- Patrons and Trustees
- Ambassadors
- Team
Jo Myers Operations & Relations Manager
Jo is a registered nurse who worked in the speciality of burns and plastic surgery for 36 years before joining Children’s Burns Trust in 2021.
Charlie Miles
Charlie was 12 when he sustained a scald to his lap whilst having a steam inhalation. He spent six weeks in hospital and needed skin grafts to help his burn to heal. Charlie is now 18 and wants to help Children’s Burns Trust by fundraising and also support our prevention work by sharing his story and raising burns awareness.
Simona
‘The day after my daughter’s first birthday she had a hot coffee scald over her head, face and chest. This was something I had never expected to happen and opened my eyes to the risk of burn injury in infants.
I am now raising awareness through my social media channels and have supported burn awareness features in the press and on TV, and in my role as ambassador for Children’s Burns Trust hope to help prevent another family going through this experience’.
Saffron Cohen
Saffron is a burn survivor. She was burned at the age of 4 by a gas fire. Saffron regularly volunteers at Burn Camps for children, working with and inspiring other burn survivors.
HRH Prince Michael of Kent GCVO Patron
“The Children’s Burns Trust gives relief to children and families who have already suffered burns injuries and the associated trauma. It also assists with the programme of preventative education. I am pleased to endorse this Trust as Patron and wish it every success in furthering its work.”
Laura
Laura is mum to Burn Survivor Arthur who was severely burned at just 2 years 9 months by a hot drink. Laura is determined to raise awareness about how easily these accidents can happen.
Tilly
Tilly is a Burn Survivor, she was burned at just 18 months old when she pulled a kettle of freshly boiled water over herself, sustaining 33% burns to her body. Tilly initially spent two months in hospital following the incident.
Perry
Perry Burns was 13 years old when he was involved in an aeroplane accident which led to life changing injuries. Today he runs a successful business and enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren.
Ellie
Ellie is mum to Burn Survivor Rosie-May. “My little 4-year-old Rosie-May got hit by a firework that had gone astray. The fear on her face and the other children will stay with me forever”.
Krissie Stiles
Krissie was a specialist nurse in burns and plastic surgery. Krissie is an advocate for pre-hospital burn care, burn prevention, education and first aid, and has authored clinical professional guidelines, an educational Burns Game and The Family Oops children’s book on the subject.
Crystal Turner-Brightman
Crystal is a burns survivor. She was burned at age 15 by tea light candles and got diagnosed with PTSD. Crystal is a passionate activist and campaigns for issues such as burns injuries, mental health and body image. She uses her passion for the performing arts to fundraise and raise awareness for important causes.
Chelsea
Chelsea is mum to burn survivor Riley who was severely burnt at 4 years old by a house fire caused by candles. I am very determined to help others try and prevent these accidents happening and actually raise awareness by how easily these accidents can happen. You never think it will happen to you- until it does. I was diagnosed with PTSD and want to be able to help people in a similar situation.
India
India is a burns survivor. She was three years old when her party dress caught on fire and she sustained 40% third degree burns. India says ‘my scars make me unique, my accident made me resilient and my experiences from them have taught me empathy and provided the opportunity to meet other incredible survivors, and get involved in amazing charities like the Children’s Burns Trust’.
Michelle
Michelle is mum to burn survivor Charlie who at 15 months old pulled a large pan of boiling water over himself. Michelle and Charlie, who is now a teenager, are both keen to use their own experiences to help other children and families. Michelle loves to watch Charlie live his life to the full, happy and adventurous in all that he does.
Liz
Liz is a consultant burns surgeon in the Birmingham Burns Service, looking after both children and adults with burn injuries. After completing surgical training in the West Midlands, she undertook a specialist burns fellowship in Chelmsford before taking up her consultant post in 2014.
She sustained a major scald injury as a toddler after pulling a kettle down onto herself. Her own experience as a burns patient over many years led to the decision to study medicine rather than her original plan of becoming a vet! Having experienced burns care as both a patient and a doctor, and as a mother to two young children, she is passionate about burns prevention as well as education and training for burns staff. She is delighted to become an ambassador with the Children’s Burns Trust and looks forward to working with the team.
Sue Boasman
Sue is an Advanced Nurse Practitioner for a Regional Burns Centre with over 25 years experience in burn care looking after both adults and children, and their families. She volunteers at family weekends and burn camp whenever she can to support the children and families. An important part of her role is providing education on burn care and she is passionate about promoting prevention of burn injuries.
Clare Thomas
Clare is a Lead Nurse working as part of a multi-professional team in a UK Burns Centre. Her passion is caring for children/young people and families who have sustained a burn injury, ensuring they get a high standard of care both as an in-patient, out-patient and beyond. Clare volunteers at group events and burn camps and enjoys supporting the children/young people and families.
