Meet the team

I lead Starlight’s work to grow visibility, engagement and funding for our amazing children’s services.

Play, to me, is childhood. And, as such, needs protecting.

As children, play is how we imagine other possibilities and bring them to life. It’s how we make sense of a complicated world. It’s how we discover our own sense of identity and how we deal with that of others.

In my own childhood, play was precious time with my brother and sisters and how Action Man® got together with Barbie® and lived happily ever after in a LEGO® castle.

I am responsible for overseeing Starlight’s financial strategy, ensuring strong governance, sustainability, and the effective use of resources to support the charity’s mission.

Play is something that everyone can do and enjoy. It's a language that everyone speaks and allows people of all ages to connect and create together.

In the time before computer games, my favourite childhood game was Subbuteo table football. My friends and I were in a local league and we each had our own team names, hand-painted strips, stadiums - even club crests. It might have been play but it was also serious!

Cathy joined Starlight in September 2017 having been CEO of Blood Cancer UK for 10 years and a Director at the Willow Foundation. She joined the charity sector as a volunteer in 1999 following the death of her 8-year-old cousin from leukaemia. She’s on a mission to help improve the lives of families affected by serious illness, ensuring children experience a good childhood despite really challenging circumstances.

Cathy was born on a snowy day in Derbyshire. She still gets a child-like excitement when it snows, some of her best memories are of snowball fights, building snowmen and sledging - learning to sledge sitting on her Dad, who would be face down, steering with his feet. He’s 86 now, but they still build snowmen when it snows!

I joined Starlight in 2019 after a 30-year career in children’s services, most of which had been in central and local government, including the Department for Education (DfE) and various local authorities. I was the statutory Director of Children’s Services in the London Borough of Brent and Slough Borough Council. I was appointed by Ministers at the DfE as a Schools Adjudicator, have worked for Deloitte in Chile undertaking safeguarding audits in schools and was at The Children’s Society as their Director of Children’s Services.

I’m committed to improving the experiences and choices of all children and families, particularly when they may be facing multiple challenges.

As a child, play meant being outdoors with friends in Pune, India, barefoot and in the sunshine!

I collect and analyse data to evaluate the impact of our existing and potential services. I manage our fantastic youth panel to ensure youth voice is at the heart of all aspects of our work.

For me, play is escapism, imagination and joy!

My favourite childhood toy was a rainbow fish toy that I creatively named ‘Rainbow’!

I was brought to Starlight through experiences I had with my son in the NHS. I witnessed the therapeutic value of play on his health and overall healthcare experience. It inspired me to work in policy and to play a part in enabling more play for children when they most need it.

Play to me is joy. My first joyful memory is the feeling of freedom while being pushed on a swing by my Grandad.

I oversee the funded Health Play Professionals programme, supporting and mentoring incredible individuals who make a significant impact through their work. I raise awareness of the benefits of great play and its positive effect on children’s experiences. 

I believe play is a superpower – a universal language that sparks creativity, fosters connection, and allows exploration without fear of failure. It helps children make sense of the world and has lifelong effects. It’s also vital for adult well-being! As a child, I loved creating my own play resources.

I work with healthcare professionals to champion the importance of play in hospitals and healthcare settings, supporting the Champions Network- a community of passionate play advocates.

I believe play brings comfort, joy and control to children during challenging times. For me, play has always been about imagination and storytelling. As a child, I loved using small world toys to create adventures with animals. I enjoy helping others see the magic of play!

I have the amazing job of creating and developing our box services. It’s always rewarding to receive feedback from professionals and children, knowing that our work has helped a child feel less afraid as they undergo procedures.

Play to me means infinite exploration of how we see ourselves and the world around us. If I want to pretend, I’m a space alien visiting another planet or a zoologist I can!

As a child, play for me was recreating my favourite children’s stories and going on adventures, turning the park or my neighbours garden into a new undiscovered planet. I was also a big Wonder Woman fan and used to use my mother’s bright pink dressing gown belt as my ‘lasso of truth’.

My role requires me to keep play and what children need at the heart of everything I do, while supporting the service delivery team to excel within a clear framework of outcomes. 

Play is, to me, the spark of creative force at the core of everything. 

As a child I could be found variously; singing, making up stories, playing in the muddy park, playing 40-40 home, and latterly ‘hanging about’.

I oversee the day-to-day management of our research and evaluation projects, generating insights to evidence the need for and impact of Starlight’s services and of the broader health play sector. 

To me, play is all about imagination and taking yourself away to a different world. 

As a child, I loved to re-enact my favourite TV shows, such as Doctor Who – either with toy characters, or dressing up myself!

I build and maintain relationships with the amazing people who access Starlight services, including our Health Play champions.

To me, play means the opportunity to learn, explore and feel free to be who you want to be. Play is everything, no matter the age, ability or interests.

Play builds relationships, confidence and brings a sense of belonging and normality. My favourite type of play as a child was role play.

I work to deliver bespoke projects and targeted support with organisations and partners who recognise the significant benefit of playful approaches - helping them make their own healthcare interventions more playful, efficient, and child-centred. 

Play to me means freedom, creativity, and joyfulness for all, irrespective of age or ability.

I grew up in the countryside, and I loved playing out in the fields, dodging livestock and farmers!

I lead Starlight's Research, Evaluation and Participation. 

Passionate about children’s rights, I have long worked for academia and the third sector, driving research and insights to change legislation, policy and practice to create better outcomes for children and young people. 

