Meet The Trustees
Find out more about our incredible trustees and the support they provide to Signpost For Carers.
Steve Gear
Chair
Steve moved to Stockport back 2013 and with a varied personal carer in various industries spent the last 20 years of his carer in the clothing industry.
With a breadth of business knowledge and experience Steve brings a different perspective to proceedings which compliments the wide and varied experiences of his fellow trustees.
Like so many people we deal with Steve unexpectedly became a carer for his wife back in 2020 and took that hard decision that her personal wellbeing was the most important thing in their lives so Steve became what we refer to as an unpaid carer, a role that he continues to this day.
Steve’s passion for carers has driven his chosen focus as a Carers Champion leading him to be a part of many carers-based groups and partnerships and ultimately becoming a trustee at Signpost where he has found his spiritual home and a place, he can put his knowledge and experiences to their best use.
Less than a year after joining the board of trustees Steve has become the latest Chair for the organisation, a position which he is proud to hold and from here will drive the campaign and support for unpaid carers forward across our community working with partners in all sectors of the locality and beyond to make a real difference to people’s lives.
James Cox
Treasurer
I am an ACA qualified Chartered Accountant working as a Corporate Finance Executive at CN Strategic Advisors.
I left Aquinas College in 2019 and joined Clarke Nicklin (now CN Chartered Accountants) on an apprenticeship.
I completed the AAT qualification and then became Chartered with the ICAEW after 5 years of balancing working and studying.
Here I gained experience in all aspects of accountancy, covering bookkeeping and VAT, management and statutory accounts prep, audit, and internal finance function work.
In 2025 I moved over to the Corporate Finance team where I work with clients through succession and exit, acquisition strategies and raising finance.
I am a founding member and on the Committee of Future Stockport – a networking group for young professionals in Stockport.
In my spare time I am a season ticket holder at Manchester City and a keen runner.
Jane Curzon
Originally from the South East of England, I moved to the North West in the 1980s. After raising two children and spending more than thirty years working in local government, I’m still happily settled here.
My connection with Signpost began when my mum, who had also moved north, became unwell. Like many first-time carers, I didn’t think of myself as a carer—I was “just helping” while she got better. After that initial period, life returned to a new normal, but when Mum became ill again, Signpost was one of the first places I turned to. This time, she was older and her health declined quickly. Suddenly, I was balancing work, family life and caring responsibilities, but Signpost was always there to offer advice, guidance and reassurance.
Mum is no longer with us, and I am now retired. I’m delighted to be able to give my time to an organisation that was there for me when I needed it, helping to ensure it can continue supporting others who find themselves in the same situation.
Outside of Signpost, I volunteer by helping primary school children develop their reading skills. I also enjoy travelling and dancing.
Jilly Julian
Jilly Julian joined the board of trustees at Signpost for Carers at the end of 2022, after getting involved thanks to a close friend’s experience of their amazing support.
A self-employed coach, facilitator and leadership development specialist, Jilly has worked in people development for over 25 years. With particular experience in supporting high performing teams, organisational design and ‘getting people out of their own way’, she builds networks and connections and offers a useful connection with Stockport Council.
Jilly is a councillor in Stockport, representing Cheadle East and Cheadle Hulme North ward, where she lives with her husband and young family. She is currently the Deputy Leader of Stockport Council and Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources.
James Lugassy
James Lugassy is a highly experienced cybersecurity professional and former Director of Cyber & Privacy at Panoptic Cyber. Now working as a Privacy Manager at Deloitte, James can leverage a distinguished background as a Parachute Regiment veteran with his MBA and senior cyber security qualifications.
James brings his expertise in Information security and knowledge of data law to the board to help guide the charity’s mission, while protecting the personal and sensitive information of the Signposts staff, carers, and clients. James joined the board in 2024 and is committed to fostering the charities growth and maximising its impact both within the local community and beyond.
Lorraine Bardsley
Hi, I’m Lorraine Bardsley one of the Trustees for Signpost For Carers and a volunteer. I’ve always lived in Stockport, firstly in Reddish and for the past 40 years in the Heatons.
My first contact with Signpost was when both my parents and my husband’s parents were at an age where all 4 needed support. We both have fairly large families and were able to cover daily tasks between us all. What we needed help with was understanding what benefits could be claimed, how to navigate outside support, what our rights were as carers as well as general advice, Signpost were fantastic in their support at a very difficult time for both our families and because of the support I received, I got back in touch with Signpost to see if there was anything we could do to promote their services within my place of work.
I was employed by the John Lewis Partnership who ran a scheme where Partners could apply to take time from their role to volunteer their transferable skills to support a charity of their choice. I was fortunate enough to be accepted on the scheme and chose to support Signpost. I am a qualified sales and service coach, trainer and performance manager and have many years’ experience in this field both as a John Lewis Partner and an employee of the Automobile Association and I was able to use these skills to support the Signpost management team.
I’ve since retired and wanted to contribute some of my time back into the community and am privileged to be a part of the Signpost board of Trustees, a role I started in November 2024. Twice a month I also volunteer my admin skills to help out where needed which also helps me to keep in touch with the day-to-day business of the charity and be part of a wonderful team of dedicated people.