board members are committed to providing the best quality of support via an infrastructure based on the values of the charity which apply equally to all.  As a not for profit organisation, Anheddau is able to focus on service delivery and best practice rather than seeking to extract profit from its activities.

Anheddau describes itself as a values based Organisation - the values being “Empower, Commit, Excel” .  These apply equally to the internal and external operation of the business as well as our interactions with supported individuals.


Council of Management

Dr Brian Jones - Chair

John Idris Jones 

Jonathan Walsh - Treasurer

Dr Margaret Flynn

Sue James

Claire Thomas-Hanna

Executive Managers

Sharon Burke

Sharon is Head of Service and Deputy CEO.

She is responsible for Service delivery and development and is a member of the Executive Board.

She has worked for Anheddau for the past twenty eight years and has  played a vital part in the success of the Organisation. As an executive manager she has a  key role in developing the service side of the business, being involved in the planning and management of services.

She has an active role ensuring that Anheddau is up to date with current legislation and best practice  pertaining to the business and the Individuals who  access our services.

Sharon holds an  ILM - Level IV in Management, D32/D33 Assessors Award, Diploma in Positive Approaches to Challenging Behaviour and IOSH Managing Safely.

Prior to Anheddau Sharon worked for the NHS in a secure unit for people with Learning Disabilities after completing a City and Guilds Diploma in Family and Community Care at Weymouth College.

Nia Prendergast

Nia is Head of Corporate Services, Deputy CEO and Company Secretary.

She is responsible for Corporate Services and is a member of the Executive Board.

Nia started her career with Anheddau as a Personal Assistant in 1997.

Prior to joining Anheddau Nia studied Social and Business Administration and graduated from the University of Wales Bangor whilst working part time at JW Graves, Tesco and volunteering for Carers Outreach.

Nia holds an ILM Level 4 in Management, CIPD level 5 in Personnel Strategy, is a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management and is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Nia is a HR generalist but has a particular interest in Employment Law and developing her skills and knowledge to support the functional specialists within her team and developing Corporate Services in innovative and agile ways to best place staff at all levels to deliver outcomes for the individuals we support.

 Claire Higgins  

Claire is the Chief Executive Officer. 

Claire is responsible for the effective management of the Organisation.


Claire has extensive experience of managing a large complex Social Services Department. 


Having started in her late teens as a Support Worker Claire has worked for over 30 years to attain the qualifications to lead and transform services. 


Claire’s heart has always been in finding solutions to enable people to live their most active and enriched life. 


With a track record for dealing with difficult situations Claire thrives on finding solutions and always keeps people's wants and needs at the centre of everything she does.


BSC in Health and Social Care, Qualified Social Worker and AMHP.


As a wife and  mum / step mum of 5; Claire is used to a busy and active home life. 


Her passion is wellbeing and she engages in a daily fitness regime and gets pleasure from pushing her body and mind through physical challenges.  She encourages the family to do the same and enjoys supporting everyone she comes in contact with to try new things.