
Louise Wright
Louise’s role is to lead the day-to-day running of the charity, ensuring we have a happy and talented team who really make a difference for patients and their families. She enjoys most meeting patients and carers who are living with the disease and using the power of their stories to bring about change. Outside of work, she loves a bracing walk in the countryside with her family and cocker spaniel Humphrey followed by a glass of wine down the pub!
Email: louise@actionpf.org

Becca Thomas
Becca is responsible for making sure that everyone affected by pulmonary fibrosis can access the information they need online. She also reaches out and supports our community through digital communications. Becca enjoys meeting people living with pulmonary fibrosis and being part of a wonderful and dedicated team. Outside of work you’ll find Becca is happiest watching a live band in a muddy field.
Email: socialmedia@actionpf.org

Claire Baker
Claire manages the Finance, HR, Operations, Legal and Governance of the Charity.
She enjoys being part of a committed and dedicated team and thrives off seeing the difference APF is making to its patients and carers.
Outside of work, Claire spends time with her family and friends. She also has a young grandson who she loves spending time with. She has a German Shepherd dog and two cats.
Email: claire@actionpf.org

Debra Chand
Debra’s role is to develop more support groups across the country, and provide guidance, training and resources so that groups run well and raise awareness of pulmonary fibrosis in their area. Debra most enjoys working with a great team and the opportunity to meet patients, carers and professionals at support groups.
Outside of work, Debra enjoys catching up with family and friends and is a volunteer with a mental health chaplaincy in Peterborough and Trustee of Parish Nursing Ministries UK.
Email: debra@actionpf.org

Emma Byrne
Emma’s main role is to ensure the smooth running of the office and supporting all other functions to run effectively. Emma can be seen at conferences across the country, she efficiently processes your donations and will probably answer your call to the office. Emma most enjoys working with a great team and speaking to lovely people who call the office. She also finds helping APF’s fundraisers really inspiring too.
Outside of work Emma will be spending time with family/friends and a little dog called Charlie.
Email: Emmab@actionpf.org

Emma Pelling
Emma is responsible for raising awareness of pulmonary fibrosis among the media and public at large.
Emma enjoys working with the team and is particularly inspired by the stories of those living with pulmonary fibrosis and their determination to help others.
Outside of work, you’ll find Emma walking and cycling in the South Downs with her boisterous boys and border terrier!
Email: emma@actionpf.org

Joanna Ruck
Jo’s main role is to support the effective working and development of existing support groups and to facilitate the establishment of new groups and networks, in order to reach out and support more people diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis across the North.
Jo loves meeting and working together with patients, carers and professionals - listening to their feedback and suggestions to drive change and improve the future experience for others living with the condition.
Outside of work Jo loves spending time with family and friends, enjoys ballet and modern dance, walking and golf.
Email: joanna@actionpf.org

Lucy Rodrigues
Lucy’s role is to speak to people calling the support line, answer questions and signpost them to services. She supports patients, carers and healthcare professionals via the telephone and email. Lucy loves talking to patients and sees it as being the best job in the world - giving each caller the time they need and deserve, and listening to them fully.
Outside of work, Lucy loves to walk and completed a walking marathon in 2011. She's training again to complete one next year too.
Email: supportline@actionpf.org

Charlotte Teakle
Charlotte looks after our online content and enjoys using her creativity as a tool to support and raise awareness for the charity. In her spare time she enjoys listening to music, going to gigs and finding hidden gems in second-hand clothing stores.

Natalie Martin
Natalie uses data, insight and evidence to help shape the journey of our valued fundraisers. She makes sure APF is providing a range of innovative and exciting events and fundraising activities for our supporters to join in with. She is also developing our Celebrations Giving programme and works closely with our wonderful corporate fundraisers.
In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her husband, son and rescue Schnoodle Peppa.
Email: natalie@actionpf.org

Sharon Moon
A former businesswoman, Sharon supports our fundraisers through their fundraising journey and is the person to contact for help and advice on your event or challenge.
Sharon most enjoys working with our fundraisers, understanding their motivations and seeing the amazing efforts they will go to raise funds for APF. She likes working with a great and very supportive team of people.
Outside of work Sharon splits her time between Cambridge and South London. She enjoys yoga, swimming and is a qualified netball umpire.
Email: fundraising@actionpf.org

Sarah Seymour
Sarah enjoys raising funds to help charities grow their services to reach more people; she is motivated by the impact funds will have on the well-being of patients and carers. Outside of work Sarah is happiest on a country walk with her 4 year old daughter or catching up on reading for her book club!
Email: sarah@actionpf.org

Wendy Adams
Wendy is passionate about enabling patients and carers to have improved access to, and understanding of, the latest research in PF. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her family going climbing, kayaking, mountaineering, and biking. She has a close family link to Pulmonary Fibrosis and understands what it means to care for someone with a life-changing diagnosis.

