CHILD BEREAVEMENT UK - Key Persons
Alan Titchmarsh, known to millions as a gardener, writer and broadcaster, has supported Child Bereavement UK in a variety of ways over several years and formally announced his Patronage of the charity in 2011.
He represented the charity at a dinner at Windsor Castle hosted by HRH Prince William and given readings at our Christmas Celebration Concerts at Holy Trinity Brompton. He also interviewed fellow Patron, Mary Berry, for a feature in The Telegraph and supports our annual snowdrop walks, providing expert planting advice.
Alan Titchmarsh, has supported Child Bereavement UK in a variety of ways over several years and formally announced his Patronage of the charity in 2011. Read more
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Chairman ( Pictured )
Alex Fitzgibbons is the Managing Director and majority shareholder of Fait Accompli, one of the world's leading event organisers. He has been a supporter of Child Bereavement UK for a number of years and in 2015 he raised £250,000 for the charity by competing in an Ironman in Kalmar, Sweden; and in 2020 he ran, cycled and kayaked over 2020 kilometres from London to Stockholm raising over £1m. Alex is married with five children and splits his time between Sweden and the UK. He is also a Trustee of the GD Charitable Trust and a previous trustee of the Eve Appeal.
Alexander has been a supporter of Child Bereavement UK since the death of his elder son, George, in April 2000. Since raising the finance in 2001 for the charity to establish a bereavement support post in his native North East of England, Alexander has worked on a number of other projects to raise funds for Child Bereavement UK. Alexander is a solicitor and became a Patron in 2006.
When George died I was fortunate that a couple of my friends had heard of Child Bereavement UK.
With the help of Child Bereavement UK I was able to rebuild my life and to support my other son Andrew. I have seen first-hand the wonderful work done by the charity and met some of the other families who have benefited. Becoming a Patron has enabled me to give back a little to a charity that has given me and my family so much.
Alexander has been a supporter of Child Bereavement UK since the death of his elder son, George, in 2000. Read more
Ann has worked with the charity since 1996 and became its Chief Executive in 2003. She holds a BACP Accredited Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling and a University Accredited Diploma in Bereavement Counselling, and has been involved in multi-disciplinary training of professionals in the area of loss and bereavement for over twenty years. She is also a qualified Chartered Accountant.
From 1995-2006 Ann was part of the Bereavement Care Team at Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust where her work involved counselling for both individuals and couples. She has also provided counselling for staff within the NHS and for children and young people within the voluntary sector. Ann has contributed to a number of professional publications and books, and has lectured nationally and internationally for the charity. She represents Child Bereavement UK on a number of steering groups, bringing the families' perspective to projects and initiatives of national significance.
Antony Worrall Thompson has supported Child Bereavement UK at a number of fundraising events. Read more
Camilla has been a supporter of Child Bereavement UK for many years, passionately believing in the accessibility of high-quality support and training. Read more
Claudia Winkleman is a well-known broadcaster who has supported Child Bereavement UK at a number of fundraising events and represented the charity at the BGC Charity day. Read more
Claudia Winkleman is one of the best known broadcasters in the UK, she won the RTS Award for Best Presenter in 2015, the WFTV award for Best Presenter in 2019 and has been BAFTA-nominated. Claudia co-hosts Strictly Come Dancing and is the voice of the Sunday night show on BBC Radio 2. Previously she has presented The Great British Sewing Bee and was the host of BBC Film. Claudia also hosts Britain's Best Home Cook alongside our Patron Mary Berry, and regularly appears as a guest on popular panel shows.
A graduate of Cambridge University, she holds an MA Honours in History of Art and lives in London with her husband and three children.
Claudia has supported the charity at a number of fundraising events including our Quiz Night at the Natural History Museum and represented the charity at the BGC Charity day.
Daniel has been an actor in theatre, television and film for over 24 years. He is probably best known to people as Sgt Troy from Midsomer Murders and has worked extensively in TV and theatre, including The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime in the West End and as Tom Bailey in Eastenders.
