Trish Mensah 

Bristol Older People’s Forum – Deputy Chair 

Trish Mensah has been a trustee of Bristol Older People’s Forum in 2018 and is currently Deputy Chair which in turn involves sitting on several other committees – scrutiny in the Council as well as Housing and Toilet Committees with other local groups. Trish is also the membership secretary of GAS NPC (Gloucestershire, Avon and Somerset National Pensioners Convention) and an active member of Bristol Radical History Group and is currently writing pamphlets of older activists and their memories. Trish was on the board of Sphere and is also a member of BABCOM (Bladder and bowel confidence) and sits as a patient participant on a number of medical research projects (currently BABCOM and end of life care). 

While at home raising four sons, Trish has been a foster carer, a school governor, as well as, on the board of BAND (Bristol Afterschool Neighbourhood Daycare) and started the local after school club (to enable her to return to university and change careers!) Trish was active in a number of campaigns such as the Anti-Apartheid movement and women’s rights. Trish was originally an Inpatient Services Manager in the NHS (managing services such as ward clerks, medical records, admissions, classification of diseases, waiting lists etc). She has a particular interest in Parkinson’s as my mother was 30 when first diagnosed so I have a good understanding of the disease and how it affects the person and their family.  

While a senior social worker in Bristol Trish (initially in adult and hospital social worker and later with children in adoption and fostering) was also a trade union health and safety officer. Trish enjoys travel, playing board games, patchwork, reading and finding ancestors on Ancestry.