Meet the team
We have a wonderful team of brilliant people committed to transforming society, one family at a time, and a group of top-notch trustees who support us every step of the way.
Our staff team
Andrea Zanin
Digital Marketing Coordinator
Andrea keeps you in the loop with quippy socials, plus chunkier commentary that hangs out in our website news. When she’s not scribbling away or dreaming up the perfect sentence, Andrea can be found sitting by a fire (okay, more like a lightbulb #cityvibes), recounting stories about life in South Africa and imagining a book deal.
Ben Shanmugam
Clinical Psychologist
Ben helps to ensure that all our material is evidence-informed and accessible. He brings experience both as a Clinical Psychologist and as a new father of two (this chapter has also increased his appreciation for coffee!). Ben has a joint love for food and football, so a winning day is when both come together.
Caroline Greer
Head of Fundraising Development
Caroline is experienced in building relationships with funders and philanthropists who are keen to support charities live out their mission and vision. As well as heading up Trusts & Grants, she works closely with the fundraising team to develop campaigns and events intended to bring in donations for Kids Matter. Caroline used to live in Spain and on a good day is bi-lingual.
Catherine Clayton
Partnership Engagement Lead
Catherine leads the Partnership Team, seeking to connect with churches and community networks in the UK who have a heart for reducing the impact of poverty on children. She is the queen of goal-setting – raising the bar for what it means to set and then achieve personal goals (she recently ran a half marathon!).
Eli Gardner
Co-founder & Executive Director
Eli loves to use her experience and knowledge as a Clinical Psychologist to help drive forward Kids Matter’s vision, and she embodies our values of being both ambitious and respectful. She is always on the hunt for ways to be even more effective by listening to podcasts, reading books or chatting with anyone she can about changing the world – ideally doing all of this whilst eating delicious food in the sunshine.
Gary Skull
Head of Operations
Gary likes to think about the big picture. He works with our Senior Leadership Team to develop strategy, and manage budget and logistical activities. He loves great food/dining out, spending quiet time in his garden or noisy time Karting with his boys, hitting long country roads on his Harley Davidson, Six Nations Rugby and F1 – in no particular order.
Hannah Widdows
Training & Programme Developer
Hannah plays a key part in developing new programmes and training opportunities, bringing her experience as a mum of four and many years working in her community in Bristol. She is queen of the snacks and there is regular food envy on a Zoom call. She is happiest near water but also loves to explore a new city whilst listening to a recommended podcast.
Jess Main
Executive Assistant to Executive Director
Jess is the Executive Assistant to Eli, taking care of all the details that enable our Executive Director to focus on Kids Matter’s vision to see every child in need raised in a strong family. When Jess doesn’t have her head in the detail and the diary, she loves being mum to two small girls and enjoys walks at the beach with a coffee or ice cream (sometimes both!) in hand.
Jo Stilwell
Support Coach Lead
Jo leads the Support Coach Team, which, if possible, she would do from the inside of her beloved campervan nicknamed ‘Peggy’. Jo leads her team with the positivity (and copious amounts of Diet Coke) required to encourage and support our facilitators as they run programmes across the country.
Katie Akhurst
Training & Programme Development Lead
Katie oversees the development of all our programmes, ensuring they meet our values of excellence and respect. She is also the Lead Trainer involved in the development and delivery of all our trainings. When not sat at her desk drinking many cups of tea, you will find Katie on her bike or on a football pitch.
Katie Washington
Operations Assistant
Katie works with Lydia and Andrew to keep systems ticking over smoothly at Kids Matter. She loves making others excited about a big, bold vision (like ours!) and when she’s not immersed in the detail of all things operations, Katie enjoys listening to podcasts and running in the countryside, and is happiest with a slice of cake and a cuppa!
Kylie Heard
Partnership Coordinator
Kylie supports Catherine in building partnerships with those who share our vision to see every child in need raised in a strong family. After years living in cities, Kylie loves being in the countryside, particularly long country walks and cycling. She also enjoys a cosy coffee shop with good coffee, although it’s not so idyllic with two young kids!
Libby James
Support Coach
Libby is part of the Support Coach Team, coming alongside Kids Matter facilitators as they support parents and families in their communities. She’s a mum of two, plays several instruments and also leads a church plant in her ‘spare time’! Libby’s happy place is her garden.
Lydia Smith
Operations Manager
Lydia keeps us faithful to our value of excellence – first: making sure all our processes are followed, and second: allowing us to run as streamlined and effectively as possible. When not managing all things ops, she is either baking up a storm (proving that vegan baking can taste great!) or spending time by the sea.