He became a patron of Child Bereavement UK after seeing how much help, support and comfort they gave his dear friends Eleanor and Jamie Wroath, and their son Samuel, following the tragic death of their precious daughter Miranda in 2008. He saw first-hand what an incredibly important support network Child Bereavement UK provides to people during the most traumatic and devastating events in their lives.
Since becoming a patron, Daniel has supported various Child Bereavement UK events, including giving a reading at the charity's Christmas Carol Concert and helping out at the Neptune City Sevens rugby fundraiser.
Daniel became a Patron after seeing the support his friends and their son received following the death of their daughter in 2008. Read more
Deborah has been involved with Child Bereavement UK since its inception in 1994 and has been a patron since 2009. She has been a tireless supporter of the charity working on committees for events and conferences and has been actively involved in many of our London Celebration Concerts and other major fundraisers over the years.
Deborah is also a trained volunteer for our Family Group Programme which provides bereavement support in a group setting for primary-aged children and their families.
In her professional life, Deborah works as a costume buyer in the film industry working for Walt Disney Productions, Sony/Marvel, Warner Brothers and Universal Pictures, as well as independent production companies. She also runs Armoire London, her own small business, consulting and advising on the selection and purchasing of clothes and general wardrobe curation of busy professional women.
Deborah has been involved with Child Bereavement UK since its inception in 1994 and has been a Patron since 2009. Read more
Deborah is a former headteacher and government advisor. She is founding Director of DLB Leadership Associates Ltd. She chaired the ministerial Independent State School Partnership Forum (ISSP) from 2013-2017, was previously a National College of Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) National Associate, Chairman and Vice President of the Independent Schools Association (ISA), and a former board member of the Independent Schools Council (ISC) as well as the Bromley Safeguarding Children Board.
A journalist, researcher, key note speaker and adjudicator for the TES School Awards, Deborah has published work on outstanding leadership, bereavement, adoption and partnership engagement. She is a participant of many Think Tanks on leadership and community action and was awarded the lifetime Millennium Award for her work effecting positive global social change, in the areas of HIV and AIDS awareness, an OBE for services to education, and a London for Londoners Award.
Deborah served as a Trustee from 2013-2016. Through her involvement with multiple stakeholders and national work on social mobility and community engagement, Deborah is ideally placed to raise the profile of the needs of bereaved young people.
Katie is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist with extensive experience in working with children and families, and providing supervision for professionals providing direct services in a variety of settings. Katie has facilitated training for us for the past nine years, and for eight and a half of those years was Child Bereavement UK's Deputy Director of Bereavement Services and Education. Prior to joining us in 2009, Katie worked in an NHS Child and Adolescent psychology service where she was the psychology lead for a multidisciplinary Child Development Team, supporting both children with developmental delay and those caring for them.
Katie has a particular interest in support around children with learning difficulties and autism, the area in which she carried out her doctoral research.
Job Titles:
- Medical Education Advisor ( Pictured )
Dr Su Laurent MBBS FRCPCH was a Consultant Paediatrician at Barnet Hospital, Royal Free Hospital NHS Foundation Trust for 30 years. She was the named doctor for safeguarding for her hospital. She is now the Director of Medical Education for Barnet Hospital and the Chair of Training Programme Directors for North Central and East London, responsible for ensuring excellent training and supervision of large numbers of trainee paediatricians. She is also Associate Medical Director of Noah's Ark Children's Hospice.
Su has been involved with Child Bereavement UK since its inception, inspired by what she learned about bereavement support on a residential course attended mainly by nurses, and hugely impressed by the focus on learning from parents. Keen to spread the teaching to doctors, she became involved in making training DVDs and facilitating on courses. She was a Trustee until 2013.
Su is involved in running a bereavement support course for paediatric trainees which is now mandatory in London. She also facilitates on courses across the UK and is on hand to advise the charity about what's happening in medical education.
Emily was supported by Child Bereavement UK after her second daughter, Abbie, was stillborn in 2013. Read more
Emily is a Civil Servant. She was supported by Child Bereavement UK after her second daughter, Abbie, was stillborn in September 2013.
