Meet the team
Jessie May is made up of dedicated professionals, big-hearted volunteers, and inspiring ambassadors.

Meet our dedicated team
Together, we help create moments of joy and memories for families to look back on when they need them most.
As a team of skilled professionals, we represent a community of families who’ve all walked a similar path.
As a result, we have a unique understanding of the heartache and the hope, as well as the value that simple moments of everyday joy can bring. Whether it’s a lovingly organised family event, a bereavement group, or a few hours of priceless free time for exhausted parents, we make the everyday impossible more possible.
The team
Senior Leadership Team

Daniel Cheeseman
CEO
Daniel has over twenty years’ experience working for charities supporting children, families, disability and equality. Before joining Jessie May as CEO in 2022, he led both the disability charity ‘Paul’s Place’ and LGBTQ+ charity ‘Switchboard.’ Throughout his career Daniel has made it his mission to make a difference to the lives of others. He believes in working with others collaboratively and in partnership to get things done and improve ways of doing things.
Outside of work, Daniel lives in Bristol with his partner and two rescue dogs and is a Trustee of Curzon Cinema and Clevedon Community Centre for the Arts and a ‘want-to-be’ runner.
“It is a privilege to be leading this amazing charity. Everyday, working with an amazing team of people, I am reminded just how much caring and the act of kindness can mean to others, even at the most difficult of times. I am passionate that as a children’s hospice, everything that we do is shaped by Jessie May children and families. We were started by a family, for children and families, and today children and families remain at the heart of everything we do.”

Andrea Choules
Director of Care and Quality
With 35 years’ experience as a Children’s and Adult Nurse, Andrea has joined the Jessie May Team with an enhanced professional portfolio, having worked in Clinical and Strategic Leadership positions within a range of acute and community settings.
Having trained at Great Ormond Street Hospital as a Children’s Nurse, Andrea has previously worked at Bristol Children’s Hospital focusing upon oncology care, complex medical needs and teenage years, before moving into community Public Health Nurse settings within areas of great diversity, health inequality and deprivation.
Andrea has worked as a Professional and Strategic Lead within Children’s services for several years across Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, and Gloucester county areas and is passionate in representing and working with children, young people, parents and carers to direct the future of palliative care at local and national level.
Jessie May has always been close to her heart from the moment she attended a fund-raising event many years ago and heard about the amazing work that the Jessie May team do to support children, young people, and families through the best of times and the most difficult of times. Always with an eye on the Jessie May support experience, she is now delighted to become a member of the Jessie May family and is looking forward to meeting everyone.
Andrea’s ambition is to improve, develop and extend our care experience together in partnership.

Beccy Hussey
Director of Finance and Operations
Emma brings twelve years of experience in growing fundraising income and engagement at both national and local levels. Before joining Jessie May, she served as Head of Income Generation at Air Ambulances UK, where she led the fundraising and membership teams and collaborated with national partners such as Kwik Fit and Virgin Red.
With a strong passion for healthcare charities, Emma also sits on the Chartered Institute of Fundraising Special Interest Group for Health. Her primary goal is to ensure a positive experience for all supporters, donors, and event participants while maximising fundraising efforts. Emma is particularly passionate about long-term supporter engagement and fostering a culture of collaboration across teams.
Outside of work, Emma lives in Bristol, serves as the President of the Bristol Junior Chamber (2024–2025), and enjoys reading, the Bristol food scene and getting outdoors!
“I’m incredibly proud to have joined Jessie May leading the Fundraising and Communications team to drive fundraising and engagement across the Jessie May region. I’m looking forward to connecting with supporters, partners and stakeholders to drive awareness and raise vital funds for Jessie May and the families it supports.”

