News

It’s time to say hello to four new faces who have joined us here at the hospice over the last couple of months. Some of you may have already met them, but here’s a delve deeper into who they are and what they do!

Colin Taylor – Head of Finance

The brand new leader of our Finance Office is Colin, who has an impressive 20 years of not-for-profit experience under his belt. He joins us at Derian House after a three and a half year stint at Albany Academy in Chorley.

Although he wasn’t actively searching for a new role, Leyland-based Colin had always been aware of the charity – even fundraising for us back in 2001 by taking on the Great North Run – and jumped at the opportunity to join the team when the Head of Finance role came up.

Since February, Colin has settled in nicely and has enjoyed making a positive contribution to the prolific work of Derian House alongside his colleagues in Finance.

Outside of work, he enjoys going to the gym, hiking in the lakes, and playing racketball. He’s also a husband and proud dad to two teenage daughters, and even has a black belt in karate!

FUN FACT: Colin recently attended musical theatre star and opera singer Alfie Boe OBE’s brother’s wedding, who he was a friend of at the Academy.

Kim Owen – Head of People & Culture

Derian’s new Head of People & Culture, Kim, joins us after an impressive 30 years at construction giant Komatsu, where she worked in a HR capacity. Following that, during her 6-month stint at fellow Lancashire charity Bolton Lads and Girls Club, Kim saw the job crop up here at the hospice and just had to go for it!

After three decades working at the same company, Kim threw caution to the wind and broadened her horizons by taking on a role in the charity sector… something which she can’t believe she didn’t do sooner.

Kim had a friend of a friend who used to use Derian’s services, so our newest addition to Vinten Place was already aware of the incredible care and support that we provide, and wanted to be a part of it. She’s already been doing the rounds and letting her face be known to everyone over the last few weeks, and is looking forward to having a focus on people in general and getting the best out of all our teams at Derian House.

When she’s not at work, Kim is wife to David, mum to Abigail and Rebecca, and dog mum to Daisy the cockapoo. She loves going to the theatre, eating out, going on holiday, and walking in the Lake District.

FUN FACT: Kim actually crossed the finish line at the London 2012 Olympic Stadium before Usain Bolt did, after winning a National Lottery competition to run 5 miles around the track with her family and friends watching on!

Ruth Ellicott – Registered Nurse

Fresh off the back of her recent move back to England after a couple of years in County Cavan, our newest nurse Ruth is looking forward to working within a team again after a stint of lone working.

Over in Ireland, Ruth cared for a little girl on a one-to-one basis in the family home, and previously worked at Manchester Children’s Hospital. At Derian House, she’s excited about learning lots of new skills and taking on a more holistic approach to palliative care surrounded by fantastic facilities.

When she’s not nursing, Ruth is busy settling back into life in Lancashire with her husband and three children. She loves getting fit, cooking, and is currently teaching her children how to ride their bikes!

FUN FACT: In her previous role at Manchester Children’s Hospital, the chairman paid for Ruth and some of her colleagues to do a stint of nursing for a charity he owned over in Uganda.

Kev Urdhin – Advanced Clinical Practitioner

The last in our line-up is Kev, Derian’s newest Advanced Clinical Practitioner, who’s joined the ever-growing team after a varied career which saw him work in adults nursing within the NHS for 26 years until he ‘accidentally’ stumbled upon Alder Hey Children’s Hospital back in 1996, where he fell in love with children’s nursing.

Since then, he’s held up many roles in paediatric and oncology nursing ranging from community, walk-in centres, university teaching, and hospitals. 16 years ago, Kev qualified as an ACP, and went back to Alder Hey where he’s spent the last 9 years of his working life.

Back in November, Kev came for a tour of Derian House after thinking he needed to make a positive career change, and immediately got a good vibe from the people, the work we do here, and the passion for Derian in general.

“When you’ve been somewhere for such a long time, you become fearful of change”, Kev said. He knew he didn’t want to go back to the NHS, and could see himself starting in a new role here at the hospice where he could become a part of new and exciting changes, and take on a brand new challenge.

All he’s ever wanted to do is make every family’s journey ‘good’, and make their experience of palliative care better.

Outside of work, Kev is a season ticket holder at Liverpool FC, and plays football twice a week. He’s got two daughters – Jasmine and India – and loves spending time with them and his grandchildren.

FUN FACT: Kev got absolutely annihilated by The Beast on ITV’s The Chase, and years later appeared on BBC’s Pointless with a colleague who’d previously berated him for his previous TV failure! He’s hoping to complete his trilogy of daytime TV quiz shows to celebrate his 50th birthday later this year… watch this space!