Meet John Dymott our new trustee

Age Cymru Dyfed is pleased to welcome our newest trustee to the Board, John Dymott. John lives in Ciliau Aeron and brings with him a wealth of professional experience, alongside a deep commitment to supporting older people and their communities across Dyfed. Speaking about what first inspired him to become involved in supporting older people, John said:

“I joined Aberaeron Rotary Club shortly after moving to Wales in 2021 and settling into my home in Ciliau Aeron. I began to look at issues surrounding those living with dementia and their carers/companions. From that I discovered the Forget-me-Knot Club that is hosted by RAY Ceredigion.”

John explained how volunteering with the weekly support group gave him valuable insight into the realities many older people face on a daily basis.

“The Forget-me-Knot Club is a weekly-run support group for those living with dementia and their carers. The group’s attendees are mostly in their late 60s to early 90s. I volunteered to help the group’s guests and became aware of the difficulties the older generation are experiencing within the area. These difficulties ranged from transport availability, getting medical support, access to financial support, assisted living packages, lack of internet access and, in most cases, being unfamiliar with online activities such as banking and form filling in general. There is also the difficulty of finding suitable toilet facilities when travelling from Aberaeron to local hospitals.”

Wanting to better understand the issues affecting older people and help raise awareness of them, John became actively involved with the Age Friendly Ceredigion Forum.

“As a result, I became an active member of the Age Friendly Ceredigion Forum that meets about four times a year to discuss issues with the Local Authority and other attendees and raise a wider awareness of the problems experienced by an older generation. I sought to understand what support is available.”

Since learning more about Age Cymru Dyfed through the charity’s Dementia Connector Service, John says he has become increasingly aware of the important role the organisation plays across the region.

“Since learning about Age Cymru Dyfed, initially through the Dementia Connector Service, I have become more aware that the organisation is able to provide real-world solutions to many of the problems that I had identified. I consider it essential that such an organisation exists and can continue its work supporting older people; developing new support activities as needs are identified, whilst maintaining good fiscal management and demonstrating compliance with changing legislation and regulations.”

John believes his professional experience and background in governance and regulation will allow him to make a meaningful contribution as a trustee.

“I consider that as a member of the Board of Trustees I will be able to contribute to affirm the effectiveness of the management systems so as to meet the reasonable needs of an ageing community in Dyfed, within the parameters of the legal, regulatory and financial requirements. Furthermore, to deliver the required services, it is important that its staff are supported to meet the challenges of an ageing population.”

Throughout his career, John worked as a senior manager and Chartered Engineer within the UK gas industry, where he was responsible for developing policies, procedures and major infrastructure projects.

“As a senior manager and a Chartered Engineer working in a highly regulated UK gas industry, it became my role to understand the legal requirements associated with maintaining and developing an integrated gas network. The legal framework was underpinned by regulation through OFGEM and the safety requirements by the HSE. I was responsible for the development of company policies and procedures for a safe and economic gas supply network.”

John also led major programmes involving regulators, specialist firms and universities.

“Not being a person to stifle initiative, I also commissioned the development of a suite of guidance documents that was intended to be used to underpin compliance. I was also responsible for the delivery of a number of projects following challenges by the regulators and had to develop business cases for the directors in order to resource the support and expertise required to satisfy those challenges. That included recruitment, setting up completely new departments, obtaining materials and leading research programmes with specialist firms and universities. I was required to manage the budget that I applied for in compliance with my business cases.”

More recently, John continued his work as a consultant both within the UK and internationally.

“I undertook due diligence work on behalf of Gas Distribution Companies and Energy Regulators in GB and also in Singapore, Israel and Northern Ireland. I also planned and designed gas supply networks, ranging from domestic housing estates to integrated supplies to power stations.”

We are delighted to welcome John to the Board of Trustees and look forward to the knowledge, experience and dedication he will bring to Age Cymru Dyfed and the communities we support.