Board of Trustees

I am honoured and delighted to join the Jessie May Board as a Trustee and be able to support the amazing work that the Jessie May team does.

I am a partner at Nine Feet Tall, a local management consultancy based in the South West. I first got involved with Jessie May when we were deciding who to select as our Charity of the Year for 2020. When I heard about the work the Care Team does with children and families, I felt instantly drawn to Jessie May and a desire to become more closely involved.

In my work as an advisor, coach and change consultant, I help organisations overcome their specific challenges to turn their strategies into actionable plans, which achieve real results. I have over 15 years experience working in non-profit and regulated sectors and I hope that some of this experience may be useful to Jessie May. My core values are about being passionate and authentic in everything I do and I place a real emphasis on listening first and building strong relationships. I know both will be important in my role as a Trustee.

Outside of work I have 3 children, one of whom has educational support needs and so, as a parent, I really appreciate how much difference charity and support services can make, to both your child’s life and your own.

People always used to say to me that once you become part of the Jessie May family you never leave and this is certainly true for me. I held the position of Director of Finance and Corporate Services at Jessie May for two and a half years before leaving to find a position closer to home. Shortly after I left the finance chair was stepping down as she was coming to the end of her term and so a vacancy for a finance professional became available. I applied for the position and was thrilled to be accepted onto the board in June 2020.

I am a qualified accountant and have worked in the charity sector since 2007. I have recently stepped into the housing sector which although commercially run has a strong sense of social purpose which will enable me to enhance my skills needed to help set the strategic direction of Jessie May and to support the executive team in ensuring resources are continued to be deployed efficiently and responsibly. Having worked alongside the nurses at Jessie May I have seen personally the first-class care and support they give to Jessie May families and how hard the rest of the team work to plan and administer the running of visits and making sure that there are enough funds being raised so this support can continue.

I hope to be able to use my skills to strengthen our position to be able to grow and develop to continue to support the current Jessie May families and make sure that we are able to help the many more families that need us.

I first became aware of Jessie May in 2017, when my son was born prematurely and was subsequently diagnosed as having a life limiting condition requiring round the clock care. All the nurses and staff helped us to come to terms with our new life and also to reclaim some of our old life back each time they visited us to give us a break. They are an extension of our family and our son adores them, especially having cuddles and playtime, bringing extra joy and happiness whenever they are with us.

My professional background is in fundraising and data collection, so when the opportunity to become a Jessie May Trustee came about in 2019, I jumped at the chance. It is my way of giving back for all the help they give us, and I am able to provide input both from a professional perspective but also, more importantly, from a Jessie May parents' point of view. I want to ensure that the wonderful unique work that they do is around for years to come.

Jessie May is the first charity I have joined as a Trustee and I am proud to be involved with such an amazing team of staff and trustees in a truly wonderful organisation.

I have worked for over 20 years in small entrepreneurial organisations, in the UK and internationally, and have founded four successful start-ups. I hope to bring a passionate energy and business acumen to Jessie May to help grow its reach and influence, so that more children and families can make the choice to stay together at home.

I have two children, and family is a hugely important part of my life. My children and family will be supporting me with Jessie May and I hope that we can help support other families along the way.

As a Community Paediatrician working in Bristol I have been able to see first hand the enormous benefit the Jessie May brings in to the lives and homes of our families. These families have challenges to overcome that most of us can not even conceive so the value of having the Jessie May team alongside them on their journey feels like a wonderful gift. It is the relationships that the team develop with families that seems so precious and important in helping them enjoy the time they have together and supports them through their darkest times.

I have the privilege of being Community Paediatrician to a high proportion of children with life limiting illnesses and this experience helps me in my role as a trustee ensuring that the charities focus remains centred on the needs of the families and children. I am glad to bring my knowledge of children's health services in the area as well as my clinical knowledge to the role and see myself able to be a very important link between the charity, the children and their families and the other health services working to meet the need of children. My understanding of clinical governance is also key in ensure the charity is run in a safe and effective way.

As I work part-time I am able to find time to commit to the Jessie May whilst my two children are at school and look forward to attending some of the family events with them.

As a business manager within a large recruitment firm in Bristol, I am joining the board of trustees to offer my business acumen and networking capabilities. My motivation for joining Jessie May stems from the charity’s incredible support to my foster sister Mia.

Mia suffered from life-limiting conditions and required around the clock care, so when my parents welcomed Mia into our family, it was clear that additional support would be required. Jessie May were there to provide not just clinical support, but so much more. The support Jessie May provides to families like mine is incredible but also essential. I am delighted to be in a position to offer something back.

