Stand-by-me Team – Staff & Trustees
Staff
Karen Stanton
Clinical Service Manager
Lisa Lowe
Bereavement Support Manager
Helen Watson
Marketing & Administration Manager
Mia Jaszewska
Administration Assistant
Jack Howie
Associate Young Ambassador Trustee
Trustees
Carol Read
Chairperson & Safeguarding Lead
-
Carol has been teaching at an Upper School in Royston for over 40 years. She has taken a particular interest in the pastoral side of education especially students with mental health problems.
She has been the Senior Teacher responsible for Safeguarding for 15 years and the school’s drug education specialist.
Working for her community, Carol was a Town Counsellor for 10 years. In addition to her Trustee role, Carol has also been a group volunteer with Stand-by-me since the beginning in 2014.
John Botley
Finance Trustee
-
During a long career with HSBC Bank, I have worked in variety of senior finance roles – mainly in London, but also in Paris (twice), Amsterdam, Mauritius and Hong Kong. I retired in December 2014.
I joined Stand-by-me as Finance Trustee in September 2018 and am constantly amazed by the dedication of our staff, volunteers and Trustees.
I live in Hitchin with my partner and I have two grown up children from a previous marriage. My hobbies are golf, travelling & watching football (I am a season ticket holder at West Ham FC), and I enjoy good food and wine.
Keith Wadsworth
Secretary
-
Keith was born, brought up, lived for most and worked for his entire career in Hertfordshire. Before moving to Letchworth in 2014 he lived in Welwyn Garden City, with his wife of over 40 years, where they raised their two sons.
Whilst Deputy Head of a St Albans school, following a succession of students experiencing the death of a parent, he devised a model for schools to support young people. This is now the basis of ‘Contact-me’.
He retired in 2010 when he was Head of Hitchin Boys’ School.
Sandra Blacker
Clinical Lead Trustee
-
Qualified Systemic and Family Psychotherapist, Teacher Trainer and Supervisor.
I trained as a Social Worker and worked in Bedfordshire on the Child Protection Team, was Cout Officer and an Approved Social Worker. Moving to the Specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) for 33 years. I then trained as a Systemic and Family Psychotherapist qualifying in 1995 and completed my training as a Teacher trainer and Supervisor 4 years later.
In 1999 I became the Division Manager for East Hertfordshire in 1999 and then moved to become the Consultant Systemic and Family Psychotherapist covering both South and West Hertfordshire CAMHS and was Divisional Manager to South Hertfordshire.
In addition to my work in CAMHS, from 2000 to 2010 I have taught on the Systemic and Family Psychotherapist MSc course and more recently on the systemic Module of the Clinical Psychology Doctorate course at The University of Hertfordshire.
My voluntary work includes working as a counsellor for Marriage Guidance in the 1970’s as a Supervisor for Relate in the 2000’s The Peace Hospice Watford, Cruse, One Herts one Family and Stand-by-me.
James Lawrence
Marketing Trustee
-
James Lawrence has spent more than 25 years working in media and communications. He is a trained journalist who began his career in news-stand magazines and then moved into the world of marketing at a large London agency in 2007. He now runs his own Hitchin-based marketing consultancy, which he combines with the occasional business journalism assignment.
He has lived in Hitchin since 2005 and loves working with Stand-by-me as it’s an opportunity to use his skills and experience to help give something back to some of the young people in the local community who need it most.
Jane Walton
Health Trustee
-
I have been a volunteer with Stand-by-me since its inception benefitting greatly from the training programme it offers. Before retirement I worked as a School Nurse and Health Visitor later moving into a clinical management role. I recognise the benefit of providing support to children who have experienced bereavement and am enthusiastic to support this work.
Bobbie Dhillon
Associate Volunteer Trustee
-
My name is Bobbie and I have been a volunteer since 2019 and an associate volunteer trustee since 2020 and have lived in Hitchin for 30 years. I am an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA), and work with Young People and adults, helping them understand and navigate the trauma they have experienced.
I have a BA in Early Years, and this has been crucial in understanding how children develop and how they learn, helping them understand their feelings and emotions and how to express them in a safe space. My background includes working as a Pre-school Deputy Manager and Family Support Worker, where I have learnt that actively listening is the most important part of my role in my job and as a volunteer for Stand-by-me.
Guy Skinner
Fundraising Trustee
-
I’m 43, proud father of 2 and nearly 9 years married to my wonderful wife (She didn’t actually tell me to write that!) I have been running my own business since 2010 in the area of financial advice. I live in Hitchin, having moved from London in 2020 as part of the great escape from the city! I love football, I’m a huge England fan and will be going to Germany this summer for the Euros. In my spare time I can often be found playing Lego with the kids, going for a day out with the family, riding my road bike in the wonderful countryside of N.Herts or watching a box set with my wife.
I’m passionate about supporting children and young people as my own Dad died when I was 10 and back in 1990, I didn’t have access to the type of support SBM delivers. I didn’t cry for 8 years, not even at the funeral, such is the damaging impact of being told “to be strong for your mum and sister’s, you’re the man of the family now”. All well intentioned, but not something easy for a young person to make sense of. This is why I want to support the charity through time as a volunteer to listen to children and validate their feelings. As fundraising trustee, I want to help push forward with the funding of the great work SBM do, which is changing lives.
Andy Nellis
Digital Trustee
-
I’m an IT professional with over 25 years’ experience in helping organisations implement and utilise technology to optimise processes and harness their data. During that time, I’ve also been involved in the foundation, management and growth of a number of small businesses.
It’s very rewarding to be able to bring all that experience to bear as Stand-by-me’s Digital Trustee, helping the young people, their parents and carers who need our support in North Herts and Stevenage.
Jack Howie
Associate Young Ambassador Trustee
Patron
Billy Byrne
Our Patron
-
In 2022 our Patron Billy Byrne, from DIY SOS joined. Billy is a fantastic Patron for Stand-by-me and having lost his own daughter understands the need to support children, young people and their families at this crucial time.