Team changes at The Wingate Centre

Join us in welcoming our new team members and congratulating another who has taken on a new role following the retirement of our CEO.

Rona Moroney

A big thank you and farewell to Rona, who has retired as Chief Executive Officer of The Wingate Centre.

Rona joined the charity in 2014 as General Manager and went on to become CEO. She led the Wingate’s work to support more children and adults with special educational needs to lead more active lives.

Ian Linton

Congratulations to Ian, who has stepped up to become our General Manager following Rona’s retirement.

Ian is a familiar face at the Wingate as he’s been part of the team since 2018 and has been involved in every aspect of our work at our charity in Wrenbury, Cheshire.

With a background in providing community arts for adults and children with learning disabilities, he joined the Wingate as a drama and dance practitioner. Ian went on to develop the charity’s day services, including arts and crafts activities, dance, sports and games. He also ran our residential holiday accommodation and has played a key role in promoting the Wingate’s range of activities and services to a wider audience.

“I’m excited about the charity’s future," says Ian. "We have a great team behind us who are focused on providing more children, adults and families with access to inclusive activities and holidays they might not otherwise be able to enjoy.”

Ian is also keen to grow awareness of the Wingate’s Sunshine Café, which is open to the public and will be extending its opening hours to Saturdays from 13th June – on top of our usual Monday to Friday opening.

He adds: “A big challenge is always to bring in the vital funding we need to make sure we can offer our activities and services to the people who need them most. We don’t rely on a single source of income, so keeping the money coming in is what drives our work every day.”

Frances Brown

Frances has joined as our Partnership and Engagement Lead. She oversees our marketing and communications activity, developing and delivering strategies to grow the charity’s income through partnerships, community engagement and fundraising activities.

Frances brings a broad range of skills, from social media management and digital marketing to public speaking and business coaching.

Colette Warbrook

Colette is our new Marketing Officer, tasked with implementing and managing marketing campaigns across all departments, including day activities, fundraising, the cafe and residential/holiday accommodation.

With a background in journalism and copywriting, Colette is keen to share the work the Wingate does to brighten the lives of children and adults with SEND.

To contact our team, email office@thewingatecentre.co.uk