We are an award winning social enterprise, founded and run by people living with long-term conditions and with experience of caring.

We were founded in 2015 by Andy Turner and four community members, Tina Malin, Wendy Dingley, Dave McHattie and Vicky Harker. These four amazing people attended the Hope Programme, then became facilitators and trainers, and company directors. We deliver on their legacy and bring lived experience to everything we do.

Six awards or badges related to business or leadership awards, each with different logos, titles, and colors, including recognitions from UK Social Enterprise Awards, WISE 100 Awards, NatWest Top 100 and Top 25 awards, and KE Awards, with some labeled as winners.

Our vision

For everyone to have the tools to live a hopeful and flourishing life.

Meet the team, experts and board directors

  • Close-up of a woman with wavy blonde hair, green eyes, wearing red lipstick, and a black top.

    Gabriela Matouskova

    CEO AND NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Gabriela leads on business development and growth. She loves all things crossing arts, health, creativity, innovation, community and research. Gabriela cared for her mum, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2013. Her personal experience of caring and loss fed into development of our Hope Programme for Carers.

  • A woman with shoulder-length red hair smiling at the camera, standing in front of colorful artwork on the wall.

    Dr Bethan Alper

    QUALITY ASSURANCE LEAD

    Bethan leads on training, online facilitator assessments and quality assurance for the Hope Programme. She loves music, dancing and fancy dress. After completing her PhD at Coventry University, Bethan worked in healthcare until her Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis in 2018. She completed the Hope Programme in 2020 and now leads our quality assurance and facilitator training.

  • Close-up of a woman with shoulder-length light brown hair, wearing pink lipstick and black eyeliner, smiling softly indoors.

    Jen Scoble

    COURSE CO-ORDINATOR

    Jen co-ordinates and administers our Hope Programme courses. She joined us from a busy customer-facing role in a worldwide organisation. Jen loves trying new recipes, live music, theatre, and time with friends and family. She has also trained as a Hope Programme facilitator, building on her passion for health and wellbeing.

  • A man with glasses, a bald head, and a full beard, wearing a black shirt, looking at the camera against a plain light background.

    Prof Andy Turner

    NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, RESEARCH

    Andy is the founding member of our social enterprise, Professor of Health Psychology at Coventry University, and co-inventor of the Hope Programme. He has developed, delivered and researched self-management programmes for over 25 years. Andy lives with grade 4 arthritis in both knees and manages his pain through playing tennis.

  • A middle-aged man with glasses and a beard, wearing a white shirt, dark vest, and patterned tie. He has light-colored hair and is looking to the side against a green background.

    Dr Mark Taylor

    INDEPENDENT CHAIR

    Mark is Head of Strategic Partnerships at the National Institute for Health Research Coordinating Centre. He has a background in healthcare, life sciences and innovation, with experience across the NHS, industry and university knowledge transfer. Mark has been a trustee for the MS Society and Asthma UK, and was diagnosed with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis in 2003.

  • A middle-aged man wearing glasses and a navy blue shirt smiling at the camera, with a river and historic bridge in the background.

    Stephen Pearse

    NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY VOICE

    Stephen is a former NHS IT engineer, qualified mindfulness teacher and passionate Hope Programme facilitator. He completed the Hope Programme in 2018 and trained as a facilitator in 2019. Living with a long-term condition, Stephen is passionate about helping others build confidence, self-belief and compassion. He enjoys sport, political debates and the South Devon outdoors.

  • A middle-aged man with short brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a blue collared shirt and a dark plaid blazer, standing outdoors with blurred trees in the background.

    Robert Forrest

    NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FINANCE

    Robert’s understanding of support networks was shaped by growing up in a caring, resilient community. Through his finance career, he has valued work with organisations that give back. Robert brings financial expertise to our social enterprise and sees this as a meaningful way to support lasting impact for people facing illness, families and carers.

  • Portrait of a man in a suit outdoors with green trees in the background.

    Matt Shield

    NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LEGAL

    Matt brings practical commercial and legal support to our social enterprise. He has almost 20 years’ experience in the legal sector and qualified as a solicitor in 2007. He specialises in commercial law and has supported business development as an in-house lawyer. Matt joined our board in April 2021 and enjoys cricket, gardening, travelling and American politics.

