Meet Our Positive People
Founder & CEO
Tam Cassidy
Tam is a father of 3 Alloa from central Scotland. He is an author, recording artist and a Cultural Learner an Advisor. His passion is people and culture and the wonderful diversity that is out there for us all to enjoy, in food, song, dance.
He has worked in community education in the third and public sector for over 20 years. He sees Positive Scotland as a way of reconciling the past and also sending a positive image of who we are in this country.
His motto in life is simple…” If you do it you’ll do it, If you don’t you won’t”
Cultural Mentor
Dianne Creighton
Dianne Creighton i an associate team member, is our Cultural Mentor in our work with the Aboriginal community. She assists us in helping to further develop our projects in a cultural way that respects and acknowledges the Aboriginal traditional custodians (First Peoples) of Australia.
Dianne has already contributed a great deal to Positive Scotland’s development not only in giving us guidance but specifically around our Mary Brand project.
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Dianne is a proud Gomeroi (Murrie) woman from Moree New South Wales Australia. During the first fifteen years of Dianne’s life she had endured racial discrimination, societal segregation and lawful oppression. In the mid 1960’s Dianne would witness two historical human rights events that would ultimately free Aboriginal people from being oppressed and giving them hope for the future.
Dianne has had a long career in health, ageing and community development. Throughout her working life she has provided practical informative information that can be applied to everyday health and wellbeing, that benefits the individual, the workplace and broader community.
Dianne is an experienced Aboriginal Cultural Practitioner with extensive knowledge of tribal customs that influence Aboriginal people’s world views.
She also has the unique ability to relate to people from all walks of life, bringing a richness of connection with those from diverse cultures, resulting in a highly valued skill set in cross-cultural intelligence. Dianne’s Aboriginal cultural insight and guidance will be greatly appreciated, and we are extremely happy that she has accepted our invitation.r into the fold.
Trustee (Treasurer)
Cheryl Reid
Cheryl has travelled extensively and has lived and worked in Australia, the Middle East and Spain. Her career to date has been focussed in three areas: performing, fundraising and events. She gained 7 years’ experience in fundraising with the NSPCC and a further 2 years with Scottish Ballet.
As a performer she has worked at home and abroad with major brands such as InterContinental Hotels, Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, Thomson Gold and Brittany Ferries. Now as a freelance singer and events administrator she continues to work around Scotland and the wider UK but wouldn’t rule out a return to a sunnier climate!
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On joining the Board, Cheryl says ‘I’m fortunate that my varied career and travels have introduced me to so many different cultures and ways of life, and I’m excited by the opportunity that Positive Scotland offers to discover and establish links between people of all backgrounds, across countries and continents.’
Trustee
Mary Fox
Mary is a community development specialist who has worked in the public and Third sector for over 30 years
Trustee
Donna Davies
Donna Davies is an entrepreneur who owns several businesses. Her main business and passion is her coaching practice, Rediscover You, where she helps women get unstuck and become the best version of themselves.
She recently achieved a Masters in Psychology, having gone back to university in her 50’s. Here she discovered her fascination with neuroscience that led her to train as a Neurofeedback Therapist.
Neurofeedback is a non-invasive method that aims to train the brain to improve its self-regulatory ability leading to increased overall mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. Donna incorporates this transformative technology into her coaching practice achieving life changing results.
Donna has 3 grown up children and she produces and presents her own radio show on Forth Valley Radio. In the summer months you’ll find her touring in her campervan and walking in the Scottish mountains.
Trustee
Lyandra Vlahakis
Zambian born of a multi cultural ethnicity (African, Greek, English and Native American), Lyandra moved to Scotland in summer 2004 to begin a new chapter of her life.
Her career background is very diverse and wide. She is a humanitarian and philanthropist at heart. Culture is very much part of her DNA, and she has embraced and learned about many cultures.
Lyandra grew up in Zambia where she experienced colonialism, racism and stigmatisation. Having being born mixed race or classed as “coloured” was challenging due to the division of Black and White people.
Lyandra has recently completed her Counselling Skills Certification with COSCA, and is going on the further her education in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. She is also a fully qualified mental health first aider and has a background in Spiritual & Personal development coaching.