Our team

Meet the Winston’s Wish Patrons, Trustees, Ambassadors and Senior Leadership Team.

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PATRONS & AMBASSADORS

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

YOUTH FORUM

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP

Our President

Duchess of Richmond and Gordon

President

Duchess of Richmond and Gordon

Bereavement strikes a very personal chord with The Duchess of Richmond and Gordon– when she was four years old her father died suddenly of a heart attack. She says, “I think that once you have experienced the death of someone close to you, it’s as though you have crossed a river and you can’t go back. It doesn’t matter if it happens to you when you are four or forty. Suddenly you find yourself in new territory, and however well-meaning the people left on the other side, they don’t really know where you are”.

As well as being a parent of four children herself, The Duchess is also active in running the Goodwood Estate.

Our Patrons

Julie Stokes OBE

Founder Patron

Julie Stokes OBE

Julie Stokes, founder of Winston’s Wish was born in 1961 and educated at St. Michael’s Convent Grammar School in London. Julie received a 1st class honours degree in Psychology and in 1987 went on to receive a Masters in Clinical Psychology.

Julie started her career with the NHS in 1984 and was instrumental in establishing one of the first hospital-based teams focusing on palliative care. Her desire to involve children before and after a parent’s death and to support parents led her to apply to the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. In 1992 she was awarded a Fellowship and travelled to America and Canada to better understand the services provided in these countries for bereaved children. Inspired by what she had experienced, Julie founded Winston’s Wish in September of that year. After just 3 years the grief support programme was well established and Julie won the BT/Childline award ‘for providing outstanding services to children’.

Julie continues to lecture both nationally and internationally, is an established author and has contributed to 11 documentaries including the ground breaking Mummy Diaries series in 2007.

In December 2006, Julie received an OBE for services to children and families. She is currently Vice Chair of The Childhood Bereavement Network. She now works as an Executive Coach.

Randolph Churchill

Patron

Randolph Churchill

Randolph was born in January 1965 shortly before the death of his great-grandfather, Sir Winston Churchill. After attending Harrow, Randolph undertook a short service commission in the Royal Navy and served as Gunnery Officer of HMS Alderney in the coastal protection squadron. On completion of the Navigating Officer Course he was appointed Navigator of HMS Swallow in the Hong Kong Squadron and promoted to Lieutenant. Subsequently, Randolph attended Buckingham University where he was awarded a degree in Financial Management and Accountancy, before joining Deloitte and Touche where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant.

In 1995 Randolph joined Lazard Asset Management, becoming Director of the Charities Division. In 2000 Randolph joined Schroder Private Bank and in 2003 he moved to Rathbones where he is an Investment Director.

Randolph is a Trustee of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, Honorary Fellow of Churchill College Cambridge, Director of the Armed Services Charities Advisory Company (that oversees the investment for over 100 service charities) and Trustee of the Churchill Centre UK and US. He is also a Patron of JAGS and Winston’s Wish. Randolph is a regular speaker at Churchill conferences and dinners. Randolph and his wife Catherine have four children and live close to Sir Winston’s home at Chartwell in Kent.

Emily Eavis and Nick Dewey

Patrons

Emily Eavis and Nick Dewey

Glastonbury Festival organisers, Emily Eavis and her husband, Nick Dewey, became patrons of Winston’s Wish in March 2019. This is the first time the festival organisers and married couple have become joint patrons of a charity together.

Emily, daughter of Glastonbury Festival founder, Michael Eavis, knows first-hand how devastating losing a parent can be in adolescence and she connected strongly with Winston’s Wish after volunteering as a practical helper on a residential weekend.

Emily says, “We’re honoured to have been invited to become patrons of Winston’s Wish. Nick and I have huge respect and gratitude for the work that Winston’s Wish does to support children and young people who have lost a parent or sibling, which I experienced first-hand after losing my mum.”

Baroness Fritchie

Patron

Baroness Fritchie

Baroness Fritchie, DBE (known as Rennie Fritchie) was born in Fife, Scotland and has enjoyed an extensive career specialising in training and development. Currently a ‘portfolio’ worker, Lady Fritchie holds various positions including United Kingdom Commissioner for Public Appointments and President of the Pennell Initiative for Women’s Health in Later Life.

In the 1970s, she was one of the first full-time women’s training advisers and pioneered the training of staff in what was then the new Equal Opportunities Commission. Using a German Marshall Fellowship awarded in 1985 she initiated programmes to improve the status of women which she has written about and spoken extensively on for television and radio.

