Our Board

The board at Co-operative Care Colne Valley come from a range of backgrounds and comprises of members of CCCV elected by the membership to provide:
● Governance – ensuring that our financial and legal responsibilities are met and our co-operative principles are adhered to.
● Oversight – to act on behalf of the membership in maintaining standards of service and development.
● Support – to provide support and resources to staff and volunteers as required.


Cooperative Care Colne Valley Graham Mitchell

Graham Mitchell (Chair)

My professional profile on LinkedIn

I have diverse experience and skills both in the private and third sectors, including business start-up, sales and marketing, project management, business management and development, and strategic planning.

I have particular skills in strategy, business development, IT, design, web development and content. I am a strong advocate for cooperative/collaborative solutions and business models, resulting from experiencing firsthand the positive impact that co-operatives make over a 30+ year career in the co-operative economy.


I have lived in Marsden for 25 years and work locally as a solicitor.  I am a Quaker, a human rights activist and an environmentalist. I currently co-chair Sanctuary Kirklees an organisation supporting and welcoming refugees and asylum seekers to the area and am the Treasurer for Amnesty Kirklees, a local branch of Amnesty International. 

In the last 7 years, I have been actively involved in the procurement and monitoring of care services for my parents which has led me to become committed to the establishment of CCCV for the benefit of my local community.


Cooperative Care Colne Valley Veronika Susedkova

Veronika Susedkova (Secretary)

My professional profile on LinkedIn

I live in Slaithwaite and have been involved in local community life for several years in many ways. I have been working in the third sector alongside organisations such as local hospice, community-based projects supporting refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants and The Welcome Centre – local food bank provider.

I currently work for WomenCentre – a local women-only charity offering mental health and well-being support.

I am an experienced trainer and advisor, facilitator, campaigner, advocate, organiser, coordinator, networker, data analyst & visualiser and feminist. I work with others to challenge injustices and strive to be the change I want to see.


Stephanie Bradley Cooperative Care Colne Valley

Stephanie Bradley (Director)

My professional profile on LinkedIn

I live within the Colne Valley and work locally at a law firm as a Chartered Legal Executive, specialising in Private Client law. A big part of my job is working with our elderly community to offer support and legal advice in relation to their general affairs, and I see first-hand the need to support them further with their everyday life. That was a large factor in me wanting to become a board member with CCCV, so I could take on extra responsibility for the Co-Op to help ensure that it was well-run and working towards the purpose of offering a personalised care service which promoted independent living.

I am passionate about making a difference in our local community and look forward to contributing my ideas and knowledge to the future running of CCCV. Becoming involved with the organisation will allow me to use my skills in a different context compared to my role as a Lawyer, and I look forward to expanding my professional and personal network for the benefit of everyone involved. 


Director Home care Colnre Valley

Jean Parker (Director)

Finding home care for my disabled mother in Doncaster has given me much insight into the difficulties of finding the right kind of care. I am committed to helping CCCV develop a caring and sensitive service for both user members and staff.

I am a retired special needs teacher working with children with severe and profound needs. Before becoming a teacher, I worked in residential care and halfway houses in my early career.

As a special needs teacher, my focus was on communication, interaction and finding ways the children could live as independent and fulfilled lives as possible.

I have developed specialised training in this area, and have delivered training to many of the special schools in Kirklees. I have worked with the local charity Shabang and volunteered with the local foodbank and refugee charities. I have also been a school governor at Castle Hill Special School.


Sue Richards Cooperative Care Colne Valley

Sue Richards – Nominated Individual

I have had a 35-year career in social care, starting as a care assistant and progressing to the level of service director in the local authority. I am a qualified social worker – my practice days were mainly spent in learning disability services.

I have held responsibility for a budget in excess of £100 million. I have also held responsibility for adult safeguarding and domestic homicide reviews. My responsibilities over the years have been wide-ranging, including all regulated services for adults and some regulated services for children.

I am passionate about supporting people to live the lives they want -even up to the end of their lives. Over the last few years, it has become increasingly apparent to me that preventative services that help people maintain independence as part of a social network is crucial in supporting individuals need for social care. The more that people’s lives shrink the more likely they are to be dependent on social care. When people need more support from services it is important that individuals and their families are able to shape and have control over the high quality they deserve.

My other passion is for the opportunities that integration affords in improving outcomes. Integration not only with health and social care but also maximising the benefits of partnerships with the voluntary and community sector.

At home, I have a love for gardening and walking but I also love to travel in England and abroad. I am lucky enough to have a motorhome which makes this possible. In recent years I have taken up golf which keeps me busy in my spare time.


Board Director Home Care Co-operative Care Colne Valley

Gabriel Brodetsky – Director

Since retiring as an IT management consultant a few years ago I have had significant experience in the voluntary sector, having served on the Boards of two Community Benefit Societies in the Oxford area. 

I led a community pub purchase project in 2016 which raised £500k from the community, and subsequently served on the Board in a variety of governance roles (Treasurer, Secretary, Membership Secretary).  More recently I wrote the financial plan for the successful community purchase of a cinema in Oxford.

I have also worked as an Adviser to clients of the Plunkett Foundation (a national charity that supports community businesses).

Since moving to Marsden in 2022 I have been delighted to get involved with Co-operative Care Colne Valley to support it in its ambition of providing high-quality care whilst being an ethical employer.


Councillor Graham Turner – Director

I am Councillor Graham Turner one of the councillors for the Golcar ward in the Colne Valley.

As well as being a ward councillor I am the cabinet member for regeneration and economic growth.

I moved to the Colne Valley in December 2021 having lived all my life before that in the Denby Dale area. I have two children who live nearby and 3 grandchildren.

I am passionate about Kirklees being the best it can be and want the best for all our residents, who ever they are. We need to do the very best we can to look after people from birth, right through to end of life. And ensure they have the support they need when they need it, be that healthcare, jobs, or education, financial support or any of the many other things people sometimes need to support them.

I have been involved in community organisations for over 40 years in one way or another and have been involved in setting up and running several local charities over the years.

I have been a full-time councillor since 2015 and a cabinet member since then.

I held the portfolio for the council’s fincas for many years, so understand how financing works and how to manage budgets effectively. Holding the purse strings in a large authority like Kirklees, means I have a working knowledge of all the different services and departments in the council, so whilst not an out and out expert on domiciliary and social care, I do have significant knowledge of how it works, and the constant challenges faced by those providing that care.

The co-operative model of delivering not only home care but a range of other services is something I find interesting, and something that I believe should become a model for how we can deliver services and generate new start-up businesses, as an alternative to the current way the economy runs. In my work as portfolio holder, it’s something that we are looking at – how cooperatives could be expanded across Kirklees and into other sectors.