She said:
I wanted to support Child Bereavement UK in return for the help they have given me in finding my way through the first two years, helping me and my family develop coping strategies for managing difficult everyday situations such as parent and toddler groups, returning to work after maternity leave and difficult questions about how many children I have.
Emily has spoken on various occasions, including: on BBC R4 Woman's Hour; at a City Law Firm's fundraising panel, gaining their support for Child Bereavement UK; and at an event at 10 Downing St. She has contributed to Child Bereavement UK's training materials by sharing her experiences - positive and supportive, and less so - with midwives, doctors and her employer following Abbie's death. She has helped to raise awareness of the need for good bereavement in the workplace practice and has spoken on the subject at a Bank of England training event.
Emily also shared her bereavement experience and the support of Child Bereavement UK, read her case study to find out more.
Matt and Emma Smith were supported following the death of their 9½ week old daughter, Nyah, and subsequent miscarriage of their second daughter, Skye. Read more
British singer-songwriter and record producer Gary Barlow found worldwide fame as a member of Take That. Since forming in 1989, Take That have won eight BRIT awards, sold over 45 million records and over seven and half million concert tickets.
Very sadly, Gary and his wife Dawn's baby daughter, Poppy, was stillborn on 4th August 2012. Gary and Dawn, therefore, wanted to support Child Bereavement UK. Gary performed for the charity's 21st and 25th year celebrations and has performed at a number of other fundraising events in aid of the charity. He became a Patron in 2016.
Gary and his wife Dawn's baby daughter, Poppy, was stillborn in 2012. Read more
Gina Levett lost her 10-year-old sister, Dee Dee, when she was aged 11. She was deeply affected by her death and has, therefore, felt an overwhelming desire to help Child Bereavement UK to support families in bereavement.
Gina now works very closely with the charity, volunteering in the Family Group Programme which provides bereavement support in a group setting for primary-aged children and their families, and in Fundraising.
Gina Levett lost her 10-year-old sister, Dee Dee, when she was aged 11. She was deeply affected by her death and feels an overwhelming desire to help Child Bereavement UK. Read more
Job Titles:
- Director of Marketing, Communications & Content
Jane has a background in marketing, having worked at Diageo for 16 years building global brands including Bombay Sapphire, Piat wines, Croft, Smirnoff, J&B Whisky and Guinness. In 2004, Jane was seconded by the Diageo Foundation to Youth Business International, part of the International Business Leaders' Forum, and to The Prince's Charities, where she developed a brand identity for its group of 16 charities and Duchy Originals for HRH The Prince of Wales.
Jane set up as a Branding & Communications Specialist in 2005, advising charities, corporate foundations and businesses including working with: Care International, Thrive, The Foyer Federation, The Alnwick Castle & Garden, Street Kids International, Alport UK, Diageo Foundation, Against Breast Cancer and The Alcohol Education Trust. She also spent six years on the Independent Complaints Panel for The Portman Group, the alcohol industry's regulatory body.
Jane is CEO of Homes for Scotland, the national body which represents the affordable, social and private housing sector across Scotland, an industry which contributes over £30 billon to the Scottish economy and its people. Before joining Homes for Scotland, Jane was BT Group's UK Nations and Regions Director responsible for leading on policy and public affairs in the devolved nations and English regions. Previous to that she was Director, Business in the Community, and Chief Executive, Scottish Business in the Community one of HRH Prince Charles charities and before then was Head of Corporate Affairs for Scotland and Northern Ireland for Wallmart Boots and worked with national and local government on developing public / private sector partnerships in regeneration, community asset management, retail-led regeneration and corporate responsibility.
Jane holds various government advisory positions; is a board member of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra; She was a founder trustee and Chair of a community-owned SME which became a UK award winner in 2015. Jane has four children and lives in East Lothian with her husband.
