ADUK has a small dedicated team of staff and trustees that work alongside the membership.
Vicky Worthington
Executive DirectorVicky is responsible for the executive management of ADUK. She supports the Trustees and the membership and manages a range of thematic knowledge-sharing networks and projects.
With nearly 20 years of experience working in the third sector, Vicky’s area of expertise lies in the development of umbrella organisations and membership structures.
Ash Robertson
Learning and Education ManagerAsh oversees internal Learning and Development and external education. She provides support to members through our learning platform and increases awareness by collaborating with a range of service providers.
Ash has extensive experience in various voluntary sector organisations, particularly within Animal Welfare and Education.
Emily Marston
Ambassador CoordinatorEmily oversees and supports all of our volunteer ambassadors.
Emily has worked within the charity and education sectors. She is passionate about raising awareness of assistance dogs and representing the people who rely on them. She is an assistance dog user herself and can often be seen accompanied by her black Labrador named Nieve, who was trained by ADUK member, Medical Detection Dogs.
Ellie Phipps
Policy and Campaigns ManagerEllie is responsible for developing policy positions and furthering our campaigning aims to advocate for a standards-based approach and raise awareness of highly trained assistance dogs and the legal rights of those who rely on them.
Ellie has extensive experience working alongside policy makers Westminster, in charity policy and in the education sector.
Nicola Sutherland
Administrative OfficerNicola is ADUK’s first port of call for all enquiries and helps to keep our website fresh.
Nicola has extensive experience working with international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as well as community based user-led charities and initiatives.
ADUK Trustees
Pat Stafford MBE
TrusteeADUK welcomed Pat as Chair in October 2023. She is very experienced in leadership and governance, and in helping organisations to maximise their impact. Pat is also Vice Chair at Battersea Dogs & Cats’ Home.
Angie Southcott
TrusteeAngie is one of ADUKs newest trustees and has over 20 years of experience in the industry. She is the Director of Hearing Loss Services at Hearing Dogs.
Angie also chairs ADUKs Access Working group.
Tim Stafford
TrusteeTim beings a wealth of leadership and industry experience and knowledge to the ADUK Board. Tim is the Director of Canine Affairs at Guide Dogs, has been a trustee for ADUK for many years.
Liam Flynn
TrusteeLiam is one of ADUKs newest trustees and brings with him a wealth of both professional knowledge and lived experience with assistance dogs.
Liam is also a trustee of the Seeing Dog Alliance and a guide dog user.
Rita Howson
TrusteeRita is one of ADUK’s founding members and continues to be committed to seeing ADUK develop its work and build reach and influence.
Rita is the CEO of Support Dogs.
Ed Bracher
TrusteeEd joined the board in April 2023 and brings extensive experience as a charity leader to the board as the former CEO of Riding for the Disabled and as the current Chair of the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust. Ed is the CEO of Dogs for Good.
Garry Botterill
TrusteeGarry joined the board in April 2023. He joins the board keen to share his passion and knowledge of providing support to veterans and people working in the armed forces and emergency services.
Garry is the Founder and Operations Director at Service Dogs UK.
Dr. Claire Guest OBE
TrusteeClaire has been professionally involved in the training of assistance dogs since 1987 and specifically in the training of dogs in the detection of human disease through scent since 2002. She is the Co-Founder, CEO, and Chief Scientific Officer of ADUK member Medical Detection Dogs
ADUK Ambassadors – Coming Soon
Assistance Dogs UK is a registered charity – number 1119538
ADUK does not claim to represent all assistance dog charities or owners. Not all assistance dogs In the UK will have been trained by an ADUK member.