The executive leadership team is responsible for the day-to-day management of the organisation. Dragonfly Cancer Trust is governed by a board of Trustees. They ensure that as an organisation we are effective in working towards achieving our vision, using our resources to maximum effect and upholding our core ethos and values.
David is an accountant and former partner with Deloitte having worked with clients across government and public services in the UK and internationally. He runs his own management consulting business and is a non-executive director at several companies in the UK and abroad.
Ian is our very own Action Man, earning himself a place in the Guinness World Book of Records in 2021 for completing a non-stop 220 mile triathlon in aid of Dragonfly Cancer Trust. With his next epic challenge in the pipeline and his unwavering passion for the cause, becoming a Trustee was the natural next step in Ian’s journey.
David was born in Wallsend and apart from a 3 year degree course in Huddersfield, he has lived in the North East all of his life. He is the father of 3 amazing children, Shania, Kelsey and Harley, and has a huge passion for helping people, making a difference, and personal development. He has worked in urgent airfreight for 12 years as Sales & Operations Director, followed by 20 years in the Pharmaceutical Industry in various corporate roles.
David now has his own Mental Performance and Mindset Company, working in business, sport, and helping people in their personal life overcome obstacles and achieve their ambitions. He also likes to keep fit and regularly takes on challenges, the last being ‘The Wall’, a 70 mile Ultramarathon from Carlisle to Newcastle. David is looking forward to making a difference in a huge new way, meeting new people, and learning lots representing the amazing Dragonfly Cancer Trust.
Andrew is a senior nurse with a long-standing passion for cancer care, end-of-life support, and making a difference when it matters most. With years of experience working in major cancer centres and palliative services, he’s seen first-hand the importance of thoughtful, compassionate care — especially for young people and their families navigating devastating diagnoses.
He’s spent much of his career leading clinical teams, shaping cancer services, and championing quality care across NHS trusts. But at his core, Andrew is someone who believes deeply in human connection, empathy, and creating meaningful moments — values that align closely with the heart of Dragonfly Cancer Trust.
Outside of work, Andrew enjoys keeping active, spending time with his family and is always up for a challenge (or a good cup of coffee). He’s excited to bring his experience and energy to the trustee team and to help the charity grow its impact across the UK.
Robyn Hatton,
Trustee
Robyn is a strategic communications specialist with over 9 years’ experience across corporate and non-profit sectors. Passionate about the power of clear, human-centered messaging, she brings her expertise to The Dragonfly Cancer Trust to support its mission and strengthen its voice. Robyn is also an accredited Mental Health First Aider and deeply values the charity’s commitment to care, dignity, and compassion.
Jane Deana Dennison is the Chief Executive Officer of Dragonfly Cancer Trust, a UK-based charity dedicated to supporting children and young people with life-limiting cancer diagnoses. Since joining the Trust,, Jane has led with compassion and dedication, helping young patients and their families create precious memories and access much-needed support during incredibly challenging times.
Jane brings extensive experience in non-profit management, with a strong background in community engagement, philanthropy, and creative entrepreneurship.
Her leadership has helped Dragonfly Cancer Trust expand its reach, working closely with hospitals, hospices, and oncology units across the UK to provide holistic care and financial assistance to those in need.
Alongside her role at the Trust, Jane is also a trustee for Northern Cancer Voices, further demonstrating her commitment to advocacy and support for cancer patients.
Based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Jane is known for her warmth, creativity, and unwavering commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of families
affected by cancer. Through her vision and heartfelt approach, Dragonfly Cancer Trust continues to be a vital source of comfort and hope for children, young people, and their loved ones throughout the UK.
Jane’s long-term hope for the trust is that every young cancer patient with a life-limiting diagnosis across the UK will be able to access Dragonfly Cancer Trust’s
services, ensuring no family faces this journey alone and that every young person can make each moment matter.
Ben is currently First Team Development Coach at Newcastle United Football Club where he has been a coach for over 15 years spanned over two periods at the club. In between his two stints at NUFC he worked for The Football Association as a coach developer in the professional game.
He originally began his coaching career with Newcastle City Council’s Football Development Scheme and moved across to Newcastle United Foundation when the club’s charity was created.
