Who We Are

We’re a charity based in Plymouth who support children, young people and adults to overcome barriers.

Our Mission

To support and enable individuals, families, and communities to navigate barriers and overcome disadvantage. We aim to support their personal growth so they can learn, socialise, have fun and flourish regardless of their circumstances.

Our Purpose

Helping to guide people onto a path towards overcoming life’s challenges

Our History

Routeways Centre Limited was founded in 1997, originally called PICTOP (Plymouth Inner City Team of Projects).

It was an assimilation of community benefit and economic regeneration projects managed by Plymouth City Council. In 1999, the company changed its name to the Routeways Centre Limited and received charitable status in 2000. Routeways Centre Limited continues to provide valuable support to families, individuals and children and young people 28 years on.

Meet the Team

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    Rob Adamson

    Chief Executive

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    Ali Roberts

    Deputy Chief Executive & Safeguarding Lead

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    Laura Henry

    Deputy Service Manager

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    Hannah Way

    Activities Coordinator

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    Chris Thomson-Hill

    Activities Coordinator

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    Nikki Geary

    Finance Administrator

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    Aaron Kelly

    Senior Session Lead

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    George Beazley-Long

    Gardener

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    Tom Moran

    Digital content & Marketing

Our Patron and Trustees

Rae Wallin - Patron

  • Rae Wallin joined the original PICTOP organisation over 25 years ago, and has been tireless since then in supporting efforts to improve the effects of poverty on individuals, families and communities in Plymouth. Under her Chairmanship, PICTOP’s mission expanded significantly to become Routeways in ….., offering respite care to children and young people with severe disadvantages, and supporting services to their families and the wider community.

    Following a busy career in senior public sector management, Rae launched a highly successful business, expanding her company throughout England, Wales, France, and Poland (where she led an international project to recruit and support dentists for the NHS), focusing on solving organizational, personnel, and skill-related issues. Her work even extended to involvement in homicide investigations and other complex inquiries.

    Alongside this extremely busy career, Rae has always devoted time and energy to unpaid work which supports the individual in society. She was Chairman of Plymouth City College for 7 years where she led notable projects leading to the creation of career opportunities for others. There are many organisations in the region which have cause to thank Rae for her unsung pro bono work on managing specific situations, mentoring and coaching and also teaching at postgraduate level on various leadership programmes.

    As Company Secretary of Routeways from …… to ……, Rae has been an active part of the organisation’s considerable expansion and success, saying; ‘the Routeways staff are fully committed to the charity’s mission and providing high-quality services. The organisation is quick to adapt to change and continues to make a positive impact across many areas of Plymouth. I believe the Board of Trustees is crucial in supporting the staff, ensuring due diligence, and contributing to the development of this remarkable charity. I feel privileged to have served as a Board member.’

    We are delighted that, in her well-deserved retirement, she has accepted the role of inaugural Patron of Routeways.

Bob Musk - Patron

  • Bob Musk is a Chartered Physicist and Chartered Scientist and has pursued a successful career for over fifty years in the fields of optoelectronics and microelectronics and was a pioneer in the development and manufacture of optoelectronic components for the telecoms industry.

    Bob’s experience spans the entire evolution of microelectronic and photonic products from R&D to high volume manufacture. He has held senior positions with many hi-tech companies throughout the world at many international sites including the USA, Japan, and Singapore. He has also been active in international standards, multi-source committees and supplier collaborations with an extensive technical network.

    Bob was awarded the 1994 Institute of Physics Patterson Award for exceptional early career contributions to the application of physics in an industrial/commercial context and holds 38 patents related to fibre optic technology.

Louise Hardy - Deputy Chair of Trustees

Steve Lawrie - Chair of Trustees

  • Steve is the Port Operations Manager for Brittany Ferries in Plymouth. Experienced Operations Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the maritime industry for over 30 years.

    Skilled in Management, Transportation, Team Leadership and Shipping. As well as being a strong operations professional, Steve has been a Trustee with Routeways since 2007. Previously he was a Special Constable and also volunteered with Victim Support in the Court Witness service supporting witnesses in both Magistrates and Crown Courts. When asked why he is a Trustee, Steve said:

    ‘I am a trustee of Routeways due to my wish to ensure the lives of those less able to do so themselves are enhanced and enriched to their greatest potential using the dedicated fantastic team at Routeways and in my own small way assist in that outcome.’

