OUR MISSION
BOLD VIBES was founded to create a vibrant, supportive community for children, young people, and adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities and their families and carers. Our mission is to inspire confidence, joy and belonging by offering inclusive activities and social opportunities that celebrate every individual’s potential and strengthen our community.
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MEET BOLD VIBES
Behind BOLD VIBES is a passionate and caring team dedicated to supporting BOLD VIBERS to enjoy life to the absolute fullest. Drawing on diverse professional and personal experiences and united by a shared commitment to make a positive difference; the founding trustees believe in our vision of creating inclusive support and a nurturing environment where everyone can thrive and feel welcome.
With strong belief in our values of connection, joy, respect, adventure and collaboration; the BOLD VIBES team works closely with our community to create safe spaces and meaningful opportunities for all.
Get to know the friendly faces who make up the BOLD VIBES Board of Trustees.
Meet our BOLD Creators and Founding Trustees
Solange and Dan Timms
‘BOLD VIBES began with our two boys.’
As their parents and full-time carers, Dan (he/him) and Solange (she/her) have walked a journey that many families will recognise - full of love, learning, challenges and a constant search for the right support, opportunities and connections. Along the way, they saw first-hand how easy it can be to feel isolated, to lose confidence and to struggle to access the community in a meaningful way.
But they also saw something else - what is possible when the right support is in place.
Solange has always been passionate about advocacy. Through her role as former Chair of the Manchester Parent Carer Forum and her involvement in developing Manchester’s SEND Co-production Charter, she has worked to ensure that families' voices are heard and valued. Her professional experience as a Family Support Advisor and within safeguarding in a specialist primary school, alongside her degree in Integrated Health and Social Care with a dual focus on learning disability across the lifespan and carer wellbeing has given her strong foundations to support others.
As a full-time carer and a governor at a specialist primary and high school, Dan brings dedication, insight and a deep commitment to improving opportunities for people with complex needs. He understands the importance of building strong networks, creating inclusive spaces and helping families feel part of something bigger. Before becoming a full time carer, Dan spent 22 years working in the travel and tourism sector, building extensive experience in customer service, organisation and community connection. Dan has completed training with the National Council for Voluntary Organisations in finance, safeguarding, and privacy policy, strengthening the foundations and future growth of BOLD VIBES.
Together, they share a simple but powerful goal: to support their boys and others to build friendships, confidence and experience a real sense of belonging. BOLD VIBES was created to make that happen. It is more than a group. It is a community where families can connect and everyone can live life boldly.
Meet more BOLD Founding Trustees
Danielle Hulme
Danielle (she/her) brings a powerful combination of professional expertise and lived experience to her role as a trustee. As a parent carer to an autistic son with complex needs, she understands first-hand the realities many families face, including the isolation and sense of missing out on meaningful, purposeful experiences and environments.
Her journey has led her to step away from a corporate career in HR, data and analytics, in order to meet the needs of her family. This transition has deepened her commitment to improving outcomes not only for her own child, but for others navigating similar paths.
Danielle has over ten years' experience as a governor within a specialist education setting, where she also served as Chair of the Finance Committee. She brings strong strategic insight, financial oversight, and analytical thinking to her work, alongside a deep passion for championing carer wellbeing.
Driven by both her personal and professional experiences, Danielle is committed to supporting BOLD VIBES, connecting and empowering families, helping to create spaces where they feel included and understood.
Lisa Miles
Lisa (she/her) has worked in the NHS for more than 20 years, managing a range of clinical research projects. In her current role as Operational Director, she is passionate about supporting research and innovation teams with a collective aim to improve health outcomes and promote equity of access. Lisa is also the Co-Director of Wilbo’s Blends, a company developed from lived experience, which offers a range of real-food products and equipment to support tube feeding and access to blended diet. Alongside her professional experience, Lisa also brings lived experience as a parent carer. She is lucky to be the Mum to three beautiful children, the eldest of whom is autistic with significant learning disability. Through this most cherished role, Lisa has experienced first-hand the importance of connection, support and inclusion, for her family and others. Linked to her experience as a parent-carer, Lisa is also a member of the Autism@Manchester Steering Group, which brings academics and clinicians together with members of the autistic community to ensure research is co-produced and meaningful. She is also a Governor at a specialist school where her eldest son attends. Lisa is honoured to be supporting the work of Bold Vibes as a Trustee.
“Meeting other families, building friendships and providing a range of opportunities for our children to experience, for them to be seen and valued has been, and continues to be, really important for us as parent carers. Friendships offer a real lifeline, providing an accepting space to share our experiences and feel connected, and has made all the difference to our family. I am really proud to be a Trustee for BOLD VIBES”
Laura Burling
Laura (she/her) is a co-production and relational practice specialist with over 20 years’ experience working alongside people, communities, charities, health services and public sector organisations to create more inclusive and human-centred systems. Through her consultancy, Co-Designed Solutions, Laura supports organisations to build stronger relationships, share power and work in partnership with communities to create meaningful change.
Alongside her professional experience, Laura also brings lived experience as the sister of a brother with Down Syndrome, which has deeply shaped her values, understanding and commitment to inclusion, belonging and community. Her work is grounded in the belief that everyone should feel heard, valued and able to participate fully in the things that matter to them.
Laura is passionate about creating welcoming spaces where people can connect, grow in confidence and thrive together, making her proud to support the vision and values of BOLD VIBES.
‘At BOLD VIBES, we believe in bold ideas, lived experience and meaningful impact. Our governance reflects this - strong, transparent and rooted in our community.’
