About Us

Mustard Seed Autism Trust has a team of 7 staff, who are supported by our wonderful volunteers, trustees and generous  partners – all who enable us to run our projects supporting autistic children and their families in our community.  

 

 

Our Team

Francis Bland

Francis Bland

 

Senior Occupational Therapist

Francis is a qualified  occupational therapist (OT) with over 20 years experience of working in paediatrics.  She worked as an OT for the local authority children’s services and the NHS children’s therapy services before starting Mustard Seed in 2011.  Francis has post graduate training in Sensory Processing Disorder and autism; DIR Floor Time; Motor Coordination Disorders and Therapeutic Listening.  Francis leads our teens sibling support group.

 

Stacy Reilly

Jen Hill

Service Delivery Manager

Jen has been a primary school teacher for 20 years and most of those years she worked with children with additional, behavioural and special needs in different settings and schools.
In more recent years she has worked as a SENCo. In addition to the day-to-day management of the charity, Jen works directly with the children, runs parent workshops and leads our primary sibling support group.  Jen has two children, one who is autistic and has ADHD.

 

Michelle Sharpley

Michelle Sharpley

Family Support Worker

Michelle has worked with families through Home Start and volunteered with Mustard Seed, before joining our staff team as a family support worker. She runs groups, provides 1-1 work with children and supports our parent courses. Michelle is mum to two autistic young people and brings a wealth of lived experience to her role.

 

George Iverson

Georgina Iverson

Occupational Therapist

George is an occupational therapist (OT) with over 25 years experience working in paediatrics. She has worked both in NHS children’s therapy services and independently. George works in mainstream and specialist schools and provides regular occupational therapy in a specialist centre for autistic children within a secondary school.

George has been providing occupational therapy services for Mustard Seed since 2015. George has post graduate training in sensory processing, motor co-ordination disorders, handwriting difficulties, Therapeutic Listening® and the CO-OP Approach™

 

Nicola Wilson

Nicola Wilson

Office & Finance (MIAB)

Nicola has over 25 years admin/finance experience and has been with us since 2022. She is the first point of contact for the charity, looks after the booking of all appointments and initial queries. She also looks after our Finance and IT.

Nicola has two children, one who is Autistic.

 

Michelle Sharpley

Maria Butler-Gibson

 Family Support Worker

Maria has previously worked with children with additional needs in a Speech and Language unit within a mainstream Junior school, and also as one-one support, prior to joining as a Family Support Worker. She has co-run a parenting course to support families with children who struggle with anxiety. Maria has two autistic children (one also having ADHD) and brings lots of lived experience to her role. 

Pippa Chapman

Contracted Occupational Therapist

Pippa is an occupational therapist (OT) and is contracted by Mustard Seed to support our work with autistic children and our OT for Schools Service.

 

Julia Lodge

Julia Lodge

Contracted Play Therapist

Julia qualified as a play therapist in 2018 and is a registered British Association Play Therapist (BAPT). She is also a mum of three and worked in a school as an LSA for 10 years before deciding to retrain.  As a trainee play therapist Julia completed her placement work with Mustard Seed and is now our play therapist. In addition, Julia runs play therapy sessions in schools across North East Hampshire and Surrey.

Sarah Clements

Sarah Clements

Fundraising and Communications Manager

Sarah is one of the Co-founders of Mustard Seed Autism Trust. She previously worked at Freemantles School for autistic children in Surrey, before setting up Mustard Seed with Francis. After 12 years of working with families, Sarah is now the fundraiser for the charity and manages the website and social media.

Our Trustees

Caoimhe McManus

Caoimhe McManus

Chair of Trustees

 

 

Natalie Walker

Natalie Walker

Treasurer

 

 

Elaine Ninnes

Elaine Ninnes

 

 

Shelley Reddall

Shelley Reddall

 

 

 

Simon Martin

Simon Martin

 

 

 

Graham Burrell

Graham Burrell

 

 

 

Sarah Clements

Linda Casey

 

 

 

SAM GRAY

Liam DevlinLiam Devlin

Volunteer IT Advisor

Our Partners

We have many wonderful partners and funders who support Mustard Seed in a variety of ways. Thank you all for helping us make a difference in the lives of autistic children and their families in our community.

Fleet Town Football Club

Elite Sports Marketing

Brandtastic

Easy as HGV

Nuffield Gym

The National Lottery

Frimley ICB Innovation Fund

 The Leatherseller’s Foundation

 The Shanly Foundation 

The Pierrepont Trust

St Elisabeth Foundation

The James Wise Charitable Trust

 

 

Surrey County Council

Hampshire County Council

Surrey Heath Borough Council

Rushmoor Community Lottery

Co-op Community Fund

Costco/United Way

Odiham Cottage Hospital

 David Solomon’s Charitable Trust

The Ratcliffe Trust

The Woodsford Trust

The Helen Robertson Charitable Trust

The Community Foundation for Surrey

HoodieHut

 

 

 

 

Rushmoor Rotary Club

Odiham and Hook Rotary Club

Kerith Community Church

Cove Parish

North Camp Methodist Church

Newey’s Knits

Sunlife Canada

 Tesco – Stronger Starts

Asda

Co-op

Birdies Coffee House and Bar

Brighter Living

Power Diary – we run on Power Diary

 

 

Mustard Seed Autism Trust Partners Elite Sports Marketing
Mustard Seed Autism Trust Partners Sunlife Canada
Mustard Seed Autism Trust Partners Rushmoor Community Lottery
Mustard Seed Autism Trust Partners Elite Sports Marketing
Mustard Seed Autism Trust Partners Elite Sports Marketing