Regional support

Our head of regions oversees all our regional services across the UK. The team consists of 23 staff. 

There are 17 regions in total, and the team are supported by a groups admin team, who are based at our head office in Andover.

Senior regional managers oversee each country and manage their own regions, together with 12 regional managers and 2 peer support coordinators they undertake a variety of different roles.

• Oversee the management of around, 400 face to face and online peer support groups. The Macular Society support groups build members confidence, helps them to better understand their own macular disease. And, of course, gives them a chance to make new friends who really understand what sight loss is like. To find out more visit About our support groups - Macular Society webpage. To search for your local group visit our Local support groups - Macular Society webpage.
• Provide information and advice about any aspect of living with macular disease
• Manage, recruit and support a large team of volunteers who make these services possible
• Develop and run regular volunteer training sessions and events
• Link and refer our service users to various internal and external support services
• Market and publicise Macular Society services via local and regional media outlets
• Create and develop good news stories and through their work and activities, attract funding for the Macular Society
• Network and influence local, regional and national bodies and attend various local and regional sight loss events
• Work closely with, and at times, create informal partnerships with sight loss organisations within their own region

Contact details for all our regional services' team can be found below.

The team also develop and run regional patient information events. 

These run in partnership with local eye clinics. The events bring together patients and local clinic professionals in their area. They are either held online, using Zoom or via teleconference or face to face. They give attendees the chance to put questions to a clinician, ECLOs, nurses or ROVIs.

These events might include:

• What can I do to prepare for my injection?
• Should I be taking supplements to slow my age-related macular degeneration?
• Will stem cell therapy repair my vision?
• How will clinics keep me safe during a pandemic?
• What local support is available to help me adapt to my sight loss?

The regional services team are working hard to create our programme of UK wide patient information events for 2022. To find out what is happening in your area, please contact our head office on 01264 560 259.

The team

Maria Storesund – Head of Regions
maria.storesund@macularsociety.org
Tel: 07884 742 517

England

Stella Black – Senior Regional Manager for the South 
stella.black@macularsociety.org  
Tel: 07494 467 980

Amanda Read – Senior Regional Manager for the North 
amanda.read@macularsociety.org
Tel: 07432 700 478

Paul Holden - Regional Manager Central Midlands 
paul.holden@macularsociety.org
Tel: 07769 494 087

Carl Harrison - Regional Manager for the North West
carl.harrison@macularsociety.org
Tel: 07920 054 509

Vicky Thompson -  Regional Manager for Yorkshire and North East Lincolnshire 
vicky.thompson@macularsociety.org
Tel: 07376 398 916

Stella Black is maternity cover for Dianne Nicola – Regional Manager for the London area returning June 2022
dianne.nicola@macularsociety.org
Tel: 07824 330 951

Sue Drew - Regional Manager for Central East
Sue.drew@macularsociety.org
Tel: 07517 543 948

Katie Lloyd - Peer Support Coordinator South
katie.lloyd@macularsociety.org

Tyler Phillips - Regional Manager for South Central 
tyler.phillips@macularsociety.org 
Tel: 07920 643 710

Katherine Young - Regional Manager North East
katherine.young@macularsociety.org
Tel: 07517 544 046

Lucinda Hardy -  Peer Support Coordinator North
lucinda.hardy@macularsociety.org
Tel: 07517 544 027

Jo Fishwick -  Regional Manager South West
jo.fishwick@macularsociety.org
Tel: 07947 373 244

Wales

Adele Francis – Senior Regional Manager for Wales 
adele.francis@macularsociety.org
Tel: 07494 468 007

Marian Williams – Regional Manager for North Wales 
marian.williams@macularsociety.org
Tel: 07495 054 053

Scotland

Laura Gray – Senior Regional Manager for Scotland North
laura.gray@macularsociety.org
Tel: 07948 352 967

Shona Spence (Maternity Cover for Aoife Mooney) - Regional Manager  South West Scotland
shona.spence@macularsociety.org
Tel: 07586 168 803

Iona McLean - Regional Manager South East Scotland
iona.mclean@macularsociety.org
Tel: 07517 543 998

Northern Ireland

Karen Toogood – Senior Regional Manager for Northern Ireland 
karen.t@macularsociety.org
Tel: 07852 885 925

Dr Emma Baxter – Regional Manager for the Western and Southern Health and Social Care Trusts Northern Ireland
emma.baxter@macularsociety.org
Tel: 07879 529 267

Groups Admin team - based in our Head Office in Andover, Hampshire

Angela Jackson – Office & Regional Administration Manager 
angela.j@macularsociety.org
Tel: 01264 321 986

Charlotte Fogerty - Regional Administration Supervisor
Melinda Boardman – Regional Administrator
Olivia Gray - Regional Administrator
Tel: 01264 560 259
groupsadmin@macularsociety.org