Meet our trustees

Mandy Garner, Founder and Coordinator

Mandy is managing editor at WM People [workingmums.co.uk, workingdads.co.uk and workingwise.co.uk] and communications officer at the University of Cambridge.

She has worked as a senior broadcast journalist on health and social care at the BBC and as features editor of the Times Higher Education Supplement. She has also been a school governor. Mandy is mum to Anisha, the inspiration for Talk2Nish, and to Maia, Leila and Gael.

Christine Barry Cert.Ed BSc MA - Chair

Christine worked as an educator for 40 years, including 21 years as the Headteacher of a Primary School which included specialist provision for Special Educational Needs within a mainstream school.

She also worked with the University of Connecticut, USA (UConn) as an adjunct professor in their Teacher Education Programme for over 20 years.  She was also the Headteacher of Nish’s first primary school.

Jasmine Norton

Jasmine (she/her) is a recent graduate of a joint Sustainability and Psychology degree, and is passionate about community work, critical mental health perspectives, and mental health equity.

She is currently working as a Project Curator at Hospital Rooms; a mental health and arts charity, and is interested in how the arts can contribute to social change. Jasmine loves music, photography, books, and has a love for badminton. She is excited to be part of Talk2Nish and has a deep-rooted connection to its missions.

Rebecca Lewis

Rebecca is married with four children and lives in East London.

She has been a primary school teacher for 25 years working in London schools.

Over the past few years she has seen a noticeable shift towards caring for children’s mental health and well being, although there is still a very long way to go in preparing and supporting our young children.

For that reason she is thrilled to be part of such a wonderful initiative to develop a peer mentor system for young people. Talk2Nish is very close to her heart and she is honoured to be on this journey with the rest of the board.

Stuart Shepherd

Having grown up in the Essex area, Stuart’s family currently live in Chingford, London. His wonderful, supportive wife and he have three beautiful daughters, all of whom are still in full time education, two fluffy poodles and two leopard Ghekos! Stuart has spent his whole professional career in IT, most recently as an IT Consultant, working in the Finance sector for large corporate financial organisations, local councils, retail and financial regulators.

Outside of work he is a keen long distance runner and enjoys watching the children stay active across a multiple range of sports including football, hockey, Kung Fu and running. He is a big advocate for mental health, especially for the younger generation, whose mental health needs are often overlooked and underfunded. He is looking forward to helping this great new charity grow and support many young children through previously unrecognised mental health challenges in the memory of Nish.