Rob Johnstone - Trusts and Foundations Officer Expand As the Trusts and Foundations Officer I am very passionate about raising money to support SKC's vital work. Up until mid 2021 I had spent over a decade working in database management and providing fundraising support at a local university. I then moved back into the charity sector and took on an income generating role and am so pleased I made the change - I am now bringing all of my fundraising enthusiasm to Solving Kids' Cancer. I live in Nottingham and in my spare time I enjoy live music, cinema, eating pizza and spending time with my wife and 6-year-old daughter.
Gail Jackson - Chief Executive Officer Expand Gail joined Solving Kids Cancer on 14th April 2020 as the charity’s new CEO. Gail has a wealth of experience in supporting children and families, having started her career as a children’s social worker. Gail has held senior leadership positions within regional and national charities and more recently has been CEO of a regional community development charity. Gail is passionate about working for organisations with children at its heart and this is what led her to SKC. Gail lives in rural Lincolnshire with her husband, two teenage children, 2 dogs and 4 hens.
Vicky Inglis - Head of Family Support Services Expand Vicky leads our Family Support Team and she truly understands. Her brave son, Jamie, passed away in January 2013 after battling neuroblastoma for half of his life. Throughout Jamie's treatment, which included travel to the US and Germany, his parents became informed about neuroblastoma and the research landscape. Vicky left her primary school teaching career to work with Solving Kids' Cancer. Jamie's legacy lives on. Vicky is always available to identify and address each families' needs, aiming for the best outcome each time.
Leona Knox - Head of Research Expand Leona’s role is to ensure Solving Kids’ Cancer effectively and efficiently delivers on its Research Strategy, as the charity strives to improve outcomes for children with neuroblastoma. Leona supports our Scientific Advisory Board to function effectively and manages all administrative aspects of our grant review and award process, ensuring that we work to the standards and values required by the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC). As part of her role with the charity, Leona also leads on the development and delivery of the scientific agenda of our annual Neuroblastoma Parent Education Conference in London, selecting and inviting leading neuroblastoma researchers from around the world to share recent updates directly with the parent/patient population they are working to help. Leona is a Steering Committee member of the international multi-stakeholder platform ACCELERATE, Affiliate Member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), member of European pressure group Unite2Cure, and a member of the Kids v Cancer Parent Council in the US. Her son, Oscar, died from neuroblastoma in 2014 at the age of five.
Claire Hislop - Head of Operations Expand Claire has worked for the charity since 2012, joining the Fundraising Team initially before becoming Head of Development in 2016 and then Head of Operations in 2017. Claire oversees the charity's operations - HR, legal, health and safety, compliance, systems and policies - as well as manages our office and our annual parent conference / symposium. Outside of work, Claire likes to spend time with her family - in the UK and Morocco, and enjoys travelling and being outdoors.
Anne Denman - Head of Fundraising & Communications Expand Anne joined Solving Kids’ Cancer as Head of Fundraising and Communications in April 2020. Anne started her career in the theatre and for the last 10 years has worked in the voluntary and statutory sector within children’s social care and most recently in community development. Anne is passionate about supporting charities that have positive outcomes for children at their heart. Anne lives in Nottingham with her partner and two children.
Anna Austin - Donor Manager Expand Anna became aware of Solving Kids’ Cancer when her daughter Isla was diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma on her first birthday. Isla had frontline treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital and then with the help, support and guidance of Solving Kids’ Cancer embarked on a clinical trial in New York. Isla is currently in remission and started school this academic year. Prior to Isla’s diagnosis Anna worked in e-commence within head office roles for leading UK retailers, latterly as an Ecommerce Trading Manager. Anna lives in Hertfordshire with her husband Rick and children, son Finn and twin daughters Lottie and Isla. “I have seen first hand the devastation neuroblastoma causes. Our innocent children are being put through such brutal treatment, the heartbreaking loss of lives and the cruel and serious side effects survivors contend with. I am honoured to be part of this organisation and passionate about making a difference. Together we must fight for our children, for kinder treatment and a cure”.
Hayley Blackwell - Family Support Coordinator Expand Hayley is always on hand to provide support to families throughout their child's cancer journey. She has been through this with her own daughter. Eva was diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma in 2014 and is now over three years in remission, thriving after being successfully treated in the UK. She is ideally placed to guide other families. Away from work, Hayley enjoys music festivals and travelling. She also volunteers for the Make-A-Wish Foundation as a wish visitor.
