The Team

We are a small close-knit team at Love4Life, all committed to making a difference for young people. Our delivery team, led by the programme manager, has a wide range of experience in youth work, education and therapy. They are supported by our experienced fundraisers and marketing staff who are essential to the success of our work.

As well as our staff team we have a number of volunteers both acting as trustees and directly supporting the work we do with young people. We currently have eight trustees led by our Chair, Jonathan Kerry. They bring a range of skills to our charity including finance, programme development and fundraising.

All members of our team are DBS checked.

Our current staff team is

	Louise Adams- CEO Louise joined the Love4Life team in November 2022. She has always worked with children and young people and is enthusiastic about supporting them to fulfil their potential and raising aspirations. Louise has worked in the non-profit sector for many years and understands the pressures faced by charities and fundraising as well as the unique tailored support that charities can bring to the community. She is passionate about empowering teams to succeed and achieve their aims. Outside of work, Louise has a busy family life, plays netball and enjoys walking her crazy dog, Bluebell.

	Karley Barber-Programme Manager In 2019 Karley completed her BA Hons in Working with Young People and Communities at the University of Derby. Karley started her journey with TwentyTwenty back in 2017 when she worked as a mentor volunteer and then also worked in our Derby centre. She moved into a sessional worker role up until March 2019 and from there progressed into a full-time Solution Focused Coach at the Derby Centre. She came back to TwentyTwenty in the summer of 2020 as Derby youth worker then became full-time Love4Life Derby Coordinator and is now Programme Manager. She has always worked with children and young people and has a real passion for helping make a difference to everyone she works with. “I want to be there for young people and be the person I needed when I was younger”

	Bethan Stanyon - Data Monitoring and Impact Manager Bethan joined Love4Life in August 2021 in the newly created role of Programme Manager, having previously worked for The Prince’s Trust. In June 2024 Bethan returned from Maternity Leave to her new role as Data Monitoring and Impact Manager. Originally a teacher, Bethan is passionate about supporting young people to achieve their potential, and in particular empowering young women to establish positive, fulfilling relationships. Bethan lives in Nottingham with her husband and outside of work enjoys travelling and reading a good book.

	Joanna Burrows - Fundraiser Joanna came to TwentyTwenty in 2013 as their first ever fundraiser. Originally a qualified nurse, she has been involved in charity work all her life and is passionate about helping those marginalised by society. Her previous roles have included piloting a social rehabilitation project for Age UK, fundraising for Epilepsy Action, and project management for Voluntary Action Melton. Born and brought up in Kenya, she has travelled extensively over the years and is very interested in supporting people from all different backgrounds and ethnicities to have an equal chance in life.

	Lara Best - Fundraiser Lara joined Love4Life in April 2023. She has worked in the charity sector since graduating from university in 2021. She is passionate about women's issues and women's rights and is excited to make a real difference through fundraising at Love4Life. Outside of Love4Life, Lara enjoys playing netball and taking part in team sports. She is also a dab hand at a pub quiz and can often be found winning pub quiz prizes!

	Chris Peat-Finance Director Chris joined Love4Life at the start of 2023 as Finance Director. Chris is both AAT and ACCA qualified with over 30 years of experience in finance, having spent the past 17 years with Cooper Parry as a Senior Audit Manager. Chris now works with several businesses in the not-for-profit sector, including Love4Life, helping to build efficiency and robustness into their everyday processes and working alongside senior management teams and boards to drive the businesses forward to a sustainable future.

	Kirsty Birchall-Admin and Marketing Assistant Kirsty joined the team in September 2022. She originally studied a BA in Language, Literacy, and Communication then a PGCE in Primary Education, and worked as a primary school teacher in Leicester for 13 years. As well as teaching, she ran a baby sensory business and undertook marketing courses in her spare time. After seeing the job advertised, Kirsty knew she was passionate about the charity and had to apply! Outside of work, Kirsty loves going to gigs, discovering new books and podca and walking in forests.

	Laila Harrison-Leicestershire Co-ordinator Laila started at Love4Life in October 2021 on a student placement, whilst studying for her BA Hons in 'Childhood and Youth'. Upon finishing the placement, she became a sessional worker with us then took on the Leicester Youth Worker role and is now managing Leicestershire as Leicestershire Co-ordinator. Laila is passionate about supporting young people to feel empowered and believe in themselves. Outside of work, Laila enjoys getting stuck into crafts and upcycling projects, as well as spending time with friends and family.

