Tanya is responsible for the overall leadership and operational delivery of Jeremiah’s Journey and works closely with our trustee board, bringing a significant history of senior level charity experience to her role. She loves the opportunity to make a difference to the lives of the local families who benefit from our bereavement support services.

When she is not at the helm at work, she enjoys live music, festivals, spending quality time with family and friends, and walking her cherished doggies near the sea.

James leads our service delivery team and has worked in a various area of nursing in both Plymouth and Bristol, specialising in the treatment of trauma and gaining skills and qualifications along the way. Before nursing, he went to art college and spent time writing and likes to include this creativity in his current work. When not at work, James enjoys walking, getting to know different cultures and playing music.

Sian coordinates the delivery of our bereavement services, liaising with families, organising resources, and capturing key data and insights. Previously, Sian worked in education for around twelve years and amassed a wealth of administrative and organisational skills. She brings these along with her drive to support children, young people, and their families.

Prior to this role John has worked across the charity sector in Plymouth at Age UK, Plymouth, Alzheimer’s Society and Citizens Advice Plymouth, primarily in a volunteer development role. In his spare time John loves to cycle and walk his two little dogs. He has always enjoyed live music, happy to travel where necessary for a great gig as well as supporting the local live scene.

Helen, a full-time primary school teacher, also volunteers for our group programme and memory days, and serves as the Chair of our Board of Trustees. She joined the charity shortly after meeting one of our founders, Dr. Sheila Cassidy, in the weeks before her first husband’s passing. Sheila provided crucial support during this challenging time. In gratitude, Helen began volunteering for Jeremiah’s Journey, a commitment she has maintained ever since. Over the years, from her initial volunteering to her current role as a Trustee, Helen has forged lasting friendships and witnessed countless children, young people, and families be supported by Jeremiah’s Journey.

Paul first became involved with Jeremiah’s Journey when his company (Jarvis Nuclear Limited) became members of the Follow the Bear campaign. Paul then joined Jeremiah’s Journey as a trustee in March 2020 and is now our Vice Chair of trustees. Paul is a very active member of the charity and, along with his son Adam, helps Jeremiah Bear get out and about!

Paul is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the Society for Radiological Protection and has served as an elected member of the UK Radiation Protection Council. Paul is vice-chair of the governing body of a special needs school in Plymouth and has formerly been a trustee of Mill Ford Friends and the Centipede Trust.

Eric has been involved with Jeremiah’s Journey since it was founded in 1996 and is a longstanding member of the trustee board. He brings experience as a lawyer and as an independent financial advisor drawing on his practice, SWLaw Limited based at Lee Mill (Ivybridge)

Away from work, he enjoys a range of outdoor activities including walking with his much-loved border collies.

Tara was moved to join as a trustee after the tragedy of the Keyham shootings in August 2021. She co-founded HotelDirect.co.uk in 1997 and has been in business as a director of the company ever since.

She is passionate about the Arts, nature, Dartmoor, horses and the sport of eventing. She has a serious interest in Modern British, British Impressionist and the Cornish schools of Art, which she collects and lends to public exhibitions. Semi-retired and with her children now adults, she hopes to have more time for charity work and other interests, which include writing fiction and travel.

Ian joined us in 2012 when he saw the charity featured in a TV programme as what we do struck a chord with him. Ian and his two younger siblings were bereaved of both parents when he was still in his early twenties and there hadn’t been any services like ours to support them.

He and his partner Wendy became driving forces of our fundraising team, and spent many years raising funds and awareness of the charity together, before Wendy sadly died in October 2021. Ian remains proactive, both in the office and at fundraising events, honouring Wendys memory with the annual ‘Wendy’s Wags’ dog show where there is the class dedicated to the dog Wendy would have most liked to take home.

Ian is the newest member to join our board of trustees and was moved to become more involved after choosing us as the main charity recipient of The Building Forum for Devon and Cornwall, during his time as Chairman. He has been involved in raising various sums of money for deserving local Charities over several years and felt it would be great to work with us to further promote and drive the charity forward within the City and beyond.

Ian set up his own Architecture Practice, Design Development Ltd, over 20 years ago and currently has 16 staff handling a diverse project portfolio across the Southwest.

After the death of Toby and Izzy’s father, Rachael sought support from us. Wanting to give something back, she agreed to share their story in a short case study film. Rachael, Toby, and Izzy participated in the first Jeremiah’s Joy choir event, and Rachael is assisting them in recording a song to raise funds for us. Rachael’s own experience with grief and her background working with families led her to volunteer with our Grief Journey Group. We celebrate the ongoing support of the Edgeler family by recognising them as ambassadors for the charity.

We are proud to be ambassadors for Jeremiah’s Journey and to support all the amazing work they do within the local community. Grief affects us all during our lives and it can be particularly difficult for children to navigate and for the adults that support them. Jeremiah’s Journey do an incredible job providing support to children and their families, but they cannot do the work they do with out community support.

As a local business we wanted to work with a local charity and Jeremiah’s Journey was the obvious choice for us.

It’s a privilege to be an Ambassador for Jeremiah’s Journey, a charity that has deeply impacted my life. At seven, after my father’s death, their support helped me feel less alone in my grief. Later, I worked with bereaved families there before starting my doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Both personally and professionally, I’ve witnessed the vital role Jeremiah’s Journey plays in Plymouth, and I’m dedicated to supporting and raising awareness of their incredible work.

Lady Bianca Eliot became our Patron in 2010 and considers it to be a true honour to be involved in what she describes as an “incredible charity” that has had a profoundly positive effect on thousands of bereaved families in their time of crisis.