  • Louise is a leadership and organisation development consultant, specialising in personal, team and board development and in helping organisations achieve their goals and objectives through the creation and maintenance of excellent people processes.  

    Alongside this, Louise has an academic interest in the field of leadership development and has been a Senior Lecturer and Associate Lecturer with the University of Plymouth Medical School for nearly two decades.   She designed and commissioned the Professional and Generic Skills Programme for doctors in training, and currently lectures on the Masters in Healthcare Management, Leadership and Innovation.  

    Louise has always believed that to 'put something back into the community pot' is a duty and a privilege, and to this end has held a variety of Trustee roles, including as Chair of the EarlyBird Diabetes Trust, as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Plymouth Hospitals and (during lockdown) acting as a Mentor for the Prince's Trust.  Most recently, she was appointed as a Trustee on the Council of Trustees for Buckfast Abbey.

Nick Holman - Trustee

  • Nick has over 35 years' experience advising both public and private sector clients throughout the South West. He co-founded Vickery Holman in 1990.  Nick advises on specialist valuations, expert witness, landlord and tenant and dispute resolution. He is a member of the RICS President's Panels of Arbitrators and Independent Experts. Arbitrator and independent expert on rent and valuation disputes. Expert witness on commercial property with experience of oral evidence in court.

    His specialist areas include leisure, healthcare, education, and professional negligence.

    Current outside interests include Chair of Governors at City College Plymouth, Chairman of Brook Housing Ltd and Chairman of the Management Committee at Yelverton Golf Club.

Glenn Jordan - Trustee

  • Glenn's journey has been marked by adaptability and a strong commitment to his community. After a decade of service in the Royal Navy, his career was cut short by medical discharge. Undeterred, Glenn then transitioned into entrepreneurship running a small business, later embracing the role of a house husband as his family grew.

    With his children growing older, Glenn returned to the workforce, spending eight years with Royal Mail. Eventually taking redundancy led him to explore new opportunities, and he dedicated himself to serving as a Plymouth city councillor for an impressive 22 years. Throughout this time, he remained deeply involved in his community, always looking for ways to make a positive impact.

    Glenn has also been active in education, serving as a governor for four schools across Plymouth and continuing his involvement with two local nurseries, including Bobtails Pre-school. He is a trustee for several local organizations, including Plymouth Youth Sailing and Community Photographic Studios CIC, further reflecting his commitment to community development.

    In his free time, Glenn finds challenge and fulfilment in playing and coaching wheelchair rugby for a Plymouth-based team. He currently serves as the Veterans Outreach Coordinator at Four Greens Community Trust, supporting veterans and their families across Plymouth.

    When asked about his motivation for becoming a trustee, Glenn's response reveals his profound empathy and desire to empower others. "There are two reasons," he explains. "Firstly, I want to help make people's lives better. When I was approached to join Routeways, I couldn't turn down the opportunity, as that is at the heart of everything we do. Secondly, I am dyslexic, and I have met many intelligent individuals who, due to similar conditions, believe they are incapable of achieving their goals. I want to demonstrate that such conditions are not disabilities, and that anyone can achieve their aspirations."

    Glenn’s life demonstrates how adversity and personal experience can shape a deep commitment to helping others, and his work continues to make a positive impact on communities in Plymouth.

Lindsay Ward - Trustee

  • After twenty years supporting young people and their families in Plymouth and Devonport, Lindsay changed direction when the need to provide full time care for her father arose. Lindsay combined this with ten years in frontline politics and both taught her a great deal about the challenges people face and how to solve seemingly insurmountable problems. Lindsay is currently based between her home in Devon, the University of London and Jordan, researching the development of policy to support youth in the Levant. Lindsay was made a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in 1991 for extra-curricular projects which were judged to enrich the lives of young people. Lindsay said ‘It is a privilege to offer challenge and support for Routeways along with the other trustees. I aim to do this by drawing from my background, including senior leadership experience in secondary education and local government, and my current work as a public policy researcher and consultant.’

Leo Leong - Trustee

  • Leo is a passionate HR/EDI Professional, specialising in inclusion, community/workplace cohesion and accessibility. Leo has lived experience with a disability, and advocates against social stigmas and barriers into work and sport that are endemic to the disabled community.

    Alongside his professional life Leo competes in climbing, and powerlifting. He is passionate about the positive influence that sport/hobbies can have on the integration of minoritised communities into general society. Leo previously served as a Town Councillor for Looe Town Council. Leo was most recently appointed as a Non-Executive Director at Care Nest Plymouth.