Our Team Members

Wendy Halley

Service Manager

Responsible for the delivery of Beacon for all of the u3as using it, I work with the volunteer team and the software company we use, to support the ongoing developments of the system and to ensure that it meets user needs.

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.

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

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

Coordinating the Zoom training sessions, and working with the team of volunteer trainers to deliver support and information for all users.

Software Testing Team

Responsible for user acceptance testing the any developments that the engineers build. 

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.