Jill first discovered Child Bereavement UK in 1995 when she read an article in a newspaper. As a bereaved mum herself, she was interested in what the charity was doing. Jill had four children but sadly Ellen, one of twins, died at three weeks old as the result of cot death in 1979 at a time when there was no support available.
All of Jill's family are avid supporters of Child Bereavement UK and have organised various fundraising events, including organising charity balls and funding a book, as well as doing as much as they can to raise awareness.
Jill first discovered the charity in 1995 when she read an article in a newspaper. As a bereaved mum herself, she was interested in the work of the charity and has become an avid supporter. Read more
Joey Essex starred in TOWIE and has appeared on I'm A Celebrity. His mum died when he was 10 years old.
It was really hard when my mum died, so I'm very happy to help Child Bereavement UK, so they can support other kids, and parents like my Dad, who are going through what we went through.
Joey has supported various Child Bereavement UK events, has met members of our Young People's Groups, and has featured in Child Bereavement UK's One More Minute awareness campaign.
Read a blogpost by Joey on why he wishes he'd been supported when his mum died.
Joey talks to young people who have received support from Child Bereavement UK.
Joey Essex starred in TOWIE and has appeared on I'm A Celebrity. His mum died when he was 10 years old. Read more
Job Titles:
- Funeral Industry Advisor
- Generation Funeral Director
John Adams is a fourth-generation funeral director who has dedicated his life to service and helping families during the difficult process of saying goodbye to a loved one. As a former President of the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) 2022-23 and an Approved NAFD Tutor, he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the funeral industry.
John's personal experience with loss has shaped his belief in age-appropriate conversations about death, dying, and bereavement. He knows first-hand the importance of giving children options and empowering them during the grieving process. After losing his own mother at the age of 12, John is passionate about advocating for these conversations to happen at an early age in schools and communities across the UK.
Through his work with Child Bereavement UK, John is committed to supporting families and children during the most challenging times of their lives. He understands that everyone grieves differently and that there is no one-size-fits-all. With compassion and empathy, John helps families navigate the complex emotions and practical considerations that come with a bereavement.
Thanks to John's dedication and advocacy, more children and families have access to the resources and support they need to cope with the loss of a loved one. His tireless efforts to promote age-appropriate conversations and empower children have made a significant impact on the funeral industry and the wider community.
John has worked in the voluntary sector for over thirty years and has held senior positions with Oxfam, Practical Action and as Director for Fundraising (Western Europe) for Habitat for Humanity International. Most recently he was the Executive Director at the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation. He has also worked for many years as a consultant with many of the UK's best loved charities and is a passionate advocate of responsible and ethical fundraising. He has written widely for the sector, presented at conferences in the UK and overseas and is a former trustee of drugs and alcohol charity We Are With You.
Julia Samuel helped launch and establish the charity, and continues her role as Founder Patron. Read more
Tony and Julia have been involved with Child Bereavement UK for several years, having been introduced through the charity's work by friends who had been bereaved. Read more
Kate and Rio Ferdinand became Patrons of Child Bereavement UK in 2020. Read more
Katherine found Child Bereavement UK when looking to support her two young children after their father's suicide.
When the police had left my home, I Googled ‘How do you tell a child their Dad has killed himself?' I didn't know where to turn, and Child Bereavement UK was top of the search rankings. Their care and expertise guided me into one of the most difficult conversations I've ever had, and they have been there ever since, by my side supporting me, supporting my children.
Katherine is co-founder and CEO of Meeting Magic, an organisation focused on fostering connecting and collaboration within and between private sector corporations and non-profit organisations.
I hope to be able to leverage my connections to raise awareness and secure funding for Child Bereavement UK and the essential work Child Bereavement UK does.
Katherine found Child Bereavement UK when looking for advice on how support her two young children after their father died by suicide.
Kieran joined the charity in April 2012. Prior to that he held a number of senior finance roles at Trafalgar House, Kvaerner, Skanska and Avent. He has over 30 years' experience in strategic development, financial planning and control and system development. He has applied these skills to help create a platform to enable the charity to grow with confidence. He is a bereaved child and a bereaved parent and believes that there is much to do to ensure our society is better able to support families when a parent or child dies.