Baroness Fritchie holds an honorary Professorship in Creative Leadership at York University and is Pro-Chancellor at Southampton University. A Civil Service Commissioner and Vice-Chair of the Stroud and Swindon Building Society, she also sits as a crossbencher in the House of Lords.

Barbara Want

Vice Patron

Barbara Want

Barbara is a writer and broadcaster. Since her husband’s death in 2006, she has commented on a range of social and family matters such as bereavement and mental health. Winston’s Wish supported her and her twin sons when her husband died.

Our Ambassadors

Gary Andrews

Ambassador

Gary Andrews

Gary is an animator, illustrator and film-maker who lives in Surrey. He has illustrated many books, his work appears regularly in Private Eye and for several years he directed the popular kid’s TV show ‘Fireman Sam’.

He met Joy at a local Amateur Dramatics company where they had a shared passion for Shakespeare. They fell in love and spent 19 years together, marrying in 2004. But, in 2017, Joy died unexpectedly as a result of sepsis, aged just 41 and leaving him the sole parent to their two children Lily and Ben, who were just 10 and seven at the time.

For about a year and a half he had been keeping a Doodle Diary online, documenting everyday life and he continued to do this after Joy’s death, using it as a way to explore his (and the family’s) grief and to process the feelings, as well as observing the highs and lows of single parenting. These Doodles have since gained a huge online following leading to several TV, radio and podcast appearances where Gary talks about the importance of being open and honest about the whole grieving process.

This has also led to being invited to be an ambassador for Winston’s Wish. He is hugely honoured to be asked to take on this role, especially as he has seen first-hand just what a huge impact losing a parent can have on children. He hopes that he can help with encouraging the healthy dialogue about death and maybe raise the odd smile along the way.

Kate Jones

Ambassador

Kate Jones

Kate is a secondary teacher and best-selling author, from North Wales. Kate has authored five books, written for teachers and leaders in education, with more books set for publication in the near future.

When Kate was a student studying for her A Levels, someone very close to her, James, died at the age of 16 in a tragic car accident. This was a difficult time in her life and Winston’s Wish were able to support her with regular bereavement counselling and support.

After her A Levels, Kate studied History in University and became a teacher. During her teaching career Kate has worked alongside many students and colleagues that have experienced loss. Kate is very keen to share the work of Winston’s Wish to support children and teachers in schools in her ambassador role.

In addition to teaching history, Kate works with schools around speaking at high-profile educational events including Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and across the UK. Kate has her own podcast ‘The Love To Teach Podcast’ and hosts a weekly radio show on ‘Teachers Talk Radio’.

Kate wrote about her experience of grief and loss in her first book: Love To Teach: Research and Resources for every classroom. Her follow up books, the Retrieval Practice collection, have all been Amazon best-sellers in various education categories and Kate is a regular writer for The Times Educational Supplement (TES).

Kate is excited to be an ambassador for Winston’s Wish, so that young people can receive the same help, support and guidance that she did, as well as supporting teachers to feel more confident and prepared when talking about grief.

Mark Lemon

Ambassador

Mark Lemon

Mark Lemon is an award-winning children’s author, publisher, and most recently, podcaster. Mark lives in Bristol with his wife, Simone, and his two children, Otis and Thea.

Disillusioned with the lack of diversity in children’s books, Mark (with two mixed-race children of his own) decided to create a series of exciting story books with non-white characters. With thrilling tales and beautiful adventures, the Otis and Thea Lemon series have become a firm favourite in family households.

Mark is now using his success to help bereaved children cope with their grief and loss. At just 12 years old, Mark’s father was murdered and this sudden and unexpected loss turned his family upside down. Mark drew on his childhood trauma to publish his fifth children’s book ‘The Magical Wood‘. Published on the 26th anniversary of his father’s death, it has been praised by families who are coping with grief, or anticipating the death of someone they love. ‘The Magical Wood‘ was awarded Bronze in the Best Designed/Illustrated Book for Children category at the Junior Design Awards 2018.

Mark has recently launched his new podcast, Grief Is My Superpower, in support of Winston’s Wish. Mark has now dedicated his time to helping young people and adults suffering through grief. This has led to being invited to be an ambassador for Winston’s Wish. He was delighted and honoured to be asked and is very much looking forward to working with the charity going forward.

Our Trustees

Liz Gratton

Chair of Trustees

Liz Gratton

Liz is an experienced Customer Services and Marketing Director. She worked for over 20 years in the retail banking sector and was part of the early leadership teams at First Direct in the early 1990’s and the world’s first internet bank, Egg, in the late 90’s until its sale in the mid 2000’s. At that stage Liz decided to change sector completely and, after a period of working for a number of start-ups set up by her and her husband, eventually joined the charity sector, where she was Director of Fundraising and Marketing for a children’s hospice in Staffordshire for almost 10 years.