His involvement with Dragonfly Cancer Trust began when the charity made Newcastle its central base at the same time as the loss of his mother to cancer. He has since utilised his sporting connections to help a number of young cancer patients fulfil some of their sporting-related dreams and create memories for those young people and their families.
Charis is the creator of @thegriefspace_ on instagram. The Grief Space is a supportive platform that discusses grief, from the perspective of a young adult. She created this page after losing her brother Cameron in May 2020, after a long journey with Leukemia.
Charis has experienced first hand the amazing work that Dragonfly Cancer Trust do, receiving support in the last few days of Cameron’s life. We enabled Charis to create some cherished and lasting memories and keepsake jewellery from her brothers fingerprint.
Charis said, “I am honoured to be an Ambassador for the charity and use my platform on instagram to tell more people about the incredible and supportive work that Dragonfly Cancer Trust do. This Charity holds a very dear place in my heart not only for what they’ve done for my family and I but what they do to support young people and their families through extremely difficult and emotional times.”
Lamin is a remarkable documentary filmmaker currently studying for a degree in Fashion Marketing Communication at Newcastle College. He has been a true champion for Dragonfly Cancer Trust, lending his support at our events by captivating some beautiful photography and sharing impactful social media posts.
Ellie Sturdy, Young Ambassador
Hey everyone, I’m Ellie and I’m 16 years old – I love football and working with Children.
I’m an Auntie to 5 so I have plenty of experience working with Children. I also volunteer at a local nursery. I’m attending Central Bedfordshire College in September to study Childcare along with Charity work and football.
I lost my good friend Kian to Ewing Sarcoma. He was just 13 years old and he’s inspired me to get up and make a difference in the world. I’m passionate and determined to make a difference.
I want to eventually work with children with special needs along with working alongside the trust. This trust helped my friend and his Mum so it’s a charity that’s so special to me and I feel honoured to be a part of something so amazing and to be working alongside so many incredible people. If I can just make one child smile and help even just one family then it will be worth it. I hope to learn lots along the way also. Here’s to making a difference. Thank you everyone
Joyce is our incredible volunteer who turns her hand to anything. On a typical day, Joyce can be found counting and merging money for the bank from our collection tins and helping with our admin and our annual ball preparation.
Ekaterina is a Russian-born anthropologist turned UX Researcher and Designer. Currently based in Heidelberg, she works in health tech and develops software for German doctors.
Passionate about volunteering, she started her first charity project at the age of 12 by donating most of her plush toys to the local orphanage. Since then she never stopped, and worked as a Hospice fund coordinator in Moscow, created websites for Indian schools, taught English in a Buddhist monastery in Ladakg, volunteered full-time in a Buddhist center in France for over five years, and taught yoga to Ukranian refugees in Germany.
Nowadays, she supports Dragonfly Cancer trust in website re-design.
Danika Stochosky serves on the Ball Committee for Dragonfly Cancer Trust, bringing her expertise as a data-driven copywriter to help advance the Trust’s mission. After recognising the need for additional support with the annual Dragonfly Ball, Danika stepped forward to contribute her professional skills by revitalizing sponsorship materials and developing comprehensive packages that connect generous sponsors with the Trust’s life-changing work.
Having experienced first-hand the precious nature of time while supporting family members through chronic illness, Danika deeply resonates with Dragonfly Cancer Trust’s commitment to empowering young cancer patients. She is particularly moved by the Trust’s focus on giving children and young adults control over how they’ll be remembered, believing that these meaningful moments and keepsakes provide profound comfort during life’s most challenging journeys.
Married to Kevin Spowart (Your North East Magazine, big supporter of Dragonfly Cancer Trust), lives in the North East. Day Job is working for the NHS, re-joined the NHS 4 weeks before Covid Shut down and worked through it. Proud to be asked to help with the Ball and to support the charity and Jane in any way I can. I can’t do the running/jumping stuff but I’m happy to sponsor those of my friends that do. My main goal for this years Ball is to get as many people involved as I can.
Hi there! I’m Amber, a 22-year-old accounting student with a passion for numbers and a love for the great outdoors. I grew up on a farm with my brother and gran, surrounded by horses, chickens, goats and pigs —always as pets, of course! I’ve recently made the exciting move to Newcastle, where I bought my first home (yay!). When I’m not studying, you’ll find me hiking the weekends away, staying fit, and experimenting with healthy recipes in the kitchen. I’m also a huge fan of baking sweet treats—because life’s too short not to enjoy a little sweetness! I’m thrilled to be part of your team and can’t wait to contribute to such a wonderful cause.