Emily Hall - Research & Digital Communications Officer Expand Research has been a passion of Emily's since studying for her degree in Chemistry at the University of Sheffield. In her role at Solving Kids’ Cancer, her goal is to share the amazing research funded by the charity and our partners with as many people as possible, to help end the suffering caused by neuroblastoma. Outside of work she enjoys exploring London’s lovely green spaces, and relaxing with a good book!
Georgina Clark - Executive Assistant Expand Georgina joined Solving Kids’ Cancer in January 2021, as Executive Assistant, providing an efficient and effective administration service to the Chief Executive, Company Secretary and Head of Research. Georgina also supports the Board of Trustees, ensuring that the Charity adheres to good governance. Georgina has experience of supporting a range of business processes within both the public and private sector, and more recently, held a similar role in the third sector, whilst working for a charity supporting rural communities. Georgina lives in rural Lincolnshire with her husband and two boys and enjoys an active lifestyle with her family.
Sophie Lizra - Community and Events Manager Expand Sophie joined the team in summer 2019 and supports our fabulous community fundraisers and challenge events participants. Her goal is to ensure those who join Team Solving Kids' Cancer have the best time and raise plenty of money for children affected by neuroblastoma and their families. At home, Sophie loves spending time with her cats!
Donna Ludwinski - Family Support Advocate Expand Donna Ludwinski has a vast knowledge of the neuroblastoma research landscape. As a staunch parent advocate, Donna is passionate about providing resources to neuroblastoma families and guiding them through the world of clinical trials to empower their decision-making. She is based in New York, USA, and is the Director of Research Programs for Solving Kids' Cancer in the US. Donna is an active member of the New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy (NANT) Advisory Council, Coalition Against Childhood Cancer (CAC2) Board, and National Cancer Institute (NCI) Pediatric Central Institutional Review Board. She is also a member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Pediatric Cancer Working Group (PCWG) and was a member of their Steering Committee 2015-2018. Donna also serves on the Pediatric Oncology Subcommittee of the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (PedsODAC) for the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Donna’s son, Erik, passed from neuroblastoma in 2010 at the age of 24.
Laura Nott - Fundraising Campaigns and Communications Manager Expand Laura joined the team in May 2019 and supports families who are fundraising for their child with Solving Kids' Cancer. She has previously volunteered for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and has a degree in Criminology from the University of Leicester. Laura moved to London in 2019 and likes to spend her weekends seeing as much of the city as she can.
Val Wood-Brignall - Finance Assistant Expand Val joined the team in 2022 and supports the finance processing and reporting for SKC. Her background is in finance and admin in the not-for-profit sector, including 6 years at the charity Railway Children. She lives in Cheshire with her 12-year-old son Aidan and their cat Bob.
Edward Fordham - Finance Officer Expand Ed joined the team in 2019 and supports the finance processing and reporting of the charity. He previously worked as a consultant specializing in automating finance systems and before that in various finance roles with the charity Christian Aid. Ed has one young son and another child on the way and enjoys spending his time with his family.
Nicholas Leverton - Database Manager Expand Nicholas joined the team in 2022. With a background in Business Support, Administration and HR, Nicholas manages our RENXT Database and supports staff with data-related training and queries. Nicholas has previously worked across several roles in the voluntary sector including volunteer coordination, wellbeing support and community engagement. Outside of work, Nicholas enjoys exploring his hometown of Manchester and the nearby Peak District - further afield, he likes to visit America to see his partner's family. When he isn't crunching numbers and spreadsheets for work, Nicholas loves to watch Baseball and he spends his evenings reading Sci-Fi and Fantasy books.
Gemma Wadsley - Head of Strategic Finance Expand Gemma joined Solving Kids' Cancer in 2019 as Head of Strategic Finance and is responsible for all of our financial affairs, working closely with the Treasurer. Previously she worked at Macmillan Cancer Support for 11 years, predominantly as Director of Finance, and more recently at RNIB also as Director of Finance. Gemma has two young children - James and Sammy - and spends much of her free time playing superheroes and building Lego. Any other spare time is spent cycling around the countryside or with friends.
Leah Ambler- Research Officer Expand Leah joined Solving Kids’ Cancer in 2022 as Research Officer. Her role is to support the Charity’s growing international research portfolio to ensure maximum impact for the children suffering with neuroblastoma and their families. Previously Leah worked as Research scientist in the field of cancer biology and was awarded her PhD in March 2022. Her goal is to use her understanding of the research process to support the research funded by Solving Kids Cancer to achieve its full potential. Leah lives in rural Essex and enjoys an active lifestyle with her husband, family, and friends.