Clare is passionate about promoting burn prevention and first aid advice.
Amanda Redman MBE Patron
“As a small child, I pulled a pot of boiling soup over myself and received severe burns over my entire body. Regardless of the scar on my left arm I went about achieving my ambition to be an actor. Being aware of the pain and trauma involved with such burns and how they can occur, I strongly believe that prevention by the way of education cannot be valued too highly.”
Kim McGregor Finance Manager
Kim is a fully qualified accountant and has been actively involved with the charity since 1994, where she began working as an administrator.
She currently runs her own accountancy practice working with local SME’s within different industry sectors.
Princess Marina Lobanov Rostovsky nee Wladimiroff Chair of Trustees
Marina is a Trustee of the St Nicholas Fund and Trustee of CW+- the official charity of Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Marina is a Magistrate in the Central London Belt and is a Trustee of numerous charities; she has been a Trustee of Children’s Burns Trust since 2006 and works as a home search consultant.
Raw Marketing Marketing Consultants
Raw Marketing are longstanding partners of the charity and support all aspects of marketing, communications and elements of fundraising initiatives.
Ken Dunn BSc FRCS(Lond) FRCS(plast) FRCS(ed), Consultant Burns and Plastic Surgeon (retired) Vice Chairman
Ken Dunn is a Consultant in Manchester, England and until recently the Director of the Manchester Burns and Plastic Surgery Service. He is a past Chairman of the British Burn Association and the National Burn Care Review Committee. He is the Medical Director of the International Burn Injury Database (iBID: www.ibidb.org) and currently the GIRFT clinical lead for Burns and Plastic Surgery.
Geo
As a teenager, Geo had meningitis and septicaemia which caused multiple health issues including severe skin loss to both of his legs. After the initial treatment for meningitis he was transferred to a specialist burns service where he spent many months as a patient on the burns ward as they managed the severe wounds.
“It took a while to recover and I found support by attending burn camp and slowly rebuilding my confidence; to play football with my friends, go to university, travel the globe and now in my 30’s with a daughter of my own to enjoy spending time with family and friends. I hope that my experience can help to support the work of Children’s Burns Trust”
Alison Tweddle Trustee
Alison worked as a bi-lingual secretary and translator in Paris and London, before taking a career break when her three children were born. She has worked in various capacities for Children’s Burns Trust since 2000, latterly as the Operations Manager until her retirement from that post in December 2021.
Chris Bigland Trustee
Chris is the Deputy Chief Fire Officer for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. He is responsible for all areas of Service Delivery to the public, including Prevention, Protection and Emergency Response for the County.
Chris started his career in the fire service in 1997 serving in Royal Berkshire, then London Fire Brigade and Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service prior to joining Bedfordshire at the end of 2021.
He has contributed to work across government departments, including leading the design of the Professional Standards Board for the fire and rescue service in England, working alongside Government officials, the LGA and His Majesty’s Inspectorate.
He has also been an advisor to the Department for Education developing diplomas for young people; ultimately becoming a member of the National Employers Champions Network on behalf of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC).
Alongside his service responsibilities Chris is the NFCC Lead for Education. In this role he is the Programme Executive for StayWise. This programme is a partnership between the emergency services, safety organisations and key charities to pool education material for use in schools and youth work environments to reduce harm and injury whilst promoting positive healthy living and personal and community resilience.
He is also a Youth Rugby Coach and a Cub Scout leader.
Neil O’Connor CB CBE Trustee
Neil is a former career Civil Servant who has worked in five different Government departments. His most recent roles as an Acting Director-General and Director included leading building safety improvements following the Grenfell Tower fire; policy, legislation and funding for Fire and Rescue Services and local response to national emergencies; and policies and programmes to promote community cohesion. He now works as a policy consultant. Neil was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2016 and a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 2024.
Roy Wilsher OBE QFSM Trustee
Roy joined London Fire Brigade in November 1981, rising to Assistant Chief Officer responsible for Fire Safety across London. He joined Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service as Deputy Chief in 2004 and became CFO in April 2005. Roy became Director of Community Protection in 2011 and in 2013 also took on the role of Chief Executive for the Hertfordshire PCC. Roy was a CFOA Director for 6 years chairing the Operations Committee, he chaired JESIP for 9 years and the NOG programme for its entirety. Roy was Fire Gold for the Buncefield oil depot fire in 2005 and strategic lead for UKISAR in Japan following the earthquake and tsunami in 2011. He became the first NFCC chair in 2017 and in 2021 Roy became one of Her Majesty’s (now His Majesty’s) Inspectors of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.
Ambassadors
Krissie Stiles, ambassador for the charity explains why she decided to become an ambassador and what she aims to do.