Kristen is the Head of Food Innovation and Downstream Strategy at Louis Dreyfus Company. Prior to joining LDC in 2019, Kristen was a Senior Managing Director of The Blackstone Group and was co-head of the Hedge Fund Solutions Group's London office. Before joining Blackstone in 2004, she worked at J.P. Morgan in New York and London. She was a founding Board member of 100 Women in Hedge Funds, London. Kristen studied Finance and International Business at Georgetown University, has a Masters in Strategy and Leadership from London Business School and is married with two children.
Lady Dashwood started her career as a restorer and gilder in London. She came to live at West Wycombe when she married Sir Edward Dashwood in 1989. They went on to have three wonderful children; Victoria, George and Bertie.
Lady Dashwood is involved with various local charities and became interested in Child Bereavement UK when she met the Founder Jenni Thomas in the early 1990s, whom she thought was inspiring.
She hosts Child Bereavement UK's annual Snowdrop Walk at West Wycombe Park at which snowdrops have been planted by families supported by the charity.
A globally celebrated piano virtuoso, Lang Lang has sold millions of albums around the world, topping classical charts and achieving simultaneous mainstream success. Read more
Job Titles:
- Manager for the School of Physical
Lorna is Manager for the School of Physical and Chemical Sciences at Queen Mary University of London with overall responsibility for managing the professional and technical services teams supporting Research, Education, HR, Finance, Marketing and Public engagement. Lorna is a trained workplace mediator, Prince 2 Practitioner and Mental Health First Aider.
Job Titles:
- Director of Services and Partnerships
Maninder brings over 27 years' experience in providing support services to young people in education settings, and in working in partnership with local, statutory, third sector and government-led bodies and organisations. Maninder has extensive experience in advice and guidance, safeguarding, mental health awareness, and equality, diversity and inclusion. Her last role was Head of Delivery at Adviza Partnership working with young people and vulnerable adults.
As Director of Services and Partnerships, Maninder provides leadership and strategic direction for our Bereavement Support and Education functions and is responsible for strategic partnerships both within and outside the bereavement sector.
After their son Willem was stillborn in 2014, Marina and Ben have talked openly about loss, grief and how to talk to a young family about bereavement. Read more
Mark been involved with the charity since its beginning in 1994, initially in a purely professional capacity, then, in 2002, joining the Board as a Trustee for 12 years.
Mark Seldon is a Chartered Accountant with long experience within both the profession and commerce and industry. Since 1991 he has provided independent financial management support to small and medium sized businesses in a variety of different fields, including the charitable sector, the travel industry and both retail and manufacturing sectors.
He has been involved with Child Bereavement UK since its beginning in 1994, initially in a purely professional capacity, then, in 2002, joining the Board as a Trustee for 12 years, including 2 years as Acting Chairman, and acting as Company Secretary. Since formally retiring from the Board in 2014, Mark continued his involvement with the Charity both as Company Secretary and as a seconded Board member, re-joining as a full Trustee in May 2018.
Mary has supported many Child Bereavement UK for many years. Mary has a personal affinity with the charity as her son William died in 1989, aged 19. Read more
Will and Mel have supported the charity over many years including Will previously serving on our Board of Trustees. Read more
Mike Clare founded the national bed superstore Dreams. When Mike was 12 his father died. Read more
Mike founded the national bed superstore Dreams. Mike is no stranger to bereavement: his father died when Mike was 12, which had a great impact on his young life. In 1999 his elder (and only) brother died. The impact of seeing his nephew and niece grieving and coming to terms with their loss at a very similar age to when Mike and his brother lost their father, brought home many memories and deep emotions.
Operatic Soprano Natasha Marsh is a highly regarded classical recording artist and performer. Her debut album Amour topped the classical album charts in 2007 and was nominated for the Best Album in the Classical BRIT Awards 2008. She has performed in Vienna with a series of Opera Classic concerts.
