Our Team
Our Team
Our aim is to equip professionals with the confidence, knowledge and skills to provide safe and sensitive care for parents and families.
Each Sands training event is facilitated by a trainer who is a subject specialist.
They bring their expertise to every session, sharing insights, understanding and tried-and-tested approaches that enable healthcare and workplace professionals to provide safe and sensitive care in the most difficult circumstances.
Our Team
Sophia Cross
Sands Trainer
Sophia has a background in education across a variety of disciplines including coaching, bereavement, safeguarding, and parenting. She has a particular interest in counseling and is currently undertaking a Foundation Degree in Integrative counseling practice. Sophia became involved with Sands after the stillbirth of her son Fred and has been a Sands Trainer since 2015. Through her volunteering work and her work as a Trainer, Sophia has seen firsthand the impact of grief, and the importance of good bereavement care for long-term emotional well-being.
Sarah Kiely
Lead Trainer
Sarah has been working as a trainer with Sands since 2016. Her passion for bereavement care started with working for a bereavement charity at age 18. In the following 20 years she trained as a secondary school teacher before combining education with roles in the voluntary sector, working with some of the UKs biggest charities and within the NHS. She also has an interest in using new technology to enhance traditional methods of delivering support, and has managed multi-channel bereavement support services.
Fatima Bhula
Sands Trainer
Fatima has been involved in training and teaching for almost 20 years, initially as a qualified and practicing solicitor training tomorrow’s lawyers, then also working with and training health professionals for a national maternity and parenting charity. Fatima became involved with Sands 13 years ago following the loss of her daughter when she accessed support and later trained as a befriender. It was a natural progression for Fatima to take up the role of Bereavement care trainer in 2013 alongside her other roles.
Lisa Rich
Healthcare Education Lead
Lisa is an experienced Registered Midwife with a passion for reducing the risk of perinatal death and improving bereavement care for families experiencing pregnancy and baby loss. Lisa progressed her career into the field of maternity bereavement, working as a Specialist Bereavement Midwife for 5 years. Whilst leading a hospital maternity bereavement service, Lisa implemented the National Bereavement Care Pathway, gained working knowledge of the MBRRACE-UK Perinatal Mortality Review Tool, and created and delivered training and educational resources for healthcare professionals and students. Lisa is responsible for the delivery of education programmes in hospitals, universities, and other related organisations across the UK, supporting professional development, enabling continued improvements in practice and helping save babies’ lives.
Johanna Symanowski
Lead Trainer
Johanna has over 20 years’ experience in Learning and Development in many sectors including corporations and public sector and brings this experience to creating training and education content for Sands. She is passionate about supporting parents following a bereavement and improving maternity care standards through education.
HeatherJane Dangerfield
Sands Trainer
HJ has been involved with Sands for the past 16 years after reaching out for support following the loss of her son Xander. Finding nothing, she and her husband set up a Sands support group with two other mothers that still supports local parents and healthcare professionals. HJ is passionate about bereavement support. She has been successfully delivering training to healthcare professionals and Sands volunteers for 10 years, embracing new ways of teaching and the opportunities digital technology brings.
HeatherJane Dangerfield
Sands Trainer
HJ has been involved with Sands for the past 16 years after reaching out for support following the loss of her son Xander. Finding nothing, she and her husband set up a Sands support group with two other mothers that still supports local parents and healthcare professionals. HJ is passionate about bereavement support. She has been successfully delivering training to healthcare professionals and Sands volunteers for 10 years, embracing new ways of teaching and the opportunities digital technology brings.
Johanna Symanowski
Lead Trainer
Johanna has over 20 years’ experience in Learning and Development in many sectors including corporations and public sector and brings this experience to creating training and education content for Sands. She is passionate about supporting parents following a bereavement and improving maternity care standards through education.
Sarah Kiely
Lead Trainer
Sarah has been working as a trainer with Sands since 2016. Her passion for bereavement care started with working for a bereavement charity at age 18. In the following 20 years she trained as a secondary school teacher before combining education with roles in the voluntary sector, working with some of the UKs biggest charities and within the NHS. She also has an interest in using new technology to enhance traditional methods of delivering support, and has managed multi-channel bereavement support services.
Sophia Cross
Sands Trainer
Sophia has a background in education across a variety of disciplines including coaching, bereavement, safeguarding, and parenting. She has a particular interest in counseling and is currently undertaking a Foundation Degree in Integrative counseling practice. Sophia became involved with Sands after the stillbirth of her son Fred and has been a Sands Trainer since 2015. Through her volunteering work and her work as a Trainer, Sophia has seen firsthand the impact of grief, and the importance of good bereavement care for long-term emotional well-being.
Fatima Bhula
Sands Trainer
Fatima has been involved in training and teaching for almost 20 years, initially as a qualified and practicing solicitor training tomorrow’s lawyers, then also working with and training health professionals for a national maternity and parenting charity. Fatima became involved with Sands 13 years ago following the loss of her daughter when she accessed support and later trained as a befriender. It was a natural progression for Fatima to take up the role of Bereavement care trainer in 2013 alongside her other roles.
Lisa Rich
Healthcare Education Lead
Lisa is an experienced Registered Midwife with a passion for reducing the risk of perinatal death and improving bereavement care for families experiencing pregnancy and baby loss. Lisa progressed her career into the field of maternity bereavement, working as a Specialist Bereavement Midwife for 5 years. Whilst leading a hospital maternity bereavement service, Lisa implemented the National Bereavement Care Pathway, gained working knowledge of the MBRRACE-UK Perinatal Mortality Review Tool, and created and delivered training and educational resources for healthcare professionals and students. Lisa is responsible for the delivery of education programmes in hospitals, universities, and other related organisations across the UK, supporting professional development, enabling continued improvements in practice and helping save babies’ lives.
