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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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
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
Chair of Trustees
Natalie Walker
Treasurer
Elaine Ninnes
Shelley Reddall
Simon Martin
Graham Burrell
Linda Casey
SAM GRAY
Liam 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.
Surrey County Council
Hampshire County Council
Surrey Heath Borough Council
Rushmoor Community Lottery
Co-op Community Fund
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