Our Staff

Sandra is an experienced Chief Executive with a strong change management background along with extensive experience in strategic financial planning and performance management. Sandra has worked at a senior level both in the VCSE sector and in the NHS and has considerable experience in working with a wide range of stakeholders.

Prior to joining Ways to Wellness, Sandra was Chief Executive of Actes for 11 years and was responsible for successfully steering the organisation from a commissioning body to a well-respected charity delivering innovative programmes in Teesside and Durham.

Sandra has an MBA from Newcastle University and is currently in the final stages of an LLM in Information Rights Law and Practice from Northumbria University.

Mike is the Finance Manager at Ways to Wellness, having joined the team in 2019. He has over 30 years’ experience in a variety of industrial and service sector roles. Prior to joining Ways to Wellness he ran the finance team at Cumbria Waste Management Limited for five years and then moved into a general management role, expanding the company into a group and setting up Orian Solutions Group, which provides cleaning and catering services. He has developed accounting systems, created budgets, reported financial performance and managed major commercial contracts. Mike was also a trustee of the Cumbria Waste Management Environment Trust which distributes grants to environmental projects.

Mike has a degree in Economics & Industrial Relations and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. In his spare time he enjoys hill walking, gardening, volunteering and spending time with his two young granddaughters.

Peter has been social prescribing as a link worker for Ways to Wellness since 2017, and before that was a health trainer in behaviour change.

Peter recently started running a community arts group, and gets his hands mucky from gardening.

Ang is Project Manager for the Maternal Mental Health Services project which began under Blue Stone Collaborative but is now a Ways to Wellness project. Previously she was Peer Research Lead at the Young Foundation, growing their National Peer Research Network and strategy. Prior to this she spent 15 years working with a broad range of voluntary and community sector projects and organisations in the multiple complex needs and advocacy field in research and project management roles

Ang was awarded the first IPPR North/Millfield House Foundation Research Fellowship with research published on social care and local economy. Her role has her leading on the inception and development of 4 innovative new VCSE host projects who will be asked to identify and map family and infant maternal and mental health support in their sector and locality and to develop a locally designed, community based, link worker model.

Simon is Social Prescribing Development Lead at Ways to Wellness, and joined the team in 2019. He has over 20 years’ experience in the voluntary and community sector. Prior to joining Ways to Wellness he worked in fundraising and project development at Living Streets and Groundwork West London, where he was involved in the development of a wide range of partnerships and projects. This included the Walk To project, a partnership of thirteen local/combined authorities and not-for-profit organisations across England who work together to increase walking for everyday trips. He started his career in museums and visitor attractions, including Techniquest Science Discovery Centre and the British Museum.

Simon has a degree (LLB) in Law and Sociology and is a certified member of the Institute of Fundraising. In his spare time he enjoys playing the U-Bass and ukulele, walking and cycling, and spending time with his family.

Heather joined Ways to Wellness in November 2022 as our Administrative Officer. Most recently, Heather worked at Durham University, helping academics enhance access to their published research outputs via the University's open access repository. Heather has also worked at Edinburgh University and Queen Margaret University helping develop online services for the research community.

Heather recently gained the CELTA qualification in teaching English as a foreign language and volunteers as a teaching assistant with the local charity Action Language. She has been trying to learn German in her spare time and also enjoys swimming and cycling - when the weather is fine!

Daniya has been working as a social prescribing link worker since 2022. Her background is in Health Psychology and she has a MSc from Northumbria University. She has also worked in schools with young children to support them in the classroom.

Daniya is interested in working with people with a long term health condition and enjoys being able to support them in any way she can.

In her free time she likes reading, art and playing badminton.

Kate has been a WtW link worker since 2020. Previous to this, she worked in recruitment, and she had 6 year career in health and fitness, as a gym instructor, personal trainer, and sports massage therapist.

She turned her own health around through changing her lifestyle in 2012. Kate is very passionate about social prescribing, coaching, and empowering patients to actively seek out ways (big or small) to help themselves, alongside receiving the relevant care from medical professionals. She has a special interest in working with people who have lifestyle related health conditions, depression, anxiety, and cancer.

In her free time, Kate enjoys meditation, reading, dancing, spending time with family and friends, exercising, mindful colouring, learning, and more.

“Happiness is a choice; choose it every day!”