Emma Carter
Director of Income Generation and Engagement
Care Team

Steve Wiltshire
Nursing Care Lead
Steve has been a qualified nurse for almost 10 years (qualified in 2015). Before he worked at Jessie May, he was a staff nurse on the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Bristol Children’s Hospital. He always wanted to work with children who had complex care needs after a placement during his nursing training. He would have loved to have worked in the community from the moment he qualified, but there wasn’t a post available at the time. His time working in the Intensive Care Unit was so valuable, and provided him with the skills needed to confidently work in the community.
He joined Jessie May in November 2016, as a nurse providing visits to children and their families. He started off ‘out on the ground’, providing care to the children and supporting their families, which is the main part of our work at Jessie May. He has since moved on to become a Team Leader, where part of his role now is in planning the care and line management of the nurses.
“I do still get to go out and provide care, which is the best part of my job. I feel so privileged to be able to work for Jessie May and to provide this type of care to children and families when they really need it. I do also enjoy working on developing the Jessie May service and working in partnership with other services to improve the care of children with complex needs.”

Sam Micciche
Care Team Leader
Before joining Jessie May, Sam worked at the Bristol Children’s Hospital on the Renal Ward and PICU. She was passionate about supporting children with additional needs, and especially supporting children and young people with non-verbal communication to feel empowered during their time in hospital.
During her time there, she would always see families walking out the ward doors and wished that she could walk out there with them to help support them on the other side. She had heard about the support Jessie May nurses were able to give families at home, as well as in hospital, and jumped at the chance as soon as a position came up!
She started out on the Swindon and Wiltshire team, as the service opened in that area in 2016, and later transferred to the Bristol team, developing into a Care Team Leader after working across all areas.

Lois Cox
End of Life Team Leader

Andrew Sweetman
Jessie May Nurse
Andy qualified in 2007, and spent the first 6 years of his nursing career on the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Bristol Children’s Hospital. Having heard about Jessie May through the hospital, he joined the nursing team in 2013.
A multi-faceted role, his days see him caring for children with complex needs, in their own home and in the hospital. He is also involved in providing family support, including signposting to other services they may be able to access, and advocating for families in multi-professional meetings when trying to access further support.
“I work for Jessie May because of the privilege we have to be allowed to integrate into our families homes and lives.”
Andy is a big lover of music who is wholeheartedly obsessed with Prince, since the age of 13; he is an avid collector of his music and memorabilia. “It’s a love affair for me that I will take to my grave.” He also loves to cycle; he cycles to many of his family visits if he can.

Gemma Carpenter
Jessie May Nurse

Melody Liles
Jessie May Nurse – Swindon
Mel’s nursing career began in London; following completion of her training she remained and gained some valuable specialised paediatric nursing experience for a further 3 years. She then returned nearer to home and began working on the children’s unit in Swindon. During the 18 years she worked on the Unit, she nursed children with a wide range of medical, surgical conditions and children with chronic and acute conditions.
In 2017, she joined Jessie May where she now works as a nurse. During this time she has met loads of amazing families, and gotten to know, even better, some of the families she had previously supported on the ward.
“As a Mum myself, I know that the most precious gift we are given in life is our children, so to be trusted with the care of children with such complex needs, in the privacy of their own homes, is an absolute privilege and pleasure, and something that I will never take for granted.”

Charlotte Baker
Care Team Leader

Bryony Wilton
Nursing Assistant
Before she joined Jessie May, Bryony studied childcare at college and went on to work in a couple of nurseries; one of them being an on-site hospital nursery. She then started working for Jessie May in 2017.
As one of the Jessie May nurses, Bryony provides regular respite visits for the children and families that we support.
“I work for Jessie may as it’s a privilege to work alongside the children and their families. It’s so nice being able to support them when they really need it.”

