In memory of Shaun Spillane
20 November 1966 - 28 May 2022
Shaun Spillane sadly passed away unexpectedly on 28 May 2022, aged 55. Shaun was originally from Sheffield and then lived in Chichester and the Arun areas for a lot of his adult life.
Shaun had a life of travelling (for work) through his former career at IBM, but then Shaun, like so many, experienced some challenging times and, following a stay in hospital, he became connected to local support services in West Sussex.
At that time in 2018, local services got to experience Shaun’s compassion and he was introduced to Stonepillow. Stonepillow prevents and relieves homelessness in West Sussex by delivering a wide range of support services to ensure that wellbeing and independence can be achieved for those they work with.
Shaun took on the role of chairing the Stonepillow Peer-Led User Group. Promoting the voice and needs of those who needed Stonepillow's services influenced the shaping of services for the future. Shaun was a great advocate and was very much liked by both staff and clients.
Hilary Bartle, CEO of Stonepillow, reflects on Shaun's involvement with the piloting of the West Sussex Pathfinder Mental Health Alliance Peer Review process. She says he was influential in the questions that were asked of services to ensure that the voice of those who used services was heard and listened to during the reviews of these valuable services.
Building on his work with both Stonepillow and the West Sussex Pathfinder Mental Health Alliance, Shaun became a member of CAPITAL Project Trust, a local peer-led mental health organisation. CAPITAL provides independent peer support to mental health units locally and is led by its members, all of whom experience mental health issues.
People met Shaun through monthly community meetings in Bognor and he was a popular facilitator. Duncan Marshall, CEO of CAPITAL Project Trust, said: "Shaun's role as Locality Coordinator was a progression from his initial role at CAPITAL organising transport for members. As a confident communicator, he was always networking with other organisations and services – looking for opportunities to improve services that support people.”
Shaun will also be remembered for his campanology skills and was a regular ringer at Chichester Cathedral.
He was a strong advocate for changing services and would often challenge mental health services if he needed to.
Those who knew Shaun within all his roles in West Sussex remember him for his kindness, care, laughter, support and inspiration – role modelling his recovery for all.
He is greatly missed by his friends and colleagues at Stonepillow and CAPITAL Project Trust. Finally, his passion for ensuring that the lived experience voice is put at the heart of service delivery will live on in both organisations.
To find out more about the work of Stonepillow, CAPITAL Project Trust, visit their websites: www.Stonepillow.org.uk , www.capitalproject.org