To me, play means wonder, connection, and fun and is so integral to personal development. The joy of playing games like hungry-hungry hippos taught me that.

I have worked in children’s play, in different roles, since I became a volunteer playworker in 1979.

Apart from a career I love, to me play means humanity at our most vibrant and connected. I love this job because when children are playing, I see the unaffected energy and beauty that is the best of us.

My favourite play as a kid was epic games of run-outs with my brothers in the local woods.

I help ensure as many people as possible know about and understand Starlight’s mission.

My strongest play memories involve imaginative play. The settee would become a boat and the floor the sea where sharks would chase us! 

As an adult, helping my own children make a zip line for their soft toys from a bedroom window into the garden and recreating the online game Among Us in real life, both during lockdown, are also particularly memorable!

It's my job to bring the Starlight brand to life through creative, engaging and visually appealing communication.

For me, play is how children explore their environment, express themselves, and learn about the world in a safe and joyful way. 

I remember many happy childhood holidays on the Cornish coast, playing games on the beach, climbing rocks, and belly-boarding in the sea - memories that I now try to create for my own young children.

My role is to ensure people know about Starlight and understand our purpose, the importance of play, and why our services are crucial for children’s health and wellbeing.

As a child, my three siblings and I would indulge our creativity and escapism with role-playing games. We came up with all sorts of storylines that could last days.

As adults, we still reminisce and cry with laughter at the childlike plots and characters we invented.

I support all of our colleagues in their contribution to our culture by being the very best they can be. 

Play means imagination and possibilities with no boundaries or limiting beliefs to me. Anything can be anything! 

As a child, the shower cubicle in the bathroom was an elevator taking me to a magical new land, and the funny tree stump in the garden was my pony!

I look after Starlight's individual supporters who make our work possible through their generous donations and gifts in wills.

For me, play is a way to connect with others through fun and shared experiences. Some of my favourite childhood memories of play include being out in the cul-de-sac with my big brother and the other kids on the street. These days, I’m more into playing board games, pool and darts. I’m quite competitive!

I build relationships with trusts and foundations, creating compelling proposals and reports to win and grow support for Starlight. Play, to me, means freedom – a way for children to express themselves and feel joy, even in tough times. 

As a kid, I loved playing football, although my mum hated how often I scuffed my school shoes... I’d be out at every break, come rain or shine, kicking a ball until the bell rang!

I lead on the creation, development and management of our corporate partnerships, ensuring they are unique, strategic and mutually beneficial. We progress Starlight's purpose, achieve business objectives and have fun!

To me, play is a life force with the power to completely change experiences and relationships. My favourite childhood memories are those when I played alongside my sisters- role play, mud kitchens and games and I love reliving it now with my own children.

I’m here to support our fantastic fundraising team - keeping everything running smoothly behind the scenes. I ensure donations are processed accurately and acknowledged with care, assist the finance team with administrative tasks, and help bring projects and events to life.

To me, play is losing yourself in the moment without worrying about what others think.

As a child, I loved my Postman Pat post set, delivering “mail” with my sister on our little adventures!

I oversee Starlight’s Special Events and work with donors who are in a position to make major gifts.

As a child, I loved to immerse myself in imaginative worlds and kept the joy of make believe going by studying drama. This training came in handy when my twins were small, as their favourite game was playing restaurants. I dined well on a variety of wooden and plastic foods, with a side of playdoh. Delicious!

My role involves managing Starlight’s special events and our wonderful Committees who give their time and effort to make them happen.

For me, play is about exploring new situations, self-expression and joy. As a child, my sister and I would sit behind her bedroom door, point to places on our map of the world book, and shake around pretending our travel machine was taking us there - and then the adventures would begin.

The purpose of my role is to deliver activities in the hope of engaging, both existing and new supporters by demonstrating the real impact of our work.

For me, play is about making memories and building connections with others. When I was younger, I loved being outdoors; either on my roller-skates or making dens in the local woods with friends.

I look after people who are fundraising for us; whether they’re organising a bake sale or running a marathon, I make sure they have a great time raising as much as they can.

Play to me is connection and fun. As a child I loved playing boardgames with my brothers. As an adult, family games nights bring us together for quality time, and some fun competition.

I am part of the team that stewards our wonderful supporters' information, making sure we look after it well and that we can use it to help us engage with them in a way that is inspiring, timely, and informative!

Play for me is about using your imagination, making up stories and different worlds. I have wonderful memories of my gang of soft toys, ably led by Blue Bear, and all the great adventures we had!

I transform clicks into contributions and likes into lifetime relationships by convincing and reminding people, on all our digital platforms, of the importance of play and the power of imagination.

At the heart of play, for me, is curiosity and creativity, which are foundational to our existence. As a grown-up, I still find all the joy I did when I was a child in music, bubbles, books, and spontaneous surprise mini-adventures with friends (including furry ones) and family.

I work to ensure that the Individual Giving fulfilment process is set up and running smoothly- processing donations, helping with appeals and providing a great customer service to our supporters.

Other than being outdoorsy, I’ve always enjoyed building things with Lego and playing boardgames with loved ones.

To me, play is relaxation and a way to help me think more clearly (I have lots of fidget toys).

I help to look after information about our people, services, and fundraising, all of which is needed to understand our situation and inform our decision-making. 

As a child, my favourite way to play was through telling stories, inventing epic adventures and imaginary worlds - and that has carried through into my adult life. 

Play is vital to me, along with the creativity, freedom and community that goes with it!