Steve Jones
Steve was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2008 and lived with the disease for eight years before receiving a single lung transplant in March 2016.
Now retired, Steve is a member of the Papworth Hospital Pulmonary Fibrosis Support Group. He is also a Parish Councillor.
He serves on the board of the European IPF Federation (EU-IPFF) and the council of the European Lung Foundation. He believes that international collaboration will bring greater benefits to people affected by pulmonary fibrosis in the UK and beyond.

Dr Beckie Lang
Beckie sadly lost her mum, Trish, and two other relatives to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Her mum was fortunate to receive a single lung transplant but died three years later from transplant complications.
Beckie has been pleased to watch the charity grow over the last few years and has taken part in fundraising too. She is delighted to be a trustee and contribute to the development of the charity.

Elizabeth Bray
She managed training and development projects with partner organisations across the UK and Europe which included a focus on climate change and quality improvement. For ten years, she was also an Ofsted inspector.
Other interests have included Chamber of Commerce Director, membership of community and business organisations, parish councillor and charity trustee.
Elizabeth’s late husband Mike was an IPF patient, who was fortunate to have a single lung transplant. Following his transplant, Elizabeth worked with Mike, the first Chair of Trustees of APF, and other founding trustees to set up the charity. Over the last few years, the magnificent support from fundraisers across the UK has enabled APF to grow in to a strong and effective charity and Elizabeth looks forward to continuing to support its development.

Dr. Gisli Jenkins
His research focuses on the mechanisms by which injury leads to scarring in the lung. Lung scarring is the central process leading to disability and death in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. It also occurs in diseases such as chronic asthma where it promotes airway remodelling and impaired lung function.
Dr Jenkins’ research work is funded by the National Institute of Health Research and organisations such as the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council, charities and pharmaceutical companies.
He is leading the UK’s first James Lind Alliance Research Priority Setting Partnership for Pulmonary Fibrosis starting 2020. He was a founding trustee of the charity.

Dr Helen Parfrey
She also has an interest in the genetics of familial and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Dr Parfrey is a strong supporter of patient advocacy having established the pulmonary fibrosis patient support group at Papworth Hospital. She was a founding trustee of APF.

Howard Almond
He was carer for his mother for nearly 10 years until her death from dementia and is a strong advocate for better social and health care. He has been a town councillor in Dawlish since 2011, and was also Deputy Chair of Volunteering in Health, a leading charity in the care and wellbeing sector in South Devon.
Howard was diagnosed with IPF in 2014 and, whilst still relatively healthy, is determined to do what he can to help find better treatments and a cure for this disease.

Stephen Morgan-Hyland
He is a Director of a leading planning and economics consultancy in Manchester, having previously been Commercial Planning Director at an internationally renowned property agency. He is involved with some of the largest commercial development projects in the UK.
Stephen lost his dad, Tony, to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2017. Tony had suffered with the condition for five years, bu he was not diagnosed until it was too late for any long-term treatment.
Stephen is honoured to serve at a trustee for Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis in his dad’s memory. He is driven to raise awareness of pulmonary fibrosis in the interests of both ensuring that clinical advances continue to be achieved and that early diagnosis is made in as many cases as is possible.
Stephen is a keen runner and often competes in races flying the Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis flag.

Dr Simon Hart
His research interests include inflammation and the immune system in pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis.

Wendy Dickinson
Wendy was a newspaper and radio journalist for many years before moving to the BBC as a drama publicist. She then worked for a leading UK family support charity as Communications Manager. She has published several factual books, including a biography of her late father. Based on her personal experience, Wendy believes that whilst the patient should always be at the heart of everything APF does, support for the whole family is also hugely important. She is passionate about investment in research and enjoys visiting support groups to learn about the real experiences of patients and families.