Hi! I am currently a first-year biochemistry student at the University of Sheffield. I am joining as a volunteer researcher and am passionate about contributing to the broader community through my research. I have experience doing formal scientific research as part of my EPQ project during A-levels and aim to pursue a career as a researcher in the industrial sector after graduation. I hope to gain more experience researching while hopefully being able to benefit others at the same time.
My name’s Jess and I currently work at a local transport charity in a press and public relations role. Having started as a volunteer whilst studying for my degree in English Literature I quickly fell in love with the charity sector. Being able to use my skills in writing and editing while knowing that the work we do helps others and goes towards making a bit of a difference in people’s lives is a great satisfaction to me. I am really looking forward to joining the Dragonfly Cancer Trust to help support this incredible charity and learn even more about this wonderful sector.
I moved to Sheffield six years ago when my husband died to be nearer to family. I have been volunteering for the NHS since my move and for the last three years I have been based at Weston Park Hospital in the Chemotherapy Aseptic Dispensing Unit where I deliver treatments to in- and out-patients thus allowing the full-time staff to get on with their important work. It is really a privilege to be able to help and I am so pleased that so many patients are receiving treatments for cancer. I also attend meetings of the Sheffield MND Support Group also as a volunteer.
I am currently pursuing an MSc in Public Health at Teesside University, building on over four years of clinical experience in internal medicine and maternal healthcare. My academic and professional journey is grounded in a strong commitment to health equity, community engagement, and global health improvement through education, prevention, and continuous learning.
My key interests include addressing health inequalities and the wider social determinants of health through data-driven strategies, inclusive policy development, and targeted interventions. I have completed certified training across multiple public health domains, including epidemiology, health communication, and research methods, and continue to enhance my knowledge through national and international CPD opportunities.
As a student member of the Faculty of Public Health (FPH) and the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), I actively participate in special interest groups (SIGs) and professional development events. I am passionate about applying evidence-based, cross-cultural approaches to help drive meaningful health outcomes and am eager to contribute to the mission of Dragonfly Cancer Trust and the wider public health community.
I am a student studying maths at the university of Sheffield. I volunteer with dragonfly cancer trust by helping with bucket collections and I am proud to be supporting a charity that raises funds for children living with cancer.
Lauren is a social media and content creation specialist, with 8 years experience of working within and around these industries. She is the proud owner of Be Reyt Social, a social media management and content creation business based in Doncaster. Lauren believes highly in making organic social media and content fun, easy and authentic for businesses and creators through focusing on strategy, creativity and being true to brands and their values. She is excited to be a part of the team at the Dragonfly Cancer Trust and hopes her input will help spread the voice, the mission and the values of the trust far and wide to encourage more and more people to support the incredible work they do.
My name is Natali, I am from Ukraine and have been living in Leeds for the past two years. I study Health and Care Management at university because caring for others has always been my passion. I want to give my time and energy to help children and young people who are going through cancer. I believe that kindness, an open heart, and even small moments of care can make a big difference. I am proud to be part of a team that supports young people in their fight and shows them they are never alone.
Hi, I’m Ellie. I’m a campaigns and digital marketing adviser in the public sector with a heart for bold ideas and purpose-driven communications. With over a decade of experience across people management, hospitality and marketing, I’ve helped businesses and charities find their voice, connect with their audience and create real impact.
I’m passionate about marketing that matters: using platforms to build awareness, amplify voices and inspire change. I love helping organisations shape cohesive messages that not only reflect who they are, but tell powerful stories that stick.
Outside of work, you’ll find me out on the water or enjoying a coffee with friends (or a great book).
For almost a decade, Sophie has helped brands visually tell their stories. Her mission is to connect services with their users through powerful and impactful brand design.
Sophie also works with the South Yorkshire Eating Disorder Association (SYEDA) on their training and development team, helping raise awareness across the region. Inspired by Dragonfly Cancer Trust’s unique focus on emotional support and memory-making, Sophie is proud to join the team and help them reach as many young cancer patients as possible and raise vital funds.
Outside of work, you’ll find Sophie practicing yoga or running around Sheffield with her dog and husband.