I am incredibly proud to call myself a trustee for Jessie May and am looking forward to adding value, particularly through a time where charities are feeling the pressure during a global pandemic.

I first came across the wonderful work that Jessie May does in 2016, when my daughter was born with kidney failure and required intensive medical care at home and in hospital. The nurses have provided our family with much needed breaks when visiting us at home and within the hospital setting. They have supported us through many highs and lows – advocating for our daughter when needed. As parents having someone who listens and just ‘gets it’ has been invaluable. We see them as part of our family and feel so comfortable when they visit our house. They show such care and compassion to our daughter who loves when they come to play! At the heart of Jessie May is to deliver complex medical care whilst ensuring that their time spent with the children is fun and comforting. The nurses have regularly taken our daughter on trips to the park and, role play such as hairdressers and arts and crafts. Of course, it goes without saying plenty of cuddles are always at hand!

My professional background involves managing industrial science partnerships within the higher education setting, having previously been a climate research scientist. When the opportunity arose to join the Trustee Board of Jessie May I jumped at the chance. We have relied so much on their support over the years that this is a way for me to give something back having experienced the service first-hand. Outside of work, in addition to my daughter, who is cared for by Jessie May, I also have a little boy, benefiting also from many of the family Jessie May events that take place each year.

I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to share my knowledge, skills and experience to support Jessie May Trust with its ambitious plans for the future.

I have over 20 years of human resources management experience gained in a variety of sectors. I am now a freelance HR consultant, specialising in services to the voluntary, charity and social enterprise sectors in the greater Bristol area.

In the last 25 years I have held various voluntary positions including Chair of Governors, Trustee and Appropriate Adult.

I live with my husband in South Gloucestershire and have two daughters and two young grandsons. I love travelling and live music.

We have been receiving respite care from Jessie May for about 6 years.

This is an invaluable service for us as a family but also is something that my daughter really looks forward to as Charlotte, Gemma and Lois are not just her nurses, they are her friends.

I have been looking for a way to give back to Jessie May and I’m hoping that I’m able to bring a parent’s perspective to the Board as well as offer my experience from 15 years working in the civil service across finance, risk management and most recently governance and assurance.

It is a great privilege to be working as a Trustee for Jessie May; a charity I have long admired for its work with children and families at such precious times.

I have worked as a GP in Bristol for the past 20 years and prior to this spent some time working in paediatrics. I value building relationships with my patients, getting to know families and helping them through challenging times and trying to understand that everyone has a unique set of needs. I realise this is even more crucial when a child is affected by an illness and yet more so when that condition is life limiting. I recognise that family and friends also require support to be able to care for their loved ones to allow everyone to gain the most that they can from living.

Family life is hugely important to me. I have three children who have taught me a lot. I’m excited to be working with an organisation that is so family centred.
I hope I have some skills and experience both professionally and personally that can be useful. I am looking forward to meeting, listening and learning from families who use Jessie May and from the staff that do such amazing work so that I can play my part in helping the charity go from strength to strength.

It’s a great honour to be part of the Jessie May Board and be able to support such an incredible and essential service.

I am an ESG Analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown; a financial services firm based in Bristol. I connected with Jessie May during the pandemic when my husband and I were looking to lend our support to a charity during that difficult period. Since then I’ve been in awe of the life-changing work the Jessie May team does and it’s led me to want to be more closely involved.

My work revolves around understanding what makes businesses tick, and distilling it into accessible content for everyday investors. I have a genuine passion for communication and the ever-pressing need to connect with your audience is what gets me out of bed in the morning. I hope to leverage my background in communications and finance to help move Jessie May forward and support the great work they do.

This is an exciting time of change for Jessie May and I am so grateful to be a part of it. I hope my enthusiasm will add to the positive momentum and ensure we can grow and develop in a way that meaningfully supports the families that need us.

I am delighted to have been appointed to join the Board of Trustees at Jessie May.

I qualified as a children’s and adults’ nurse having trained at both Great Ormond Street Hospital and University College London Hospital and worked as a staff nurse in London prior to moving to Newcastle to train as a social worker.

The majority of my professional career has been involved with supporting children with life threatening or life limiting illness, most recently as the Director of Care Services at Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity. I am a passionate advocate for whole family support and in delivering care and support in the place chosen by the family.

I have worked closely with the Jessie May team for many years and have seen the tangible difference their support makes to families living with a very sick child and I look forward to being a part of the growth and development of the service.