Trustees and ambassadors

Claire Johnston

Chair

Claire has been chair of Our Time since 2018. Claire is well-suited to chair Our Time, having worked as a nurse throughout her career. Following clinical and teaching roles, she became the Royal College of Nursing’s National Adviser in Primary Care, then worked to the Chief Nurse for England on community and social care reforms, before taking up Director of Nursing roles in London NHS trusts. Claire is a registrant member on the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the two professions’ regulator, and is nurse member of the North Central London Integrated Care System and Clinical Commissioning Group.

“To be the chair of Our Time is a tremendous privilege, but brings a big responsibility. We are the only charity in the UK dedicated to campaigning for and providing effective interventions to truly change the lives of children who have a parent with a mental illness. Our monthly workshops and programmes in schools change how children and young people – and their mums and dads – understand what living in a family with mental illness means, and help them to speak out and ask for help instead of hiding their fears. We enable the young people we work with to overcome the stigma they all too often experience, and to realise all that they are capable of at school, on the sports field, in sustaining friendships and later in becoming well-adjusted adults. This is what motivates our trustees, hard-working staff and volunteers.”

Will Mumme-Young

Treasurer

Will has spent the last 10 years working in the financial services sector. He has spent time in London and Bermuda supporting firms in embedding strong corporate governance and helping them manage their risk. Will has previously worked with different children’s charities in Africa and is excited to bring his experiences to support children in the UK.

Edward Hicks

Trustee

Ed is the general counsel of an international private investment firm and the chief operating officer of a UK-based travel business. He was previously an attorney in the London office of a US law firm, working on a range of complex cross-border acquisitions and financings. He has been deeply involved in pro bono legal representation and has represented clients from across the world in a number of high-profile charity matters.

Kirsty Tahta-Wraith

Trustee

Kirsty has worked with Our Time since 2011 in several capacities and is determined to ensure the impact of Our Time’s services is made available to more than just the lucky few. Kirsty attended Our Time’s KidsTime Workshops from the age of eight with her father who had bipolar disorder. She is clear that the support she and her family received at the workshops made a big difference to her confidence, as well as influencing her career choice.  She is passionate about supporting families affected by parental mental illness and she now contributes to the workshops as a counsellor, drawing on her own experiences to support those in similar situations. She continues to be involved in the development of the resources for schools as part of the ‘Who Cares?’ programme and has delivered numerous presentations to school staff and other professional audiences, including the Marlborough Family Service Conference.

Sigríður Tulinius

Trustee

Sigríður is a civil servant and currently works on climate change and net zero at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. She has personal experience of parental mental illness and is strongly committed to helping others in the same situation.

When I was a young person experiencing parental mental illness, I wish there would have been a safe space where I could have discussed what I was experiencing to get help and understanding. I believe that the services that Our Time is offering should be accessible to all children that find themselves in these difficult circumstances.”

Jasmine Grewal

Trustee

Jasmine is a solicitor at a leading asset manager and has extensive experience in the fields of corporate law and mergers and acquisitions. She is committed to helping young people and has participated in numerous mentoring schemes throughout her career. 
 
I am very excited to be able to help steward Our Time in achieving its mission. Wellbeing is increasingly coming to the forefront of our daily lives. However, it is apparent to me there is not enough support and recognition allocated to young carers, a segment of society that seems to be easily over-looked. I am relieved to see an organisation willing to lend a voice and commit resources to helping this brave group of young people.”

Sophie Duke

Trustee

Sophie has a funding and communications background, and currently works for a children’s grant-making charity. She has lived experience of parental mental ill health, through which she uses her own experience to support young people at Our Time’s KidsTime Workshops.

“I could have only hoped to have come into contact with Our Time when I was growing up, to help me understand what was happening and connect with others going through similar challenges. I’m so pleased to have found an organisation which is as passionate as I am about getting the recognition for young people affected by parental mental illness. I’m delighted to be joining the trustees and look forward to supporting more young people who are going through what I did.”