Matt Corry
Head of Communications & Digital Engagement
Matt heads up the Comms Team, keeping us on brand, looking good and communicating clearly. He uses his creative eye to help us showcase our impact through our website, videos and print. Matt is a committed Tottenham fan (someone has to be!) and emulates Bob the Builder with his DIY skills.
Meg Darnell
Prison Facilitator
Meg has a passion for the criminal justice system and facilitates Kids Matter parenting workshops in prisons. Her other passions are applied theatre, sea swimming, singing, and anything colourful. Meg lives in Brighton and has a lovely cat called Atticus, named after Atticus Finch from her favourite novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
Megan Hunt
Partnership Coordinator
Megan’s role on the Partnerships Team is to connect with churches and organisations keen to partner with us to run Kids Matter groups in their communities. She’s a mum of two who enjoys spending time outside with family and friends when the weather is nice, and inside with a book and some cake when it’s rainy! Megan also loves music/singing and is slowly learning to play the piano.
Sophie Jackson
Support Coach
Sophie is part of the Support Coach Team, and loves the ability to coach Kids Matter facilitators through the challenges they face as they seek to reach families in their communities. When not being on hand to answer a support call, she will be sipping a (decaf!) coffee or warming up her vocals to be ready to sing in her local choir.
Our trustees
Not only does the Board of Trustees support Kids Matter with a wealth of knowledge, experience and clout but every single member is passionate about seeing children in need raised in strong families. They champion us in our work and every decision made is to bolster the ultimate goal of seeing children thrive by reducing the impact of poverty through our community-based programmes.
Ali Stewart
Chair
Ali has worked in international development, fundraising, executive recruitment and coaching, and currently consults with Resurgo Consulting. She is passionate about the intersection of business and charity and is thrilled to be working with Kids Matter to come alongside families that otherwise would not have access to parenting support. Ali is married to Justin and they have three young children.
Ed Dix
Ed, together with his wife Fuzz, lead St Luke’s Millwall, a local Anglican church serving the community on the Isle of Dogs – a diverse, inner-city part of east London. Ed loves prayerfully pioneering new initiatives that can make a tangible difference in people’s lives. He and Fuzz have four sons, who give him grey hair and much happiness.
Eli Gardner
Eli is a Clinical Child Psychologist with more than 25 years of experience in the NHS. She established the charity Kids Matter in 2017 to help churches deliver scalable, affordable, much-needed early intervention to the most vulnerable families in the country. She is married, lives in London and has three children.
Jo Watling
Treasurer
I am a chartered management accountant who Ioves finding solutions, making things happen and discovering the gold in people. Working as a chaplaincy volunteer in HMP Holloway and HMP Brixton for the last 10 years opened my eyes to the lack of hope and opportunities available to so many in our society and led me to my current role as COO of Onwards and Upwards. I have four grown up sons so I’m all too familiar with the rollercoaster that parenting is and the need for community, encouragement and support. Kids Matter is doing a brilliant job to provide this and I am delighted to be part of the team!
Julia Grant
Jules has spent much of her career in the fundraising world, firstly at International Development Agency Tearfund in their Partnerships team, and then across all areas of fundraising at UK based organisation Resurgo, contributing to their growth over a ten-year period. Jules is married to Seb and they have four young boys. Since becoming a mother, Jules has experienced first hand how much difference having the right support makes to the early years of parenthood, which is why she loves the vision of Kids Matter.
Mathew Neville
Mathew is the founder and CEO of The Kindness of Strangers, a digital platform with a mission to release the growth potential of churches and non-profit organisations. He was previously CEO of Alpha International, a church-based network of 40,000 churches in over 115 countries, and spent ten years at World Vision as Partnership Leader for Marketing and Fundraising. Matthew is married to Cathy; they have three grown children and split their time between London and Cornwall.
Pete Bacon
Pete is an experienced coach specialising in personal development and social impact at Resurgo Trust. He has diverse coaching experience from the corporate and charitable world, with clients such as M&S, HSBC and the Big ASK, and he specialises in helping groups navigate complex problems. Pete has three young kids and loves getting into the outdoors with them whenever he can.
Vicky Neal
Originally trained as a teacher and experienced in working with young people at risk of exclusion, Vicky went on to spend twelve years serving on church leadership teams in Bristol and London. More recently, she has held senior operational positions within the non-profit sector. Vicky is married to Simon and has two adult step-daughters and a toddler.
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Work with us
Do you have a heart for children and families? Come and be a part of a growing team that’s ambitious, fun and dynamic.
Partner with us
By working in partnership with churches, charities and community-driven initiatives to build strong families, we believe it is possible to see children in need flourish.
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