Meet the team
Meet our Autonomy Care Group Directors
Andrew Dykes
Chairman
Andrew is a non-practising barrister whose initial career was in marine insurance where he specialised in oil pollution of the sea.
After a Sloan Fellowship at the London Business School in 1986-87 he branched out into other fields and has held directorships of several companies.
He has been involved in the care of people with learning disabilities as an owner/operator since 1997 and is closely involved with the operation of the services provided.
Lucy Jolliffe
Commercial Director
Nicholas Faulkner-Elliott
Director
Nic joined Autonomy Life Limited in November 2020. He has worked in a number of different care settings spanning over 20 years including Children's SMEH/LD and adult community and residential settings.
He has worked primarily with people with complex needs and challenging behaviour across these settings.
Further to this Nic started a consultancy and training role nationwide, working in both children's and adult services to support each service in delivering quality and person centred care. He then went onto obtaining his Level 4 Management Award (RMA), Level 3 Award in Education and IOHS in addition to the relevant mandatory training requirements.
Nic is the Responsible individual for Autonomy’s children’s services and the Nominated individual for the Autonomy’s adult services. Nic became a Director within the Autonomy Group of companies in 2023.
He is a strong believer in person centred care, developing staff and encouraging people to reach their full potential.
Mandy Kerley
Non-Executive Director
Mandy qualified as an accountant in 1994 and has worked mainly in professional practice, apart from several years working as the in house accountant for a large farming organisation near Ross on Wye. Mandy’s connection with Autonomy Care Group goes back to 2004, initially working for the external accountants who prepared the annual financial accounts, finally taking on that role herself in 2008. It has been a long and happy association with the Group with Mandy having various roles over the years, more latterly as the Company Secretary. Mandy joined Autonomy Care Group as their Non-Executive Director in December 2023.
Autonomy Life - The Willows and Willow View Team:
Paul Chester
Registered Manager
Adina Iures
Registered Manager
Adina has been working at The Oaks for over 10 years. She started as a Support Worker, progressing to Team Leader and now she is the Registered Manager.
Adina has achieved her Level 2 in Health and Social Care, Level 2 in Team Leading and QCF Level 5 in Health and Social Care. She also has a degree in Psychology achieved at the University in Bucharest.
She enjoys working with people with challenging behaviour and finds her job really rewarding. She believes that when you work in care you need to have empathy for the people that you support, and they will reward you back with happiness and progression.
Claire Hawkins
Assistant Manager
Claire started her journey with Autonomy Care Group in 2010 when she joined the Autonomy Life team as a Support Worker.
Her achievements include Health and Social Care NVQ Level 2, ICQ Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care and ICQ Intermediate Level 2 Apprenticeship in Team Leading.
In 2018 Claire Joined the domiciliary side of the business at Autonomy Care as a Care-Coordinator. Claire was able to expand and utilise her extensive knowledge in supporting adults with learning disabilities and complex behavioural needs.
The role enabled Claire to take on more managerial responsibilities and she is currently working towards a Level 5 Leadership and Management Diploma in Health and Social Care.
Autonomy Life - Weavers Lodge:
Nick Rickwood
Registered Manager
Nick started as a Support Worker supporting adults with learning disabilities in 1992 . He then developed his knowledge and practice by qualifying as a Drama Therapist, before then qualifying as an Adult Teacher to support staff and staff teams development.
In 2003, Nick progressed into the role of a Registered Manager for Somerset County Council, where he remained for 14 years, managing residential, supported living, domiciliary care, and day support services.
Nick has an additional 4 years experience of directly supporting managers and their services through more senior management roles and for 2 ½ years he supported the Royal Air Force Association Charity by managing one of their registered hotel services for Veterans.
In his long career, Nick has successfully worked with individuals, their families, community partners and other agencies/services to design and deliver individualised and highly qualitative, outcome-based services, that places the individual at the heart of their services and local community, and in control of their own lives.
Donna-Marie Eichmann
Assistant Manager
Donna has worked in support of health and social care services for 12 years. Starting as a Healthcare Assistant in the community, she quickly progressed to a Senior and then Deputy Manager role.
Donna has developed her skills to be able to support adults with learning disabilities with a range of needs and has a passion for supporting autistic adults and those with complex behaviours or additional mental health support needs.
Donna has managed residential, supported living and domiciliary services in her role as an Assistant Manager and is confident in her ability to support her Registered Manager.
“The main thing I love about my role is knowing the work I do makes a difference. Every day, I help people to take control of their own lives, so they live more comfortably, are more independent and have fulfilling lives.”
