Our trustees

Sasha Barber

Chair of Trustees

Sasha has been our chair since 2018, bringing a wealth of experience to Bluebell. She currently works for North Bristol NHS Trust as the mental health and bereavement lead for Women and Children’s Health. Her CV also includes perinatal mental health champion for the Institute of Health Visiting, health visitor team manager and mental health nurse. Sasha believes that Bluebell’s work saves lives and creates hope for the future. She finds her role with us very rewarding - in fact, she has told us that when her time as a trustee is up, she’ll be returning in disguise!

Dr Karl Scheeres

Karl is a psychiatrist with the NHS. Having worked in New Zealand after qualifying back in 2006, he now lives in Bristol, where he works as a consultant perinatal psychiatrist with the Specialist Community Perinatal Team. He was the first male member of staff in his NHS trust to take long term paternity leave, looking after his daughter full time for six months in 2015. Karl is proud to play a part in our dads’ groups, which he believes offer a rare opportunity for new and expecting fathers to discuss their mental health. 

Holly Starkey

Holly has always been passionate about women’s mental health, and her interest in perinatal mental health grew when she became a mother to two boys. She trained as a mental health nurse in Bristol, going on to work in a variety of settings.  She was a senior practitioner with the Crisis and Home Treatment Team and later became the manager of the service. Holly is currently part of the Psychiatric Liaison Team at the Bristol Royal Infirmary and specialises in perinatal mental Health at St Michael’s Hospital. She is delighted to support Bluebell, who she says offers parents the most caring and considered support through one of the most difficult transitions in their lives.

Dr Jennie Shouls

Jennie brings an invaluable GP perspective to Bluebell. She has worked as a GP in Bristol for many years and has a particular interest in perinatal mental health and ensuring families receive the care they need.

Dr Kirsty Alderton MBCHb, MRCPsyc

Kirsty qualified as a doctor in 2009. A practicing psychiatrist with a special interest in perinatal mental health, she has worked on a mother and baby inpatient unit as well as running a mindfulness group for parents in the community. Kirsty is passionate about general health and wellbeing and fascinated by the impact of nutrition on mental health. She has a young daughter.

Rose Hall

Rose joined Bluebell to support the development of LGBTQ+ inclusion in our work. She is an art therapist with over a decade’s experience of working in mental health. She currently has a private practice specialising in supporting the LGBTQ+ community and she runs gender awareness workshops with early years practitioners. Rose is really happy to hear from anyone with any thoughts, ideas or questions about how Bluebell can best support families. You can find out more about her at www.rosehalltherapy.com.

Kia Brown

Kia has lived experience of depression and anxiety, and she credits Bluebell for playing ‘a massive part’ in her recovery journey. She gave birth to her daughter in the first lockdown of 2020 and says that when she was at her lowest point, Bluebell offered the support she needed to ‘get through the days’. She became a Trustee because she felt strongly that she wanted to give something back to Bluebell. Kia has a particular interest in women’s mental health and has volunteered as a listening volunteer for Self-Injury Support. Currently she works at the University of Bristol as an assistant disability adviser. Born in Bristol, Kia loves everything about her vibrant city!

Claire Nutt

Bristol-based midwife and educator Claire joined Bluebell in 2021. She has recently moved from North Bristol Trust, where she was a specialist midwife in perinatal mental health, to the University of the West of England, where she is lecturing in midwifery. Claire has been a practising massage therapist and massage trainer for therapists and maternity staff for over 20 years – a role she loves, because it supports her own wellbeing as well as the wellbeing of others. Passionate about perinatal mental health support in all areas of maternity services, Claire is keen to help parents through their unique journeys, both directly and by supporting other healthcare professionals.