Natasha is a mother of three young children and feels passionately about the role of Child Bereavement UK. She has been a friend to Child Bereavement UK over several years and has supported several events, performing at the charity's Christmas Carol Concerts at Holy Trinity Brompton and the launch of the Precious Love Rose at Cliveden.
Classical recording artist and performer Natasha Marsh has performed at the charity's Christmas Carol Concerts at Holy Trinity Brompton as well as local events. Read more
DIY SOS frontman Nick has hosted BBC1 prime time Saturday night quiz shows Break the Safe, Secret Fortune, and Who Dares Wins. Read more
DIY SOS frontman Nick has hosted BBC1 prime time Saturday night quiz shows Break the Safe, Secret Fortune, and Who Dares Wins. DIY SOS - The Big Build is BBC1's most watched and longest running prime time factual series, which won a BAFTA in 2019. Nick is also the writer of Historionics for the BBC, and writer and producer of theatrically released movie, Golden Years.
Nick has been a friend of Child Bereavement UK for several years, and has seen first-hand some of the charity's work; BBC1s DIY SOS: Grenfell featured the building of a new community centre where Nick met Child Bereavement UK's practitioners and young people bereaved as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire. He has also supported the charity by reading at our Christmas Celebration Concert and helping to promote charity campaigns.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees
Nicola is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, Chair of the Risk and Governance Committee and sits on both the Remuneration and Investment Committees. As a qualified chartered accountant, she enjoyed her first career with Arthur Andersen where she led consulting assignments in the UK and overseas. She was formerly CEO of a leading HR recruitment business in London, having worked in that sector for over twenty years. Nicola now pursues a portfolio non-executive career working as an independent Board Adviser for recruitment businesses and organisations within the Third Sector.
Nicola has volunteered as a telephone counsellor for emotional support services, and sits on several boards including Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, North West London Integrated Care Board, the national social enterprise Turning Point, and the Children's Services company, Brighter Futures for Children in Reading.
Patricia Hodge is an actress whose career spans over forty years of continual involvement in all aspects of the media. She has been nominated for six major awards and holds an Olivier Award 2000 and the Voice of the Year at the Spoken Words Awards 2003. She has honorary doctorates (D.Litt) from Lincoln, Leicester and Brunel Universities, and was made an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2017.
Patricia first became involved with Child Bereavement UK when her children were very young, firstly from a profound sense of gratitude for the plain fact of their existence. Her commitment was further underlined by the early death of one of her son's school friends.
Her support takes the form of whatever she is asked and is able to do, usually in performance terms!
Patricia first became involved with Child Bereavement UK when her children were very young. Her commitment was underlined by the early death of one of her son's school friends. Read more
Penny and Debbie have supported the charity for many years after being introduced to the charity by a friend who was bereaved of his daughter. Read more
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive of Mitsubishi UFJ Trust International, Ray Winters
Ray was invited to become a Patron of Child Bereavement UK in 2009. He and his young family received support from the charity following the sudden death of his wife Tina in 2006.
Having to personally navigate through the emotional trauma of losing his wife, whilst being the rock, constant support and Dad to his two young children was an immensely difficult path to travel, and one which never ends. The care and practical tools that Child Bereavement UK provided to him and his family were invaluable.
Ray has spent his career in banking and is the Chief Executive of Mitsubishi UFJ Trust International in London.
Chief Executive of Mitsubishi UFJ Trust International, Ray Winters became a Patron in 2009. He and his young family received support from the charity following the sudden death of his wife Tina in 2006. Read more
Liz and Richard received support from Child Bereavement UK after the loss of their eldest son, Will, in 2016, aged 20 and have been active supporters ever since. Read more
Sahar Hashemi started her career as a solicitor and went on to build Coffee Republic, the coffee bar chain, and later Skinny Candy, the guilt-free confectionery brand. She has written a bestselling book on entrepreneurship called Anyone Can Do It.
Sahar experienced first hand the enormous benefit of bereavement counselling after the death of her beloved mother in 2008, and it was her counsellor who introduced her to the much-needed work of Child Bereavement UK.
