A Dedicated Team

Fighting to improve the lives of young people and adults born with a Heart Condition (CHD)

At Somerville Heart Foundation, we are proud to have an extraordinary team of people who commit their time, wisdom and skills to help heal broken hearts. Their contributions – both individually and collectively – support young people and adults born with heart conditions to live longer, full and happy lives.

Professor Jane Somerville

Founder and Patron

Our Trustees

Fiona Kennedy

Chair

Rob Nicoll

President

*SHF representative on the Board of European Congenital Heart Disease Organisation (ECHDO)

Michael Rosen

Treasurer

Lewis Barnes

Vice President

Dr Fiona Walker

Trustee

Crispin Somerville

Trustee

Andrew Smith

Trustee

Simon Steel

Trustee

Leigh Nisbet

Trustee

Sheena Vernon

Trustee

Our Trustees give their time, experience and knowledge all for free!

Thank you for your commitment and passion, we could not do what we do without you!

Michelle Woods

Managing Director

Michelle has worked for Somerville Heart Foundation for over 12 years. She aspires to making a difference to the lives of people born with a heart condition and loves talking to our members to improve and develop our services and support. If you have ideas on how we can improve, she would love to hear from you. Michelle works Monday to Thursday.

Services Team

Xander Patel-Cook

Youth Worker

Xander joined the team following our merger with Youth at Heart. His youth work is currently concentrated in South West England and South Wales and he works full time. We hope to expand this service to other identified areas of need.

Ruth Harrison

Mental Health and Wellbeing Counsellor

Ruth is a qualified Counsellor who is kind, warm and compassionate, with a special interest in supporting parents. She has 10 years experience working as mental health social worker supporting parents and vulnerable families with complex needs.

Office Team

Sarah Keeble

Publications Co-Ordinator

Sarah looks after the magazine Upbeat and updates our leaflets. She loves encouraging and inviting people to share their experiences. Sarah works part time Tuesday to Thursday.

Helen Taylor

Projects Co-Ordinator

Helen designs materials, creating engaging content for posts and events. She co-ordinates our fundraising events, encouraging and supporting people to participate. Helen works part time four days a week.

Nikki Vella

Charity Operations Administrator

Nikki helps us keep the charity office running smoothly and provides vital support for the team, she works part time Monday to Friday. Nikki helps with enquiries, shop orders, sending resources out to hospitals and much more

If you are interested in joining our team please see our vacancies here:

Work with us

Thank you for your support! We couldn’t do what we do without you. We rely on your donations, fundraising and small grants in order to provide all of our services and support.

© Copyright 2024 – Somerville Heart Foundation. Somerville Heart Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales No. 1138088 and a registered charity in Scotland No. SC049673. Somerville Heart Foundation is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales No. 07285409. Registered office at 7 Friars Courtyard, 30-32, Princes Street, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 1RJ. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Accessibility Statement| Cookie Policy