A respected team with care at the centre.

Dr Gibson is a past Chair of the Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust and was one of the three members of the initial Board which founded the Trust in 1990 under the guidance of Consultant Neurologist, Dr Michael Swallow.

Marion became President of the organisation in 2019 and, with some 25 years' previous service on the Board, feels it has been a fascinating journey of discovery and development. She has seen the conception, growth and development of the organisation through its staff, the Board and the thousands of people of all ages and needs who have benefited from music therapy.

Learning through experience has been the basis for Marion's professional life. After early work in nursing and community support during the Troubles, she trained as a social worker at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, with a special interest in psychological trauma and the psychosocial impact of traumatic incidents.

Before her recent retirement, Marion was the Manager and Clinical Director of Respond Training, a specialist network of psychological trauma practitioners, trainers and researchers from a variety of professional backgrounds.

Gary Lightbody is best known as the vocalist and rhythm guitarist of Snow Patrol. As an ambassador, he helps bring public attention to the value of music therapy and the work of NI Music Therapy Trust.

His support reflects a simple but powerful belief at the heart of the charity: music can help people communicate, connect, and be heard when words are not enough.

Nicky was born in London but grew up in Belfast. She studied music at York University and, after orchestral training in London, moved to Florence to play viola in the opera orchestra. She is now manager of a prestigious chamber music festival held annually in southern Tuscany.

Released from the pressures of professional playing, Nicky has developed a parallel career as a travel journalist writing for newspapers, magazines and websites in the UK and US about Italy and all things Italian.

Growing up in the Swallow family, the concept of music as therapy was ingrained at an early age. Nicky and her sister attended the Share Music courses founded by their father, Michael Swallow, in the 1990s, and she is honoured to remain involved through the charity.

Gemma grew up in Belfast and, after leaving school, worked for several years at the Belfast Festival at Queen's. She then moved to Scotland and began a career in theatre backstage as a Stage and Production Manager before moving to London.

During a decade in London she worked nationally and internationally with companies including Theatre de Complicité, the National Theatre, the Young Vic and Stomp. She returned to Scotland and in 2013 was appointed Technical Director of the National Theatre of Scotland.

The National Theatre of Scotland is a Theatre without Walls with a touring remit across Scotland, the UK and internationally. Gemma has championed the work of women backstage and helped drive the company's green policies.

Emma is a third year Mental Health Nursing student. During her teenage years she struggled badly with mental health and spent an extended period in hospital, where she found her love for music.

Through music therapy Emma found a way to express her feelings, thoughts and needs. At times, music was her only way of communicating, through writing music and singing.

Emma says music therapy helped her reach where she is today, on the road to becoming a successful nurse and caring for people in similar circumstances. She is delighted and honoured to be an ambassador.

Fiona was a solicitor in private practice for many years. She was a Senior Partner in Jones Cassidy Brett and latterly a consultant with Lewis Silkin solicitors.

She has extensive experience of employment, discrimination, public administration and human rights law, and has acted for a number of charitable bodies with knowledge and experience of charity law.

Fiona has a love of music and attempts to play the piano and violin. She joined the Board in 2022 and finds it an absolute privilege to work with the dedicated team.

Michael has worked as a doctor in the NHS for over 30 years, including as a Consultant Psychiatrist in Northern Ireland and Merseyside, England. Prior to psychiatry, he trained as a General Practitioner in Scotland.

Throughout his career, Michael has seen the benefits of music therapy in mental health recovery, hospitals, community settings, care homes, day centres, and with people who have physical and intellectual disabilities.

Michael has a lifelong passion for music, having sung tenor parts in major choirs and played keyboards in the County Armagh-based PM Big Band for almost twenty years. He is honoured to support the organisation's impact across Northern Ireland.

Laura originally qualified as a Chartered Marketer before moving to the voluntary sector, where she has worked for almost 30 years. Her early years were spent in marketing and fundraising for disability charities including NICOD, Disability Action and Phab NI.

She later became Director of the Army Families' Federation in Northern Ireland, sparking an interest in work centred around veterans' mental health and the treatment of Complex PTSD.

Laura has managed a large cross-border project for Co-operation Ireland and was National Manager for a UK-based grass-roots sports charity. She is a huge advocate for music therapy and its ability to improve outcomes for people from all backgrounds.

After completing a BMus (Hons) at Edinburgh University, Julie obtained a postgraduate diploma in music therapy and a Masters in Music Therapy in Cambridge.

Julie has worked as a music therapist with the charity since 2005. She has delivered music therapy in mental health settings and in the Music in Mind research with Queen's University Belfast.

Julie manages a team of therapists and provides music therapy in forensic, mental health, physical and learning disability settings.

Sandra joined the staff team in January 2016 as Office Manager after many years' experience in the private, public and charitable sectors.

Her background is mainly in business and information technology, and she has used her teaching diplomas to develop and deliver IT training packages across health trust and higher education settings.

Sandra's duties include human resources, information technology and office management.