Sahar Hashemi started her career as a solicitor and went on to build Coffee Republic, the coffee bar chain, and later Skinny Candy, the guilt-free confectionery brand. Read more
Sarah Farquhar became involved with Child Bereavement UK after her friend's son was seriously injured in a boating accident, in which his father and sister were tragically killed. Sarah - who has a background in marketing, events and fundraising - was part of a small team that helped to organise the Milligan Bike Ride from Cornwall to London in 2014, raising £500,000 for RNLI and Child Bereavement UK.
She has chaired two Opera Holland Park committees, raising over £108,000 for the charity.
Sarah Farquhar became involved with Child Bereavement UK after her friend's son was seriously injured in a boating accident, in which his father and sister were killed. Read more
Jon and Simon Dyer are joint Managing Directors of F.A. Albin & Sons Family Funeral Directors. Read more
Sue joined the charity in 2005 from a background of sales and marketing in pharmaceuticals. Sue works closely with the Chief Executive, manages all the office locations around the country and has taken the lead on a number of the charity's major fundraising events. Sue also acts as Secretary to the Board of Trustees.
Sylvia witnessed first-hand the devastating effect the sudden loss of her 39-year-old brother Nick had on her and his family.
For the past 20 years Therese Mayhew has been an owner and director of Blue Strawberry Events and Table Talk, leading London catering and events companies. Born in Sweden and educated in Switzerland and France with degrees in International Relations and Art History, Therese also holds an MBA from INSEAD. Prior to joining the events world she worked at Christie's, Citibank Private Bank and lastminute.com. Therese most recently lived in Dubai and Spain for a number of years and now lives in the UK with her husband and their four children.
Therese and Gavin were introduced to Child Bereavement UK by their close friend Alex Fitzgibbons following the death of their middle daughter India in 2015, and received invaluable support from Founder Patron Julia Samuel. Being a Trustee of the charity which is close to their hearts offers a meaningful way to give back.
Job Titles:
- Senior Partner at Korn Ferry
Tim is a Senior Partner at Korn Ferry, based in London, specialising in organisation and talent consulting in the Consumer Goods industry. Prior to that he was a Managing Director at Accenture, where he served on the global leadership team of the firm's Consumer Goods practice. Previously Tim worked for Roland Berger, a strategy firm, in Chicago and London, as well as KPMG in both Europe and the US. Tim has been a spokesperson on a number of industry issues, has authored several papers on key industry trends, and has featured as a speaker at numerous industry events. Tim has two grown up sons.
Victoria Milligan's life was turned upside down in 2013 by a tragic speedboat accident in Cornwall. Her husband, Nick, and their 8-year-old daughter, Emily, were killed, Victoria had to have her leg amputated below the knee, and the couple's other children - Amber, then 12, Olivia, 10, and Kit, 4 - were injured.
In 2014 Victoria organised The Milligan Bike Ride, pulling together a team of 125 cyclists to complete a gruelling 300-mile ride from Padstow to London, culminating in ‘Emily's Fun Day' in memory of her daughter. This raised over £500,000 which was split between RNLI and Child Bereavement UK. Victoria has also supported the charity through golf day fundraisers and as a guest speaker.
I am proud to be a patron of Child Bereavement as they helped me rebuild trust in life again and held my hand through the dark days of grief, constantly reassuring me that I was doing well and advising me on how to speak to the children.
Victoria Milligan and Child Bereavement Founder Patron, Julia Samuel MBE are interviewed on BBC Breakfast.
Victoria Milligan's life was turned upside down in 2013 by a tragic speedboat accident in Cornwall. Her husband, Nick and their 8-year-old daughter, Emily, were killed. Read more
Will Greenwood is an English former rugby union player who played for Leicester Tigers and Harlequins and was a member of the 2003 World Cup-winning squad. Will became a patron of Child Bereavement UK following the death of his son Freddie.
Former Rugby Union player Will Greenwood became a Patron of Child Bereavement UK following the death of his son Freddie. Read more