Trustee Directors

Diane Wood MBE was appointed a Trustee in 2018 and is currently the chair of the Board of Directors.

Diane spent 16 years as an electron microscopist working on intestinal diseases at a nutritional research institute before starting her own consultancy business where she now manages the Aberdeen Section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

She has been an Area Representative for the Trust since 2000 when she started gathering volunteers in Inverness and the Highlands and promoting the work of the Trust with her then Therapet Ellis, she moved to Aberdeenshire in 2006 and continued as the area rep for Aberdeenshire North with her current Therapets Breagh and Naso.

​Diane has a particular interest in working with dog-phobic children and is passionate about educating children about dogs and how to react around them. 

​Diane has been involved with dog rescue and rehoming for 25 years and her passion is Golden Retrievers of which she has had three. 

​When she is not working full time for SPE or assessing and placing dogs for CCST, she is on the committee for Breast Cancer Now and loves road cycling - she is mum to Alex and wife to Tim.

Nicola Connor has a background in banking, business, and administration. She worked in banking for many years, attaining Chartered Banking status, and a BA majoring in accountancy whilst managing a portfolio of corporate clients. 

Following this, in 2012, she set up a dog walking business, which she runs with her husband (he does the dog walking, she does the admin). 

In 2016, Nicola became a self-employed virtual PA and business manager for a portfolio of clients, including an international charity, and enjoys the variety of work this brings on a daily basis.

Nicola has been a volunteer with her dog, Therapet® Star, a Keeshond, since January 2024. They are based in Stirlingshire and visit various locations, including care homes, hospital wards, and colleges. 

She joined the Canine Concern Scotland Trust board in 2025 and brings her financial and business experience to the board.

Stewart is a retired veterinary surgeon. He spent most of his career as a partner in a mixed, latterly small-animal, practice in Inverness where he continues to live. For a few years he had an interlude working as a Veterinary Officer with the government agency Animal Health where he developed his interest in Animal Welfare becoming the Scottish lead for the agency in that discipline. 

Stewart’s initial retirement project, borne out of his long-term interest in the Highlands and Islands, was to complete a Master of Letters degree in Island Studies at the University of the Highlands and Islands. He also keeps himself occupied in his role as a Panel Member for Children’s Hearings Scotland. His hobbies include running, cycling and hill-walking.

Stewart derives much satisfaction by being a trustee director of Canine Concern Scotland Trust where he hopes his veterinary experience together with a lifelong interest in and respect for dogs evolving from ownership of various breeds and crosses over the years benefits the organisation. Pippin, the most recent family dog, was a very active Therapet and particularly enjoyed work with children. Stewart is very much looking forward to his next canine companion in the very near future.

Janet is a retired teacher who returned to live in Edinburgh in 2016. After graduating from Edinburgh in the 70s with a Business Studies degree, she worked for Ferranti. Then having met a Welshman at the rugby, she moved to Wales. While living in Monmouth, Janet acquired a rescue Samoyed and soon found herself very much involved with Monmouth Dog Rescue. Over a period of about 10 years, she helped rehome approximately 400 dogs and gained a lot of experience in fundraising.

Deciding to do something different before she retired, Janet moved to Athens where she taught in a large international school and sailed around the Greek Islands in her spare time. Whilst in Greece, she rescued Fitch, a lab-collie cross. He was only one week old when he came into her life. Two hourly feeds were the order of the day.

On her return to Edinburgh with Fitch, Janet became a member of CCST and Fitch was registered as a Therapet in 2017. Fitch is a regular visitor to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh and also visits a local primary school, working with young children with additional support needs. Janet is the Area Representative for Edinburgh North East and is delighted to join the Board in 2020.

Carole worked for the NHS in Scotland and England for 37 years, retiring in 2015.  She trained as a nurse in Glasgow and later moved in to nursing management.  She became involved with Canine Concern Scotland Trust in 2013 whilst working for NHS Grampian as the Operational Manager with responsibility for Vulnerable Adults in the Acute Sector.  She was instrumental in setting up Therapet visiting in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. 

Following her retirement Carole became a Therapet volunteer and became the Area Representative for Aberdeenshire West and South in 2019.  Carole has had dogs all of her life and her current pack of 3 Deerhounds (Grace, Victor and Vincent) and Jack Russell (Dorothy) are all Therapets.

Having worked in Elderly Care for the majority of her working life, Carole is particularly interested in the positive impact of Therapets in Care Homes. Carole has been a Justice of the Peace in Aberdeen since 2010 and continues in this role. She is a member of the Deerhound Club and the Scottish Deerhound Society and used to show her dogs.  Married to Bill, also a Therapet volunteer, and they live in rural West Aberdeenshire.

James has been a member of the Canine Concern Scotland Trust since its inception in 1988. He retired from the fire service in 2006 after serving 32 years as a firefighter with Strathclyde Fire & Rescue. He has a great interest in Old English Sheep Dogs and works for their Rescue & Rehoming in Scotland as well promoting the work of CCST.

All of his Old English Sheepdogs dogs have been registered as Therapets, starting with Bramble then Kettles, Echo, Bonnie, Lacy, Willow, Tallie and now Apple. We also have had the lovely Pebbles too. Bonnie, Lacy, Pebbles, Willow and Tallie are all rescued Old English Sheepdogs. Kettles, Echo, Bonnie, Lacy, Willow, Tallie and Apple have all been involved in our school visiting scheme in which the dogs and James all thoroughly enjoy. Willow, Tallie and Apple have also taken part in the “Reading With Dogs” Programe. James is also very interested in our dog phobia work with children and children with additional support needs.

Further to this James gives talks and presentations promoting the work the Trust is involved in Scotland, England and Ireland, along with carrying out his various Therapet visiting duties which at present include visiting The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice. He is one of the Area Representatives for Glasgow & Strathclyde. 

Allan is a Chartered Accountant and was the senior director of an Edinburgh firm of accountants and business advisers. He first became interested in dogs following his appointment as Secretary and Treasurer of The Scottish Kennel Club, a position which he held from May 1977 to December 2003. During that time, he developed a considerable knowledge of and interest in all aspects of canine matters and he held various positions at The Kennel Club in London. His marriage to Anna introduced him to ‘living with Scotties’ but they now have rescued Greyhound “Barley” and rescued Whippet “Duke”. A close interest in the work of Canine Concern Scotland developed over the years and it was therefore a considerable honour to be appointed as a Trustee in 2004. Although his principal input comes from his expertise in charities, finance and canine matters generally, he hopes to have more time in the future to offer more practical support.

Lynsey is a working mum of two.  She qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 2001 and it was while working that she encountered a Therapet and saw first-hand the benefits of Therapets for her patients.

Lynsey joined CCST in 2002 when she became a Therapet volunteer with her Caviller King Charles Spaniel, Cory.  She became the Area Representative for Stirlingshire in 2003.  In 2006 Lynsey registered her second Caviller King Charles Spaniel, Jynx as a Therapet and continued to visit until 2008 when, with a young family and working part-time, spare time was limited.  She did however continue as the Area Rep and has been assessing the dogs and organising the volunteers in her area since.

Lynsey actively promotes the trust through regular PR events and has also had an article about the Therapet service “Paws for Thought” published in her professional journal.  She organises and runs the Paws Against Stress events at Stirling University as well as organising a Reading with Dogs event to aimed at young, reluctant or struggling readers.  Instead of reading to a person, the children read to a dog. The idea being that the dog will listen to them and not judge, allowing them to relax and gain confidence in reading out loud.  This is something which she is keen to develop CCST’s involvement with.