Our Team
We have a professional team of staff who deliver our vision through outreach, advice and policy work, education and training, research and more. The work of our staff is supported by a dedicated team of volunteers. At least half of our staff, interns and volunteers are Travellers.
Sarah Mann | Chief Executive Officer
Sarah became FFT’s CEO in 2018, after working in training and project management across FFT.
Previously, Sarah trained in nature conservation, and cared for Sussex downland sites for the National Trust and later led a families’ project in Brighton whilst raising her children.
Sarah came to FFT to be part of an organisation that fights for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people's rights and celebrates and uplifts our fellow activists and organisations.
Policy and Public Affairs
Abbie Kirkby | Head of Policy and Public Affairs
Abbie Kirkby is Head of Policy and Public Affairs at FFT, having joined the organisation in 2011 to work on FFT’s national advice and support line.
With a Specialist Diploma in Public Affairs, Abbie leads on policy and public affairs work, as well as facilitating FFT's Secretariat position for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Gypsies, Travellers and Roma.
Equipped with a passion for social justice and equality, Abbie Kirkby pursues a human rights and legal approach to contemporary issues affecting Gypsies, Roma and Travellers.
Victoria Gilmore | Policy and Research Coordinator
Victoria joined FFT as a volunteer on our National Helpline in 2017, while studying for an MA in Community Psychology.
Previously, she worked as an intern for the Global Ecovillage Network, and as an administrator for a community development initiative in The Gambia.
Victoria joined FFT because she wanted to be part of a community-led organisation that challenged systemic racism.
Victoria keeps busy with her two young children but occasionally gets the chance to enjoy laying in a dark room, not having to talk to anyone or be responsible for anybody.
Ivy Manning | Projects Coordinator/Engagement Officer
Ivy has held a range of roles at FFT, since starting in 2017. She is a Romani Gypsy and has lived roadside most of her life.
Ivy is a strong advocate for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, and works closely with religious institutions to encourage 'sanctuary stopping' for nomadic families.
Keira Smalley | Policy and Research Officer
Keira joined FFT in November 2025.
With a Masters degree in Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice, Keira has spent her professional life addressing systemic inequalities.
Prior to joining FFT, Keira managed a programme of change to reduce sexual harassment, bullying and discrimination within the New South Wales Parliament, in Australia.
She has a particular interest in cultural preservation and memory-making, and spends her free time laughing and grooving as much as possible.
Silvia Berastegui | Policy and Research Officer
Silvia joined FFT as a Policy and Research Officer in January 2026, bringing policy and public affairs experience developed at a migrant women’s organisation.
She holds an MA in Anthropology for Development and Social Change, and cares deeply about making systems work for people, championing social justice and creating meaningful, lasting change.
In her spare time, Silvia enjoys playing with her daughter at home and exploring the many amazing places to eat in Brighton.
Development
Michelle Gavin | Head of Development
Michelle Gavin has been at FFT since 2010, working to improve health outcomes for Gypsies and Travellers – both nationally and across Sussex.
Michelle is interested in working with Gypsies and Travellers at a grassroots level, to help tackle the necessary policy changes. She is also a tutor, keynote speaker and trainer.
Michelle is an expert witness in Gypsy and Traveller planning matters.
Kara Hewitson | Development Coordinator
Kara Hewitson joined FFT in November 2023, and assists in leading the Sussex Inclusion Health Network project.
Kara holds an MSc in Clinical Psychology and Health Services, and her background includes working with GPs and Primary Care Networks (PCNs) to address the broader needs of individuals, providing both emotional and practical support.
Ruby Conlon | Health Policy and Projects Coordinator
Ruby joined FFT’s Development Team as Health Policy and Projects Coordinator in early 2025, after starting as a caseworker in our Service Delivery Team in 2022..
This was around the time that the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 came into effect, and Ruby wanted to work for an organisation who was actively opposing this.
She joined FFT because she is committed to advocating for those who don’t have equal access to services and to contest the discrimination experienced by Gypsies and Travellers.
James O'Neill | Training Officer
James joined FFT in 2023, after studying law as a mature student.
James is passionate about working for an organisation with a strong track record of defending human rights and fighting racism and discrimination.
With James at the helm, FFT's Inclusive Services training offers standardised and bespoke courses, with an emphasis on making services more accessible for Gypsy and Traveller communities.
Sam Worrall | Criminal Justice Policy Officer
Sam Worrall joined FFT in 2023, having previously also worked in Health Policy at FFT, as well as a range of other Gypsy and Traveller organisations since 2014.
Sam has been living as a New Traveller and liveaboard Boater for about 25 years and currently lives on her narrowboat.
She is passionate about boat life and the boater community and previously established the floating market on the Kennet & Avon canal, and now co-ordinates the floating market at the annual Banbury Canal Festival.
In her spare time, Sam can be found traversing the country in her campervan exploring ancient monuments and ruins.
Lilia Bernard | Projects Officer
Lilia joined FFT as a Projects Administrator in 2024, having been in Brighton since 2018.
Growing up across Southeast Asia instilled in Lilia a love for diverse cultures and perspectives. She holds an MA in philosophy, with a focus on Ancient Greek and Feminist philosophy.
She is passionate about engaging in meaningful work that centres communities and seeks to solidify social bonds. Prior to joining FFT, Lilia worked with the Brighton Peace and Environment Centre, coordinating volunteers and various projects.