Fay has been working as a Social Prescribing Linkworker for 6 years and is still enjoying it!

Previously she has worked in the outdoors and schools encouraging people to improve their opportunities and wellbeing.

Fay tries to stay well herself by swimming and hillwalking, and has a dog that gives her a stare down if he doesn't get a decent daily walk!

Fliss is a Social Prescribing Link Worker working on the SPACE pilot project at the Great North Children’s Hospital. She joined Ways to Wellness in March 2022.

Previously she worked for the Stroke Association, specialising in peer support for young stroke survivors. She has 10 years’ experience of volunteering with families who have children with additional needs.

In her free time she enjoys running and spending time in the outdoors.

Rachael worked in the arts for many years, including community arts, arts development and arts & health. She has a wide range of experience and skills, including administration, finances, project management, communication and fundraising, gained from working in both small and large organisations in the public and voluntary sectors.

Rachael grew up in Liverpool but has lived in various parts of the country over the years, from London to Cumbria. She moved to the North East in 2009.

As Project Support Officer she supported the Well Newcastle Gateshead Programme Director and Blue Stone Collaborative Board of Directors with all governance and administrative duties, including financial administration, project management, and marketing and communications activities. Rachael moved to Ways to Wellness from Blue Stone Collaborative as part of their merger in 2022 and now works as Office Manager.

Lauren joined Ways to Wellness in March 2022 as a Social Prescribing Link Worker, working on the SPACE pilot project at the Great North Children’s Hospital.

She has over 8 years of link work experience gained in her previous role with Mental Health Concern. Prior to this Lauren studied Social Work at Northumbria University, benefiting from invaluable placement experience over a 3 year period. This included working within homeless services, the local authority with children and families, community learning disabilities provision, primary school settings providing family support and specialised adult disability provision.

In her free time she plays Basketball and enjoys spending time outdoors with her family.

Thomas joined at Ways to Wellness in January 2023 as part of the PROSPeR Programme. Before this he spent four years as part of the Pathways Project with Groundwork helping Autistic people and those with Learning Difficulties get closer to or into employment. He has also worked as a Job Coach and spent four years as an English Teacher in South Korea.

Thomas gained his MSc in Science Communication from The University of Glamorgan in South Wales and is currently studying Counselling. In his spare time, he enjoys walking in the woods and playing board games with his partner.

Rosie joined Ways to Wellness in January 2023 as part of the PROSPeR Programme.

Before this she spent ten years as a Holistic Therapist, offering therapies including Yoga, Remedial Massage and Reflexology. In this role Rosie worked in a variety of public, private and community health settings, before founding Shanti Bee Wellbeing Centre & Yoga Studio CIC in 2017, where she remains Director.

She also works seasonally as an Events Manager on corporate wellness events and the local music festival Lindisfarne Festival.

Rosie continues to offer one-to-one and group Yoga Therapies, is training in sound healing, meditation and shamanic journeying.

Rosie gained a 1st BA Hons Degree in Public Relations from Leeds Metropolitan University in 2008 before travelling India and Asia for 18 months where her interest in supporting health holistically was awakened. Since then she has been an advocate in supporting mental health holistically.

In her spare time, she loves to spend time outside with her family, run, wild swim and travels as much as possible.

Victoria has worked across the North East in media production and the cultural sector, focusing on non-profit organisations that have a strong commitment to health & wellbeing, education and empowering individuals and communities. Born in Durham, Victoria studied Sociology and Social Policy at Northumbria University then went on to do masters degrees in Media Culture and Education.

Victoria has worked for the past 5 years as a freelancer in marketing & communications, creative office management and arts business development, and it was within this capacity she built the legacy website for Blue Stone's Well Newcastle Gateshead programme. Victoria joined Blue Stone Collaborative in 2021 as the administrator for several projects including Suicide Prevention Grants 22/23 and Maternal Mental Health Serivces, moving into a new role with Ways to Wellness in 2022 as part of their merger and now works as Communications and Marketing Officer.

Sonia joined Ways to Wellness as Social Prescribing Project Lead in August 2021. Her background is in clinical research and project delivery in both the NHS and private sector. She has also worked as a Social Prescribing Link Worker in the East End of Newcastle.

She has an MSc from Newcastle University in Clinical Research with leadership and is also a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. In her spare time she enjoys sewing and spending time with her family.