Samantha O'Dwyer
Registered Manager
Samantha has over 29 years experience in residential care for the elderly. Her career started in 1994 as a Junior Care Assistant in a care home, as she progressed her role to Senior Care Assistant. Samantha worked up the career ladder to Assistant Manager before becoming Home Manager for 2 years.
She started at Autonomy Care in our Melksham domiciliary service in November 2021 and enjoyed her position as Assistant Manager. Samantha is now the Registered Manager for the service.
She has always been very passionate about care and making a difference to people’s lives.
Mike Evans
Registered Manager
Mike started working in care in 2010, working with vulnerable adults with learning disabilities. 5 years later Mike began working in childcare, working with children with autism and associated disabilities.
In 2018 Mike became a Registered Manager, managing a small home for children with learning disabilities before joining Autonomy Plus in November 2019. He has enjoyed the past 3 years developing the home for the children at Haresfield, to help enable them to have the best opportunities to make their lives as fulfilled as possible.
Victoria Hollis
Assistant Manager
Victoria began her journey working in care in 2020 as a Support Worker during the COVID pandemic working with vulnerable adults with learning disabilities. After just over a year Victoria was promoted to a Senior Support Worker and six months after that to Deputy Project Manager, working across two different projects.
In October 2023 she relocated to Melksham and continued working with adults with learning disabilities and complex medical needs. Victoria has always wanted to step into working with children and Harefield provided the perfect opportunity. She is excited to continue to develop in this role and watch the development of the children Haresfield support, and continue to provide opportunities and meet goals.
Behaviour Support
Bethan Lepley
PBS Manager
Autonomy Care Group - Head Office:
Hazel Wordley
HR Manager
Stephanie Newman
HR Officer
Stephanie's career began in fashion retail 26 years ago, progressing through the company to area Learning and Development Assistant. Stephanie moved from fashion retail into interior design as a store manager in 2010. After promotion within the same company to HR and Central Operations Manager, she enrolled on the CIPD Level 5 Diploma in Human Resource Management, graduating in October 2018. She joined the Autonomy Care Group Team in September 2020 as HR Officer to support the growth of services group wide. Stephanie is also a qualified Mental Health First Aider, after achieving her qualification in 2022.
Outside of work, she is a keen crafter and dog lover.
Katy Galliers
HR Assistant
Katy first started her career in Hospitality where she gained experience in every department within a luxury hotel group. Having discovered a passion for HR during this, she joined Autonomy Care Group in September 2024. Katy hopes to develop her career further by gaining a CIPD qualification.
Matt Stratton
Financial Manager
Matt’s career in accountancy started seven years ago where he worked at an accountancy practice whilst studying his AAT.
Since then, Matt has gone on to complete his AAT and CIMA qualifications. He has dealt with a variety of businesses from different sectors whilst working for two accountancy firms. Matt joined Autonomy Care Group in March 2024 after seeking a new challenge in industry.
Sophie Clark
Finance Manager
Sophie has been working in accounts for nearly 9 years. Starting in an accountancy practice dealing with various small and medium sized businesses mainly in the construction industry.
After a successful time in practice she decided to explore a new sector, joining Autonomy Care Group in February 2021 as a Finance Manager.
Lashana Hutchinson
Accounts Assistant
After studying her A-Levels Lashana joined Autonomy Care Group in February 2024, starting her Accountancy career. Since starting, she has developed a passion for her role and is looking forward to continuing to progress in further studies in the near future.
Jen Latham
Digital Marketing Lead
After completing her Degree and Masters in Film Production, Jen learnt many key skills in campaigning and the art of Digital Marketing. Jen now has over 7 years experience in marketing over a variety of different sectors and brings her core skills in Social Media, Content Writing and Brand Awareness to Autonomy Care Group. Jen joined Autonomy Care Group in December 2019 after relocating from Manchester.
In November 2023, she became a finalist in Women Achieving Greatness Awards in the Communications Guru category.
In June 2024, Jen was awarded Highly Commended in the National Stars of Social Care Awards for The Great Marketeer Award.
Frankie Beaumont
Maintenance Manager
Frankie joined Autonomy Care Group in 2024, bringing over a decade of hands-on expertise in electrical work and a diverse background in maintenance management across residential, commercial, and hospitality sectors. His career journey has spanned both the UK and New Zealand, giving him a well-rounded perspective on industry standards and best practices.
As Maintenance Manager at Autonomy Care Group, Frankie ensures that all care homes are maintained to the highest standards, prioritising the safety and comfort of every resident. His mission is to see our homes operate smoothly, providing a safe, well-maintained environment that truly feels like home.