Emily Hewson
Jessie May Nurse

Victoria Tarr
Jessie May Nurse
Victoria worked on the Adolescent Ward in Bristol Children’s Hospital for 7 years, with a keen interest in oncology care. She trained in the administration of chemotherapy and successfully completed two degree modules in Oncology. Other areas of practice included orthopaedics, surgical, respiratory, gastro, neuro, and mental health. The Adolescent Ward was multi-speciality and so she was lucky enough to see a huge variety of diagnosis and treatments delivered. Over the years she has developed a passion for tissue viability and wound care management.
After an incredible 7 years with the Adolescent Ward having made some of her best memories and friends she moved to Lighthouse Ward where she received comprehensive training and education for the care of renal children. She is trained to deliver haemodialysis and became an independent nurse prescriber through further university study. It was also on Lighthouse Ward that she undertook her first master module in physical assessment and clinical reasoning of paediatric patients. She was lucky enough to experience all aspects of renal care from dialysis to a ward based setting, and had a short secondment to community whereby she realised that community care was definitely an area of interest.
“Having a young daughter myself I really understand how precious our children are to us, and since joining Jessie May it is a huge privilege to be welcomed into families homes to care for their children. Coming out of a hospital environment after 10 years has been a big culture shock, however I absolutely love working in the community and for Jessie May.
Being a Jessie May nurse allows you to see the direct impact of providing respite care and how incredibly valuable the service is – I feel very lucky to be part of it.”

Tracy Steer
Nursing Assistant

Ashleigh Osmond
Jessie May Nurse
Ash’s nursing career started working at Southmead Hospital in NICU when she first qualified as a nurse. She then worked in BCH in ambulatory services on a ward called puzzle wood which is historically known as clinical investigation unit CIU; this is where children underwent investigations for allergies, or endocrine conditions and they would then give treatment to children to keep them in remission.
“I recently joined Jessie May in November as I really wanted to work in the community to help families and children at home; I really enjoying it and feel so proud to be part of the team.”
Ash loves playing rugby, badminton, and cold water swimming during winter. She’s a proud dog mom to Teddy, a 5-year-old cockapoo, enjoying walks, big parks, and beach days together.

Hannah Williams
Nursing team leader
Hi, I’m Hannah Williams. I am the new Team Leader for Jessie May across BSW (Banes, Swindon and Wiltshire). I qualified as a children’s nurse in 2006 and spent 12 years working on a busy children’s high dependency unit in Liverpool before moving down to Wiltshire in 2021. I have been working for the Children’s Continuing Care Team in Wiltshire since 2022. I am musical and enjoy singing and have recently got in to crystal art.

Lizzie Sim
Jessie May Nurse
Team around the Family

Caryn Davies
Head of Operations and TAF Manager

Alice Maillardet
Family Engagement Officer
Alice joins us with over 20 years of live event experience having worked on both corporate events and touring live music around the world. Most recently she re-trained as a funeral arranger where her attention to detail helped families say their best goodbyes.
This new role will see Alice bringing Jessie May families together and creating memorable events while building on the amazing work the Jessie May nurses do.
“I am really excited to be taking on this new role and the benefits it will bring to the families we support.”

Molly Holland
Family Support Worker
Hi, I’m Molly and I’m really excited to be joining Jessie May as a Family Support Worker. I’ve spent over ten years working in young people’s services as a dramatherapist, and I’m passionate about using creativity and care to support families. I live in North Bristol and in my spare time I love all things drama and film! I’m really looking forward to being part of the Jessie May team and getting to know everyone.

Samantha Radford
Family Liaison Officer

Michelle Green
Bereavement lead
Michelle is deeply committed to listening to service users and using their feedback to shape and improve services. This passion for truly hearing people and making sure they feel valued stems from her 22-year career as a Customer Service Manager, where she led a team of 22 contact centre advisors. She especially enjoyed supporting her team with soft skills training, coaching on telephone communication, and driving consistently high service standards across a national network of companies. One of her proudest achievements during this time was receiving an award for outstanding service.
After recovering from a short illness — and marking a milestone birthday — Michelle felt inspired to take a new direction in life. She began that journey with a one-way ticket to India, spending several months travelling and reflecting. Feeling renewed and with a fresh sense of purpose, she chose to pursue her long-standing passion for supporting people and using feedback to drive meaningful change. This led her to a career in the NHS, where she held roles within the Quality and Governance Team. There, she supported patients through difficult experiences, championed their voices within the organisation, and helped ensure feedback led to real improvements in care.
“Joining Jessie May as Bereavement Coordinator is a real privilege. I’m able to support families during some of their most difficult times, being there whenever and for as long as they need. Jessie May reflects my core values, and I feel honoured to work with such an incredible organisation. I’m inspired by all the people I’ve listened to over the years — whether on the phone, face to face, or during a reflective milestone birthday. I’m also currently studying part-time for a degree alongside my role, continuing my commitment to learning and personal growth.”

