Our Team Members

Alison May

Head of Member Services

I am responsible for the delivery of Beacon for the Trust. I work closely with Frank, Roy and the software company we use, to support the ongoing developments of the system and to ensure that it meets user needs.

Frank Bailey

National Support Lead

I manage the Beacon team. My role is to ensure that Beacon is reliable and available and that the whole Beacon team is coordinated and working towards a common goal.

Roy Biggs

Technical Liaison and Ongoing Help

I lead the On Going Help Team that provides help and assistance to all u3a Beacon users across the UK with “How do I…?” and Technical issues.

As Technical Liaison, I manage the technical relationship with the independent software development company to ensure Beacon’s software and hardware platform delivers a Beacon service that is available, reliable and meets user needs.

John Hopkins

Journey Lead

I manage the team of supporters who work with individual u3as as they investigate Beacon. I am also part of the migration team.

John Alexander

Documentation & Training Lead

I manage the Documentation and Training Team and we cover two areas: keeping the User Guide up to date including developing new ‘how to’ videos and running Zoom Training and Q&A sessions.

I also support Networks and Regions who use Beacon and am part of the team supporting prospect u3as who enquire about Beacon

Malcolm Tulip

Publicity & Website Lead

The Communications Lead is responsible for Beacon related external communications, including production of the bi-monthly newsletter, Beacon News, and overseeing the work of the Website Administrators. Also, monitoring the effectiveness of communications and reporting back to the Coordination Team.

Gary Nye

Software Testing Lead

Responsible for user acceptance testing the enhancements and other developments that the software developers have undertaken.  These include new features that will enhance the u3a experience and make Beacon easier to use for both the officers and members of the u3a.   We work closely with the Enhancement team to ensure that the specifications are developed and delivered to meet the user requirements.

Alan Swindale

User’s Forum

As Forum Moderator I am prepared to enforce good manners on the u3a Support Forum; I vet those registering with the Forum which allows them to post messages. I send out a digest of the week’s posts to members of the Beacon Team and to Admins of Beacon sites. My reward is to read every message posted on the Forum and judge how well Beacon is meeting the needs of Beacon users.

Marion Sharp

Enhancement Lead

I coordinate the Beacon Enhancement Team which reviews and prioritises all the change requests from individual u3as. The Enhancement Team liaise with the developers to ensure that all changes are tested before being implemented. We also ensure that all the documentation is kept up to date.

Marian Luck

Administration & Recruitment

Marian looks after the administration for the Team; which includes making sure that people joining the team have all the information they need, have been Trust inducted and arrange for their email account to be set up. She also keeps track of people who, for whatever reason, leave the team and ensures records are updated.

Along with John Alexander she is a Supporter for Networks and Regions, and helps with the setting up of Beacon Training sessions on for u3a’s.