Skip over main navigation
  • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
Parents1st
    • Twitter
    • Facebook 
    • YouTube
Donate
Menu
  • Who we are
    • Why we exist
    • The difference we make
    • History
    • Meet the team
      • Board
      • Staff team
    • Research and evaluation
  • Expectant mums and dads
    • Pregnancy Pals & Birth Buddies
    • Antenatal sessions for mums
    • For expectant dads
    • Group exercise sessions
    • How do I make a referral?
  • Book a Course
    • Expectant Dads and Partners Workshops
    • Antenatal and Postnatal Fitness Sessions
    • Expectant Mums Information Sessions
    • Volunteering
  • Be a Pregnancy Pal
    • Why get involved?
    • How to get involved
    • Pregnancy Pal training and support
    • Enrol onto a taster course
    • Gaining a national qualification
    • FAQs
  • Support us
    • Donate
    • Fundraise
  • National work
    • Where we work
    • Training and Workshops
      • Support to other organisations
      • Developing successful perinatal peer support
    • Parents 1st UK
    • The Parents 1st Community Parent model
  • News
  • Jobs
  • Admin
    • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
  1. Who we are
  2. Meet the team
  3. Board

Board

Annette Andrews

Chair of the Board - Annette is experienced as an Executive in the Corporate sector as a Chief People Officer

Expand
c49d0f06-00e3-41cc-96dd-242bbcad3d97

Chair of the Board

Annette has extensive experience as an Executive in the Corporate sector as a Chief People Officer, with a cross sector career in Human Resources. An authentic leader and subject matter expert, with Change Management and Transformation experience. She is passionate about supporting individuals and organisations achieve their full potential.

Annette has an MBA; she is also a certified Executive and Life Coach, a qualified Mediator and Mental Health First Aider. She has set up her own Coaching & Consulting business, combining this with Non-Executive & Advisory roles.

In her personal life Annette is divorced with two sons who are now at University; she has personal and family experience of the challenges facing new parents, and knows how the right support at the right time can make all the difference. In her spare time she enjoys long walks with her dog Barkley.

Published: 4th April, 2018

Updated: 22nd February, 2021

Author:

Share this page
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Celia Suppiah

Chief Executive Officer - Celia is a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse and founder of Parents 1st

Expand
a9253feb-c78c-4241-9619-426edef3e250

Chief Executive Officer

Celia’s commitment to early prevention volunteering began in Essex in 1990 when, working as a health visitor, she recognised that many parents feel fearful or wary of professionals. Celia established a 'Community Mums and Dads' volunteer peer support programme. Drawing on the strengths of local mothers she found them uniquely placed to offer a different kind of support to parents on her caseload.


Celia is passionate about raising awareness of the unique contribution of volunteering to achieving outcomes for parents and children. The Essex programme became a national model of good practice and Celia began supporting other organisations to develop similar Community Parent programmes.


In 2004 Celia gained a 'Leading Practice through Research' Award from the Health Foundation and spent two years working with and evaluating 10 Community Parent Programmes that she had helped to establish across the UK. Inspired by the findings, Celia resigned from a long career in the NHS and established Parents 1st as an independent social enterprise in 2008. 


As CEO of Parents 1st, Celia’s vision and commitment is to promote, support and develop autonomous Community Parent programmes across the UK of the highest quality. This means providing quality support, resources and learning networks to equip others to deliver effective early prevention volunteering that empowers parents to give their babies the best possible start in life.


In 2010 Celia and her team established a new 'Pregnancy Pal and Birth Buddy' volunteer programme in South Essex. In 2013 Celia won the UnLtd Big Venture Challenge to scale the impact of this innovative new programme. In 2015 the NESTA and Cabinet Office Social Action Innovation Fund supported Celia further and two licensed affiliate programmes were established in Tower Hamlets and Derby.


Other achievements include a Parents 1st National City & Guild Accreditation Centre providing unique opportunities for volunteers to gain national qualifications drawing on their experience of supporting parents in the natural volunteer setting.


Celia has a background in midwifery and has over 30 years’ experience as a public health nurse. She has a master’s degree in Public Health (Health Visiting) and is an Honorary Fellow of the Queen’s Nursing Institute.

Published: 4th April, 2018

Updated: 25th May, 2018

Author:

Share this page
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Jenny McLeish

Board Advisor - Jenny is a Specialist Researcher pregnancy, early years and peer support.

Expand
aa74fdfc-3ffb-4061-90ab-bc85f717c204

Board Advisor

After many years working in the voluntary sector, Jenny is currently a Health Services Researcher at the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit where she has been researching the impact on parents and volunteers of different models of pregnancy and postnatal peer support.

As an Associate of the Institute for Voluntary Action Research she carried out an evidence review of the impact of volunteers on early childhood outcomes, to support the development of the A Better Start programmes. She is also studying for a PhD evaluating the effectiveness of peer support for mothers with perinatal mental illness and the process of setting up new volunteer projects.

Published: 4th April, 2018

Updated: 15th May, 2018

Author:

Share this page
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Jo Robins

Non-Executive Director - Jo is an Independent Public Health Consultant.