Andrea Choules
Director of Care and Quality
With 35 years’ experience as a Children’s and Adult Nurse, Andrea has joined the Jessie May Team with an enhanced professional portfolio, having worked in Clinical and Strategic Leadership positions within a range of acute and community settings.
Having trained at Great Ormond Street Hospital as a Children’s Nurse, Andrea has previously worked at Bristol Children’s Hospital focusing upon oncology care, complex medical needs and teenage years, before moving into community Public Health Nurse settings within areas of great diversity, health inequality and deprivation.
Andrea has worked as a Professional and Strategic Lead within Children’s services for several years across Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, and Gloucester county areas and is passionate in representing and working with children, young people, parents and carers to direct the future of palliative care at local and national level.
Jessie May has always been close to her heart from the moment she attended a fund-raising event many years ago and heard about the amazing work that the Jessie May team do to support children, young people, and families through the best of times and the most difficult of times. Always with an eye on the Jessie May support experience, she is now delighted to become a member of the Jessie May family and is looking forward to meeting everyone.
Andrea’s ambition is to improve, develop and extend our care experience together in partnership.

Chloe Shiner
Care Team Administrator
Fundraising and Communications Team

Iain Scott Moncrieff
Marketing & Digital Communications Officer
Iain is a creative communicator with a passion for design, art and toasted sandwiches.
His work experience centers around freelance graphic design and production in the creative sector, then when the opportunity with Jessie May arose, it was a chance to develop his creative communications, whilst doing a world of good at the same time.
“Working in the charity sector is a major driver – finally a chance to put my skills to good use! And I love people, it’s great to be working with a team once more. I’m proud to be part of a group that makes a difference every day.”

Jessica Richards
PR and Communications Officer
Jess grew up a country bumpkin, splitting her childhood between the Cotswolds and the Cornish coast. After starting her career in London with a corporate background, she found her calling in marketing and PR. Wanting her work to make a real difference, Jess joined Jessie May as the Marketing and Communications Officer.
After a period of maternity leave, she returned to a new role as Press, PR and Communications Officer – a position she’s embraced wholeheartedly. “I’ve loved the slight change in role, as it allows me to really connect with the families we support and put the child at the forefront of everything we do. Telling their stories and raising awareness about the work we do is something I’m very passionate about.”
Outside of work, Jess is a part-time singer, full-time mum, and always happiest when she’s by the sea.

Kath Jones
Individual Giving and Legacies Manager
Kath is a tea drinking, Welsh rugby loving, bookworm based in South Wales.
She started her career in direct marketing at Golley Slater Group, working with commercial clients such as Aviva and Scottish Power and third sector clients such as Unicef, Oxfam and Tŷ Hafan.
12 years later Kath made the move to the third sector taking a post at Tŷ Hafan, the children’s hospice for South Wales in the fundraising team. During her five-year tenure Kath managed the delivery of exceptional Supporter Care, the Challenge Events portfolio, gifts in wills, fundraising campaigns and appeals, and the Community Fundraising programme.
With a steadfast passion for children’s hospice care Kath works for Jessie May as Individual Giving Manager, committed to growing the supporter base, delivering income growth and ensuring the supporters are cared for in the best way possible.
“When working with Unicef I learnt about the UNCRC. Every child has the right to a childhood. This is no less the case when a child has a life limiting condition or terminal illness. I am passionate about children’s hospice care championing this right with the child and the family.”

