Juliette Rayner - Chief Executive Expand I am passionate that children and young people have the tools and opportunities they need to thrive. I am proud to be working with a committed and talented team of staff and volunteers doing their very best to support children with bladder and bowel conditions so that they can a full life, regardless of any bladder or bowel issue they may face. Since I joined ERIC in 2015 we’ve had many highs and lows. The biggest challenge by far has been the impact of the Covid pandemic, which I know has taken its toll on so many of us in different ways. Thankfully with the support of our community, we weathered the storm of 2020. The ERIC team has worked hard to modernise our services for children and families, moved our training for professionals online and welcomed new volunteers enabling us to reach more people than ever before via the helpline service. Before venturing into the voluntary and community sector, I spent many years working in the public sector in roles at national, regional and community level. Much of my policy and partnership experience has helped as in June 2020 I took on the role of co-chair of the Paediatric Continence Forum, an independent national campaign group. I also Chair the Paediatric and Transition workstream on the NHS England led National Bladder and Bowel Project and also Chair the Children’s Group on the Bladder and Bowel Confidence Health Integration Team programme led by Bristol Health Partners. As ERIC has become increasingly involved in collaborative projects not only am I able to contribute the experiences of families that have come to ERIC for support, but I am also heartened that so many professionals and organisations all working together to achieve the same goal - achieve the best outcomes for the children and young people needing our care. Follow me on Twitter @JulietteR9k.
Brenda Cheer - ERIC Nurse Expand I'm the ERIC Nurse and am the first person to hold this post. I started working as ERIC Nurse in May 2013, but I was already familiar with the charity, having done freelance work as an ERIC trainer for some years before that. The ERIC Nurse role was created to find ways to improve early intervention into childhood continence problems. I designed easy-to-understand information for parents and provided training for healthcare professionals and early years workers. I also produced a generic children’s continence care pathway, which ERIC is promoting as a model of best practice. I was truly honoured to be shortlisted for - and then win! - a Nursing Times Award 2016 for this early intervention work. Continence nurses work in an unglamorous profession but we love what we do and we're passionate about the children in our care. The Nursing Times Award recognised ERIC's work in the field, but also the work of children’s continence nurses everywhere. Whilst the ERIC Nurse project finished in May 2016, I continue to work part-time with ERIC. I’m proud of what we've achieved so far and believe that together we make a big difference to children’s lives.
Alina Lynden - Communications Manager Expand I joined ERIC in September 2012 as a helpline advisor giving information and support over the phone and via email. I took on the role of Communications Manager in January 2017, though I'm also still involved with the helpline on a part-time basis. It’s hugely satisfying to feel we are making a big difference to people’s lives through the helpline service every day, but the piece of work I’m most proud of is the children’s area of the ERIC website. The characters wee and poo (now much loved ERIC mascots!) were suggested by local school children and we were able to bring these characters to life. The feedback we’ve had from parents about the children's area has been amazing. The thing I love most about working here is the feedback we get from the people we’ve helped, particularly when they’ve felt alone with the issue up until now. A mother wrote to us recently saying: “To be able to speak to someone who immediately understood the issues - both medical and emotional - was a huge relief to me and lifted a great weight off my shoulders. I also now feel that support is available should we need it going forwards.”
Jackie Fuidge - Learning & Development Manager Expand I joined ERIC in December 2011. I organise training seminars for healthcare professionals - our aim is to ensure that all those supporting children with continence problems receive the best possible training so that these conditions can be identified and treated as early as possible. I also manage our bi-annual conference which brings together professionals working in childhood and adolescent bowel and bladder health to hear the latest research in the field, discuss innovative approaches to managing problems and network with others. I'm really proud of the conferences I organised in 2014 and 2016. The feedback we received from those who attended was incredibly positive, with many saying they found the day inspirational. I love working for ERIC because I have the opportunity to be involved in so many different things. It's very rewarding hearing from the families and health professionals who really appreciate the help and support that we provide.
Julia Bishop - Learning & Development Assistant Expand In December 2018 I became ERIC’s Learning & Development Assistant but I have been volunteering at ERIC since May 2012. I work mainly with Jackie, the Learning & Development Manager, helping to organise training seminars, exhibitions and leaflets. During my time as a volunteer and now as an employee, I am most proud of helping towards the success of the 2014, 2016 and 2018 conferences. We're now hard at work to deliver a diverse range of training courses and roadshows for the year ahead. ERIC is a really friendly place to work, whether as a volunteer or an employee, and I love hearing about the children and families we help. I've also learned a lot about wee and poo since working here!
Amy Barber - Helpline & Family Support Advisor and Training Officer Expand I joined ERIC in February 2018 as Helpline & Early Interventions Officer. I'm looking forward to providing support on the helpline and excited to help develop the early intervention work ERIC has planned to reach out to different groups across the community. As a mum of two young children, potty training is very familiar to me currently and I have picked up lots of useful tips already working here! I'm excited to help support the team here at ERIC and help to continue with the charity’s success.
Kate Shelbourne - Helpline Advisor & Trust Fundraiser Expand I joined ERIC as a Helpline Advisor in December 2018 and the Trust & Foundation Fundraising Team in April 2019, roughly 10 years after being diagnosed with a bowel disease. It’s almost impossible to appreciate how hard bowel and bladder problems can be until you have them, and I love supporting families through the Helpline one day and then fundraising for the Helpline the next.
