Hi, I am Lis (Elisabeth) Boulton . I work as a consultant and researcher with a focus on improving health and social care, especially for women and older adults.

 

Since 1995, I have worked across charities, local government, and universities, giving me a broad understanding of how the health system works from every angle. I have held many roles, from being a hands-on support worker to managing a care home, leading a medium-sized charity, and most recently, serving as a policy manager for the national charity, Age UK. I have also served as a Trustee for my local Age UK and for Calderdale Carers Project for the last 16 years. My background in local government involved managing adult social care commissioning and planning services for older people in Calderdale.

 

Alongside this practical experience, I have a strong academic foundation. In 2010, I joined the University of Manchester to research healthy ageing. After completing my PhD on physical activity in later life, I worked on several national and international research projects, publishing 37 academic papers. I am currently a Visiting Research Fellow at the Open University, where I promote public health campaigns like "Take Five to Age Well."

 

I live in Marsden, West Yorkshire. I love walking in the hills with my two dogs, Rona (14) and Florrie (5), as well as getting away in the campervan as much as possible. I recently stepped away from full-time employment to focus on my own healthy ageing, whilst continuing to work on projects I truly care about. I live with my husband (a fell runner and climber) and daughter (daily gym-goer, climber, and U7s football coach). They provide me with the strong social norms to be more active myself, and my son provides me with the motivation to keep buying a season ticket to watch Huddersfield Town every year!