  • A woman with blonde hair smiling, wearing red lipstick and a red dress with beaded details, indoors.

    Dr Helen Crampin

    NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

    Helen is passionate about healthcare innovation and supporting businesses to tackle health inequalities. She has over 20 years’ experience in investment, marketing and business development across healthcare and life sciences. As Chief Marketing Officer at the National Innovation Centre for Ageing, Helen leads on strategic partnerships, engagement and scaling impactful healthcare solutions.

  • A man with short brown hair and a beard, wearing a white button-up shirt, smiling at the camera. Behind him is a colorful abstract painting with blue, orange, yellow, and purple hues.

    Ellis Taylor

    NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DIGITAL

    Ellis brings commercial experience in digital governance, risk management and growth, helping make technology a core part of our long-term vision. He has helped grow Novel into a thriving SaaS platform and previously worked across product and platform teams at The Economist, combining start-up agility with enterprise-scale digital strategy.

  • Portrait of an older man with light brown hair, smiling, wearing a dark suit, light blue shirt, and purple tie against a plain background.

    Dr Tim Robinson

    CLINICAL ADVISOR

    Dr Tim Robinson has 30 years’ experience in General Practice and a specialist interest in Long Covid. He is our named Clinical Safety Officer. Tim advises on the safety and efficacy of our programmes, digital products and services, with a focus on people living with long-term conditions and their carers.

  • A man smiling, wearing a black jacket and a light blue shirt, standing next to a woman with long wavy hair in a white top. They are indoors.

    Matthew Jones

    TECH DEVELOPMENT LEAD

    Matt is a web developer and database architect with over 21 years’ experience. He leads development of our powered by H4C platform. His technical background includes mobile-first web design, HTML5, CSS, Bootstrap, VB, ASP.Net, C#, Java, PHP, SQL, JavaScript, JQuery, REST services, server administration and Cisco core networking.

  • A woman with long, light brown hair, wearing black glasses and a black and gray striped shirt, smiling slightly at the camera against a plain background.

    Dr Liz Sparkes

    MINDFULNESS PRACTICIONER

    Liz delivers live mindfulness practice sessions on our Hope Programme courses. She is an HCPC registered practitioner health psychologist with a PhD in pain psychology. Liz developed a Masters course in Mindfulness and Compassion at Coventry University and now runs Dr Liz Sparkes Spiritual Coaching, supporting people with emotional and physical pain.

  • Close-up of a cute, curious dog with a white and brown face and a red collar, looking directly at the camera.

    Harry the Dog

    MASCOT

    Harry is our mascot and one fearless Jack Russell terrier. He reflects the spirit and values of HOPE: tenacious, energetic, enthusiastic and small but mighty. Jack Russells can run all day and keep coming back for more. Harry is sharply intelligent, full of character, and there is absolutely no fooling him.

  • Group of people sitting around a wooden table engaged in a collaborative activity, with posters and markers on the table, in a bright room with greenery visible through a window.

    Hope Programme

    Self-management courses for people living with long-term conditions and unpaid carers. Co-designed with people we support, built on decades of research.

    Find out more
  • People sitting at a table in a meeting or workshop, engaging in discussion, with laptops and notebooks on the table.

    Powered by H4C

    Flexible no-code, white-label digital platform for organisations and researchers.

    Find out more
  • An older woman with gray hair and glasses sitting in an orange wheelchair, looking at a large purple wall with handwritten notes and messages. Balloons are to the left of the woman, in colours including white, yellow, orange, and blue.

    Hope community

    Hope stories and creative activities made possible by the profits we reinvest in our social mission.

    Find out more
NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub logo with the text 'Partnership with Purpose' and a badge indicating 'Awarded Supplier' for Social Impact.

When you work with us, you are choosing a social enterprise that re-invests profits into its mission. We are committed to fair pay, inclusive employment, responsible business and making sure people’s voices shape health and care.

Collection of various certification and accreditation logos including social enterprise, ORCHA bronze, Qismet accreditation, NHS clinical safety compliant, living wage employer, committed, national voices member, and verified social enterprise.
Collection of various certification and accreditation logos including social enterprise, ORCHA bronze, Qismet accreditation, NHS clinical safety compliant, living wage employer, committed, national voices member, and verified social enterprise.