Our Team Members

Wendy Halley

Service Manager

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 and Development 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

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

Support and Migration 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 Lead

I manage the Documentation Team, as a team the key aspect of our work is the User Guide which is valuable to those who need guidance on any point in Beacon. We continue to update the items prior to the implementation of enhancements on the system. As mentioned below I Support Networks and Regions who want to use Beacon and also, I am part of the team supporting u3a 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.

Pam Young

Training Lead

It was felt that more formal training would be helpful. We started slowly and as they proved very popular, we continued to expand the number of courses. As more are organised, we will publicise them. We also felt a Question-and-Answer session might be helpful. The first two of these proved popular so we will be running more. With the wide geographical spread of both the team and users, we run all sessions using Zoom so you can take part from your own home. 

A N Other

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

Enhancements 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

Along with John Alexander she is a Supporter for Networks and Regions and helps with the setting up of Beacon Training sessions for u3as.

Outside of the Beacon Team she is Site Admin for her own u3a and South West Region. 

Marian has been elected as one of the two representatives for the South West Region on the new u3a Council.