Claire Sutton - Customer Service & Early Interventions Officer Expand I joined ERIC initially as a volunteer in 2016 after receiving much needed support from the ERIC helpline to deal with my daughter's chronic constipation. I transferred to a permanent role in June 2017. The customer service part of my job involves dealing with shop orders and queries and supporting the overall running of ERIC's trading operation. In 2017 ERIC successfully obtained funding to support the early years workforce who work with children between 0-5 years old. My role is to manage the Early Interventions Project, engaging with nurseries, preschools and any organisations working with young children to ensure they're aware of ERIC and the resources and support available. I organise training seminars for early years professionals, practitioners, volunteers and parents led by qualified clinicians. Our aim is to ensure that all those supporting children with potty training and continence problems receive the best possible training so that any issues or conditions can be identified and treated as early as possible. Working for ERIC is incredibly rewarding, especially listening to feedback after our training and knowing that we're making a real difference to the early years workers and the children and families they support.
Jayne Loveridge - Sales Coordinator Expand I joined ERIC in 2003. My role is Sales Coordinator. This involves dealing with shop orders, queries and the overall day-to-day running of ERIC's trading operation. I'm also always on hand to talk to parents or carers about the continence products available in our shop and advise which would best meet their specific needs. It's great when we receive lovely comments back from parents saying how helpful we've been, and how impressed they've been with the product and our customer service. I'm proud that I helped introduce a new accounts system to the charity which is now benefitting the sales team enormously. The best thing about working for ERIC is being part of such a great team and also the difference we make to the families and professionals that contact us for information and support.
Bethan Grant - Digital Manager Expand I joined the ERIC team in September 2015. I first became aware of ERIC’s work when I was struggling to get good advice on how to manage a condition my daughter was suffering with. After reading the information on ERIC’s website and speaking to one of the helpline advisors on the phone, I felt much more confident about how to support my daughter and reassured that I was not the only mum experiencing the stresses that these conditions throw up. I’m glad I’ve now got the opportunity to enable more families to benefit from ERIC’s work by securing much-needed funding from charitable trusts and foundations to keep these vital services running. The best thing about working for ERIC is hearing the success stories from families that we've helped. (The amount of chocolate brought in by the team is pretty good too!) I like this quote from a mum as it reminds me of how I felt after I'd spoken to one of the helpline advisors: “At ERIC I can talk to someone who not only listens but listens with complete understanding. ERIC has been a sanity lifeline.”
Anna Henry - Fundraising Officer Expand I came to ERIC in 2010 as a volunteer before joining the training department. I moved into fundraising 18 months later and have never looked back. I love my job, but it’s challenging: so much depends on the generosity of individual supporters to deliver the services that so many families rely on. What I love the most about my job is hearing the stories of the families we help and letting our supporters know the difference their donations have made to the lives of so many children and teenagers. I'm proud that someone once said: “You are the first charity I have donated to who have ever sent out a personalised thank you mail. It's a lovely touch and creates a lot of good will. We will certainly be supporting you in the future. Good luck - you guys have got it right.”
Sarah Timms - Family Services Manager Expand I’m a Mum of three (grown up) children, one of whom had continence issues as a young adult. I initially worked as a freelancer for ERIC; facilitating support groups for parents and carers in our local area, with the aim of reducing isolation and encouraging others to share their experiences to help each other. Having got to know the team over that time, I was impressed by how caring, supportive and knowledgeable every person is. I feel passionate about doing all I can to support families; to raise awareness on the impact which having a bladder or bowel problem can have on the child and their family members. It’s important to me that we can reach as many people as possible, to help them to feel that they aren’t alone.
Joe Evans - Finance and Support Systems Manager Expand I joined ERIC in July 2021, taking on the role of Finance and Support Services Manager. I’ve been working in charity finance management for some years now and I’ve previously worked in education and in the private sector, so I have a fairly broad range of experience to bring to this post. My role with ERIC is about making sure that the systems and services behind the scenes provide the right information and support for the people who are doing the real work of the charity, helping the organisation to run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. I’m really happy to be working for ERIC. To me this is exactly what a charity should be: focussed, full of expertise and ready to share that knowledge in as many ways as possible. It’s great to see the charity working not just with parents and children but with the NHS, schools and other organisations. And as a parent of two, I can well imagine what a lifeline ERIC must be for families.
Fiona Boorman - Helpline Advisor Expand I began my nursing career with two placements at Great Ormond Street Hospital (renal medicine and renal surgery) which sparked a lifelong interest in wee and poo and led to my role as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in paediatric bladder and bowel. Before nursing, I worked in special schools both day and residential, developing my interest in explaining bodily functions to those with challenging learning and behavioural needs. Having spent many years as a trainer at ERIC, teaching other health professionals, in 2020 I started to work on ERIC's Helpline, helping families directly with the continence challenges their children face. It's a gift to be able to steer people through the continence minefield, negotiating the barriers and difficulties that children present. I relish the challenge of thinking about different approaches to the standard, as difficulties arise, such as increasing issues with ‘wee holding’ in addition to poo holding. I also support ERIC's work as a member of its Professional Advisory Committee (PAC). I hope that my role within the PAC will allow me to flag up the needs of these youngsters, whose voices are often unheard. When I am not talking about these topics, I can be found knitting bowels (see my Wee and Poo knitting patterns!), making paper mache poo, enjoying many crafts and meddling in the lives of my large family.