Expand
6b1196f4-2019-4721-9406-e6ac5d43b954

Non-Executive Director

Jo has over twenty years’ experience of working in the NHS and local government at a strategic and operational level. She has worked as a practitioner in the community, as an NHS manager and at senior level as a public health consultant. She has extensive experience of collaborative work across the NHS, local government, police and voluntary sector services.

Jo is on the voluntary register for public health and is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health. She is also a faculty member of the Sustainable Improvement Team (NHS England, previously NHS Improving Quality), and a Level One Trainer for the Skills Deployment Inventory. She currently has a dual role as Programme Director Transformation/Public Health Consultant across an NHS health economy and local authority.

"I enjoy the challenge of partnership working and I’m passionate about improving services for children and young people especially around emotional health, wellbeing and resilience."

Published: 4th April, 2018

Updated: 15th May, 2018

Author:

Share this page
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Melanie Eichhorn-Schurig

Melanie Eichhorn-Schurig joined Parents 1st initially as NED Finance in early 2018. She was CEO from 2019 - 2021 and now continues to support the Board.

Expand
8a61f8a0-9a54-4d5e-bc74-dd4b6f9b0391

Melanie Eichhorn-Schurig joined Parents 1st initially as NED Finance in early 2018. She took up the position as CEO in June 2019 until late 2021 and is now supporting the Board, continuing to be a valued member of the Parents 1st Essex team.

Melanie holds a Diploma in Strategy and Innovation from Said Business School (Oxford University), the FT NED Diploma, a LL.M. and a masters level degree in Business Administration. She has extensive experience within the Financial Services industry where she worked most recently as a Programme Manager. Prior to that, she worked as Head of Internal Audit for a brokerage firm and has held a number of positions within Internal Audit and Compliance. Melanie has a keen interest in social finance and during her time as CEO sought ways to ensure that Parents 1st Essex could enhance its financial sustainability.

'I am very proud to continue supporting the board following my return to a role as a project manager within the financial services industry.'

Published: 9th May, 2018

Updated: 18th January, 2022

Author:

Share this page
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Back to top

Showing 10 of 5

Latest

  • Help Shape Local Services for Families

    Help Shape Local Services for Families

    Parents 1st Essex and social purpose consultancy Traverse have teamed up to find out what matters for parents and their babies as NHS Comissioners shape local services.

  • Postnatal Buggy Fit Classes June - July 2022

    Postnatal Buggy Fit Classes June - July 2022

    Meet other new Mums and workout in the fresh air with your baby. Feel energised and enjoy exercising with others outside, for all fitness levels.

  • Volunteer Pregnancy Pal Taster Course Sept - October 2022

    Volunteer Pregnancy Pal Taster Course Sept - October 2022

    Join our Volunteer Pregnancy Pal/Birth Buddy 4-session taster course. This is a great way of discovering whether being a Pregnancy Pal is for you.

  • In-Person Postnatal Fitness Sessions September 2022

    In-Person Postnatal Fitness Sessions September 2022

    Fun and friendly in-person progressive exercise programme for mums, to help them feel fit and healthy after giving birth.

Most read

  • Antenatal sessions for mums

    Would you like to meet up with other expectant mums in your area? Join our ‘Virtual information sessions for mums: sharing and preparing together’!

  • What we offer and where

    What we offer and where

    We offer a range of friendly and free activities during pregnancy, birth and after the birth.

  • Fit 4 mums-to-be

    Fit 4 mums-to-be

    Fun, friendly and really helpful if you are feeling anxious, suffering from back pain or are overweight.

  • For expectant dads and partners

    For expectant dads and partners

    Dads have told us that they would like to meet up with other Dads and would like more information about pregnancy, birth and becoming a parent.

  • Why we exist

    We specialise in effective volunteering and peer support during the key life change of pregnancy, birth and becoming a parent.

  • How do I make a referral?

    How do I make a referral?

    We welcome referrals of expectant mothers and fathers who live in the following areas: Basildon, Billericay, Wickford, Thurrock and Canvey Island.

  • How to get involved?

    How to get involved?

    Do you want to make the difference of a lifetime?

  • Why get involved?

    Why get involved?

    Do you want to make the difference of a lifetime?

  • Information and support during coronavirus (COVID-19)

    Information and support during coronavirus (COVID-19)

    Find out what local support services can help you through pregnancy, birth and beyond during coronavirus.

  • Where we work

    We strive to ensure that high quality peer support is delivered during pregnancy, birth and beyond. We achieve this by delivering services both locally (South and mid Essex) and nationally.

Sign up for our newsletter

Parents 1st will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing. Please confirm by ticking the box that you wish to receive emails from us.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website.

We use MailChimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to MailChimp for processing. Learn more about MailChimp's privacy practices here.

   
  • Sitemap
  • Accessibility
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy and Cookies Policy
    • Twitter
    • Facebook 
    • YouTube

Strengths in Communities CIC (trading as Parents 1st) company number 06714737

Registered office: 71-75 Shelton Street, London, WC2H 9JQ
Telephone: 01268 525 758     Email:[email protected]