	Harriet Selby-Leicestershire Youth Worker Harriet recently joined the Love4Life team in May 2023 after returning from a backpacking trip around Latin America. She studied geography at the University of Chester with a focus on social inequalities and global issues before moving to Australia. Harriet has previously worked with young people with learning difficulties in a college where she became passionate about young people's well-being. She dreams of a world that embraces gender equality where girls are empowered and confident. Harriet loves running, dancing, dogs, and sharing good food with her friends.

	Sophie Fahey-Leicestershire Youth Worker Sophie started receiving help from charity TwentyTwenty nearly seven years ago. She started with 1-2-1 sessions and then attended a Love4Life group. Love4Life really helped Sophie become who is today, and she hopes to have a similar impact on young people through her work youth worker. Outside of the charity, Sophie is studying history with her Open University and loves walking her dog.

	Alisha Roberts - Leicester Coordinator Alisha started with Love4Life as the Leicester Youth Worker in April 2021 after volunteering with the charity for 5 months. She studied Media and Culture at the University of Worcester however, this is where she realised her passion for youth work and supported a local youth centre throughout her studies, including giving time to Love4Life as a placement. Originally coming to TwentyTwenty as a young person at a Love4Life community group in Loughborough, Alisha has a unique perspective of the Love4Life experience and wishes to be part of the driving force behind empowering young girls to reach their fullest selves. Alisha loves wacky earrings and is absolutely quackers for ducks.

	Sophie Mouzakitis-Leicester Youth Worker I started working with Love4Life as a volunteer in March 2023 during my second year studying BA Media and Communication. It was through Love4Life that I realised Youth Work was the career path I wanted to follow. I love the work that Love4Life does, so I decided to begin my journey with this wonderful charity. I am passionate about helping young people become empowered young adults by encouraging them to make well-informed decisions that prioritise themselves. Outside of work, I enjoy writing, doing over-the-top skincare, and solo coffee shop dates. I'm all for the self-care movement!

	Fawn Kitson – Derby Coordinator Fawn began volunteering with TwentyTwenty whilst studying for her BA Hons in “Working with Young People and Communities” in 2018. She went on to support young people in schools and other settings after graduating from the University of Derby in 2019. Fawn’s most recent role involved supporting vulnerable members of the community in Derby, working with young mums, and creating opportunities to enable them to work towards their goals. She has worked with young people since 2011 and hopes to continue to empower and enable them to flourish. She is passionate about promoting the voices of young people and giving them the confidence to achieve their dreams. Her motto is "be the change that you wish to see in the world".

	Ella Getty-Derby Youth Worker Ella joined Love4life in January 2024. She has supported young people in schools across Derby for four years. Ella has previous experience studying psychology and sociology; she has also gained a diploma in counselling and is currently studying part-time through the Open university, working towards a degree in education. Ella has a real passion for being a source of support to young people who may be struggling and she strongly believes that young people should always be heard and, with the right person behind them, can achieve anything. Outside of work, Ella enjoys reading, musical theatre, and scrapbooking.

	Dionne O'Connor – Derby Youth Worker Dionne has spent 5 years teaching childcare at an alternative provision, where young people have not engaged in mainstream school for various reasons. Within the time at the provision, Dionne helped young people successfully complete the course. Her passion for teaching/mentoring students has been centered around building young people's self-esteem, confidence, and independence, offering encouragement, guidance, and support. Dionne hopes that every young person embraces their individuality, aspires towards a positive future, and inspires others along the way. In her spare time, Dionne enjoys spending time with her friends and family, listening to music, and going to the gym.

	Nicola Mellor - Sessional Youth Worker Nicola joined Love4life in June 2022. Nicola has been working with young people in a sporting environment for over 10 years. Her passion and enthusiasm for sport have encouraged her to use sport as a tool to support and develop young people, giving them the confidence and ability to believe they can succeed in anything they do. Nicola is now looking forward to working with young people in new ways, increasing opportunities for them, and developing their mental well-being (maybe with a little bit of physical benefit too!) Alongside Love4life, Nicola is a firefighter; another part of her passion is to make a difference in her community! In her spare time, she plays competitive netball for her local club and loves socialising and playing football with her friends.

	The Well-Being Team We are a pet-friendly office and love it when staff bring their dogs in to meet us. Nothing is better to help you get through a tough day than puppy cuddles!