Trustees

Tony heads up an independent management consultancy specialising in human resources and talent management. He has chaired a number of organisations and is Chief Examiner for a large professional body, for whom he is also a subject expert author covering sales, marketing, operational management, leadership and corporate governance.  Tony is also an External Examiner for a degree course in the School of Business at the National College of Ireland in Dublin. Tony has been an active management Trustee of LPF for a number of years, and was previously Secretary before assuming his current role as Chair. He has previously been a director and trustee of CAFE (the Centre for Access to Football in Europe). In 2019, he was listed as one of the top 100 most influential disabled people in the UK by the Shaw Trust in their highly respected Power 100 listing.

Steve, a keen Liverpool supporter, was born and lives on Wirral, Merseyside. He joined the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers (REME) at the age 16 and after a successful military career, worked for Nestle until illness and disability forced early retirement. He then became a radio presenter and can currently be heard regularly on local hospital radio on Wirral; he is also a sports summariser and newspaper reviewer for a commercial radio station in Liverpool. Steve was a Games Maker and Ambassador at the London Paralympics in 2012 and is currently a Public Governor of the Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Steve recognises the benefits of following football and the need for a greater emphasis to be channelled into encouraging disabled people to attend sporting events. Steve is also a supporter of LPF’s sister organisation, CAFE (the Centre for Access to Football in Europe).

Joanna brings with her a wealth of experience and has actively worked and campaigned for greater accessibility within the travel industry for numerous years. A lifelong supporter of Tottenham Hotspur, Joanna has followed Spurs across the UK and Europe, building friendships and contacts with both the club and fans alike. She is also a keen traveller and attends other sports matches worldwide. Joanna intuitively understands the needs of others and uses her excellent communication skills to better improve the experience for all. Her aim is to close the gap of what is accessible and what currently is not.

Jamie Beddard is Joint Artistic Director of Diverse City, and Lead Artist in Extraordinary Bodies.  He is also an Agent for Change at The New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich.

 As a performer, he recently performed the title role in the Elephant Man as well as the Leader in The Messiah at Bristol Old Vic, played the role of Mathias in The National Theatre’s production of The Threepenny Opera, and performed in ‘Weighting’, a large-scale outdoor circus show created by Extraordinary Bodies. He recently co-directed Extraordinary Bodies’ outdoor, inclusive circus performance, ‘Splash!’.

 He is a Clore Fellow, and has previously been a Diversity Officer (Arts Council), Associate Director (Graeae Theatre Company) and Editor of ‘Disability Arts in London’ magazine (DAIL).  Additional directing credits include ‘The Last Freakshow’ (Fittings), ‘Can I Be Frank With You’ (‘Datco’) and ‘The Trouble With Richard’ (Graeae). Numerous acting credits include Quills, I.D, All the King’s Men, Wonderful You (Film/TV) and Ubu, Alice in Wonderland, Flesh Fly (Graeae), 15 Seconds (Traverse) and Waiting for Godot (Tottering Bipeds).

 Jamie follwos  Ipswich Town home and abroad!  He won the Premiership’s Supporter of the Month in 2000, and made films and writes extensively about this obsession.