Kat Mann
Community Engagement & Fundraising Officer

Kayleigh Ellis
Trusts and Statutory Manager

Caitlyn Eldridge
Digital Apprentice
Caitlyn is a Digital Apprentice currently undertaking an apprenticeship with Jessie May, where she is building on her background in Media and Communications to develop new digital skills in a professional environment.
She holds a degree in Media and Communications and has experience in writing, video content, and digital storytelling. During her time university she undertook work experience at Bristol 24/7, she wrote news articles based on press releases and assisted with filming a podcast.
Outside of the office, Caitlyn is passionate about fitness- she enjoys kickboxing, going to the gym, and running, which help her stay focused, motivated, and energised.
“As a Digital Apprentice, I’m proud to contribute to projects that amplify important messages and support Jessie May’s impact. Every day, I develop new skills, knowing my work makes a real difference.”
Operations and Finance Team

Sophia Webb
Projects and Operations Manager
Sophia first joined Jessie May as an Impact and Outcomes Officer through the Charityworks Leadership Development Programme. Working alongside Rachael, our Data and Insights Officer, she focused on reviewing and strengthening the organisation’s data systems and reporting – all to help showcase the incredible work our team delivers every day.
Now in her role as Project & Impact Manager, Sophia ensures that key projects align with Jessie May’s mission and strategic goals. She is responsible for identifying priorities, planning and tracking project progress, and reporting on outcomes to the Senior Leadership Team. She works closely with colleagues across the charity to support change management and improve organisational efficiency.
A recent graduate, Sophia brings with her experience managing youth engagement projects for companies in the rail industry. She is passionate about making a meaningful impact and feels privileged to be part of the Jessie May team.
Outside of work, Sophia is happiest exploring new places, spending time in nature, and connecting with others.
“I feel lucky to work at Jessie May, and I love supporting the team to provide the very best care to children and their families.”

Rachael Kumar
Operations Officer
Rachael has a background in customer service, admin and Pensions Software Training.
Over the years she has had the opportunity to live and work in Amsterdam (totally threw me out of my comfort zone but such an amazing 18 months which I’m so grateful to have had the chance to work and live there as a resident rather than a tourist – I still get homesick for beautiful Netherlands!). On return to the UK, she decided to take some time-out from an office environment. It was then she became involved with volunteer and community work, sitting on the committees at her daughter’s pre-school and for a local park Friends group. More recently during Covid-19, she has been volunteering delivering meals for the National Food Service and becoming involved with the local area Covid Help, Support & Volunteering Group.
She joined Jessie May originally as a Care Team Administrator and has had many opportunities to communicate with our many of our families and children. Her current role in Jessie May is as the Finance and HR Administrator, where she works closely with the Admin and Office Manager to keep day-to-day records accurate and timely, supporting the nurses so they can go out and provide support to the families.
“I’ve been at Jessie May for 3 ½ years now and can honestly say I enjoy coming into work. I’m honoured to be a part of the Jessie May family and it always brings a smile to my face to hear about and see the children being children, having fun and laughing with their Nurses.”

Mary-Anne Hancock
Operations Assistant
Mary-Anne has been with Jessie May since 2015, starting as Office Administrator and moving up to Care Team Administrator. She assists the Care Team with ensuring that all relevant paperwork for children/families is up to date and accounted for.
“I enjoy being able to support the nurses with the fantastic work they do, and having the opportunity to meet our wonderful children, and their families, at family events.

Jess Reis
Finance Officer
Jess joined Jessie May after a career in the corporate sector, seeking something more meaningful. Since joining as a Care Administrator, she’s embraced several roles across the organisation, including fundraising, before finding her home in the Finance Team. Now our Finance Officer, Jess brings a calm, can-do attitude and a genuine passion for the work Jessie May does.
Coming up to her three-year anniversary with the charity, Jess says: “It sounds cliché, but being part of a charity that makes such a massive impact to the families we support is what makes it a great place to work.”
Outside of work, Jess is happiest spending time with her family, heading to the beach, or out walking in nature. She’s also a big fan of staying active—running, exercise groups, and even squeezing in a few squats during the Finance Team’s “5 Minutes of Fitness with Finance.

Ben Roper
Operations Apprentice
Trustees

Tiggy McCool
Chair of the Board

Anne Harris

Elaine Lunts

Emma Headings

Laura Hoy

Michael Legge

Miranda McGinn
Chair of the Income Generation Subcommittee

Tamsin Woodbridge
Chair of the Quality Assurance Subcommittee

Tracey McCarthy
Safeguarding Lead