Paul Gathercole

Trustee

Paul Gathercole

Paul is Head of Safeguarding and Professional Standards at CLIC Sargent, a charity for children and young people with cancer and their families. Paul has 35 years of experience in social work, social work management and leadership. He has previously worked with local authorities and in the voluntary sector with Barnardo’s, The Children’s Society and Action for Children.

Grace Horton

Youth Advisory Trustee

Grace Horton

Grace was first supported by Winston’s Wish in 2009 after the death of her father. Since then, Grace and her family have supported the charity in numerous ways, most recently as a Young Ambassador before being elected to the Trustee board in November 2022. As Youth Advisory Trustee, Grace is keen to ensure youth-led participation and decision making runs through the heart of Winston’s Wish. Grace currently lives in the Ribble Valley in Lancashire and loves all things books, baking and swimming.

Zoe Jones

Trustee

Zoe Jones

Zoe has over 20 years of charity fundraising experience and is currently the Head of Membership at Imperial War Museums (IWM). Zoe lost her mum to cancer just before her eighth birthday and has experienced first hand how having the right support at the right time can make all the difference to young lives who have been bereaved. Zoe lives in Devon with her husband and two children and is committed in her role as a trustee for Winston’s Wish in helping support as many children as possible to lead happy and fulfilling lives as they navigate their childhood and become adults.

Huxley Knox-Macaulay

Trustee

Huxley Knox-Macaulay

Huxley worked for over 30 years as a teacher and school leader in both urban and coastal communities, some with high levels of deprivation. Until recently he was the CEO of a multi academy trust comprising primary and secondary schools, and has experienced the positive impact of Winston’s Wish on children and families.

Neil Musgrove

Trustee

Neil Musgrove

Neil is an experienced commercial Finance Director with a career spanning a number of senior finance leadership roles at Experian. Neil trained as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.

Neil has experienced first hand the impact losing a parent had on his three children after the sad death of his wife Rachael in 2019.

Eleanor Turner

Trustee

Eleanor Turner

Eleanor is a Software Engineering Consultant, working with national and multinational companies to develop software solutions to meet their business needs. She is particularly interested in the societal and ethical implications of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence.

Following the death of her father in 2007, Eleanor received support from Winston’s Wish which she found invaluable, and which inspired her to help ensure that every bereaved child had access to the same vital support. Since then, she has worked closely with the charity, becoming involved with fundraising and public engagement through the Young Ambassador programme, and acted as Young Advisor to the Board before formally joining the Board as a Trustee.

Youth Forum

Dom Friel

Youth Advisor

Dom Friel

Dom’s mum died when he was 15 years old having been diagnosed with a brain tumour when he was three. He joined the Youth Board in January 2023 hoping to share his perspective of loss as a teenager and the experience of falling through the gaps in the support net. He is excited by Winston’s Wish eagerness to listen to and be led by young voices and is interested in exploring how to make sure the right support reaches all young people who need it.

Angus Goldsmith

Youth Advisor

Angus Goldsmith

Following a road-cycling incident, Angus’s mum died in 2020 whilst he was studying at university. After already volunteering with Winston’s Wish in fundraising and content production, Angus joined the Youth Board in January 2023, hoping to generate a positive outcome from a traumatic situation by supporting others in a similar circumstance. He hopes that others suffering a bereavement are able to learn from, and embrace, it to live a more sensitive and emotionally aware life.

Grace Horton

Youth Advisory Trustee

Grace Horton

Darcey Jones-Mills

Youth Advisor

Darcey Jones-Mills

Darcey lost her dad to a motorcycle accident when she was just eight months old and joined the Winston’s Wish Youth Board in November 2022. Darcey hopes to raise awareness for other young people who have experienced the loss of a loved one at a young age which therefore makes remembering them a challenge. Darcey hopes her story inspires others to speak out and never be afraid.

Ghislaine Sparshott

Youth Advisor

Ghislaine Sparshott

Ghislaine lost her dad when she was a week old when he was killed in a car accident.  She joined the Winston’s Wish Youth Board in January 2023, wanting to speak about her own experiences from losing someone before she was able to remember them.  Her aim is to raise awareness on how people can grieve differently when they have no memory of their person; and how it is okay to not have the same grief experiences as others who have lost people under different circumstances.