Lulu Jones | Community Engagement Worker
Lulu Jones started out as an intern at FFT in 2021, having previously been supported by our casework team for many years.
Since then, Lulu has worked as an Advocacy Caseworker, up until 2025. She is now currently working on the Development Team as a Community Engagement Worker.
Alongside coming from the Traveller community, Lulu is a passionate advocate for the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, with deep understanding of issues experienced within the communities and Lived experience.
Lulu is passionate about supporting families who are involved with Social Services, and advocating for communities to have the right to be treated fairly.
Lulu is a proud mother of 3 children, and hopes to contribute a change in society to ensure they have a better future.
Communications and Campaigns
Sami McLaren CMgr MCMI | Head of Communications and Campaigns
Sami McLaren joined the team in 2019, as a Communications Officer.
As Head of Communications and Campaigns, he oversees all charity communications and public campaigning activity.
Holding an MA in International Relations from Sussex University, Sami has previous professional experience with UK, Japan and Germany-based international digital marketing companies, as well as Third Sector communications.
He is passionate about protecting Human Rights, understanding society through a historical materialist lens, and decolonisation.
Chris Walker | Fundraising Manager
Chris Walker joined as FFT’s first ever Fundraising Manager in 2024.
Chris has worked at charitable organisations for more than twenty-eight years, including for homeless, mental health and education charities in the UK and US.
He is the author of three novels: Don’t Falter (2024); The Visitor (2016) and Now You Know (2012).
Scarlet Hannington | Communications Coordinator
Scarlet Hannington joined the team at the beginning of 2023.
With a degree in Combined Social Sciences from Durham University, Scarlet’s previous professional experience is grounded in addressing socio-cultural inequalities and power relations, through digital communications.
Working at FFT brings together her passion for tackling injustice and creating short- and long-term change through the written word (and being surrounded by a great team helps too!).
Elijah Vardo | Communications Officer
Elijah joined FFT in 2022 as a Communications Assistant, having previously worked with FFT in a freelance capacity.
With lived experience of site life, Elijah is also a Romany Gypsy artist who is passionate about spreading a light on the beauty of his Romany roots.
Inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites and Art Nouveau, Elijah expresses his art through delicately strong themes, that empowers communities to embrace their heritage.
Elijah has previously produced work for the BBC, MUBI, Harper Collins, Bloomsbury Publishing, and Glastonbury Festival.
Doug Devaney | Communications Officer (MFC)
Doug Devaney started working at FFT in 2023, on the Moving for Change communications spoke.
He is a writer, podcaster and journalist whose series, The Plastic Podcasts, was one of the few to incorporate interviews with Travellers into the story of the Irish in Britain.
Having had articles, poems and short stories published internationally, Doug is a firm believer in the power of the word to change lives and shape countries.
He also plays the ukulele and once met William Shatner (these two facts are entirely unrelated).
Rami | Meet 'n' Greet Officer
Rami joined FFT in 2022, having trained and worked as a local dog for just over a year.
He came to FFT to be part of an organisation with a track record of defending the right to roam. Rami enjoys eating things off the floor, pats, and sleeping on the job.
Service Delivery
Samson Rattigan BEM | Head of Service Delivery
Samson joined FFT in 2015, as an intern.
He's a staunch advocate for health equity and inclusion, and has led many projects across Sussex and nationally to try and break down access barriers for Gypsies and Travellers.
Samson's work received major recognition for his work when he was awarded a British Empire Medal for services to the communities, in December 2019.
Angela Barnett | Advice Manager
Angela joined FFT’s Casework Team in 2017, following a period of volunteering on the advice line.
Prior to starting at FFT, Angela was supported by FFT due to experiencing constant evictions from pieces of land with her family, and Angela decided that she wanted to give back to FFT by volunteering.
Angela came to FFT due to her lived experience and desire for social justice. She enjoys listening to and playing music, and being a general complainer.
Tommy Buck | Youth Manager
Tommy Buck has been with FFT since 2019. He joined as an intern whilst studying Politics & Legal Studies at the University of Sussex.
Tommy's outwardly passionate about supporting young Gypsies and Travellers, especially around employment and education.
In his spare time, Tommy enjoys going to the gym and playing rugby.
Martha Ostick | Outreach Projects Coordinator
Martha joined FFT in 2018 after starting out as a volunteer on our National Helpline.
She was bought up in the New Traveller community and studied Textile design at university.
After joining our Service Delivery team, she has worked on community development projects throughout Sussex with a focus on art, culture, skill-sharing and employment.
Jonathan Jones | Mental Health & Advice Coordinator
Jonathan joined FFT in 2021 following a varied career including professional photography, filmmaking, and teaching Pilates and yoga.
Lockdown led to a career change, studying MSc Psychology and Neuroscience whilst working in mental health as a carer. Living roadside meant FFT was the perfect place for him to combine a multitude of experiences to best serve members of the communities.
He is driven to try to tackle the root causes of the vast inequalities experienced, whilst supporting the often horrific effects of these.
Jessi Bruce | Advice Coordinator
Jessi joined FFT in 2021, working on the National Helpline team.
She previously worked in supported housing advocacy and as a therapist at a Queer Therapy Hub in Brighton, and she’s thoroughly motivated by the intricacies of culture, society and the human condition.
Land rights hold a special place in Jessi’s list of passions, with a steadfast belief in open access rights for communities.
She enjoys wild swimming, boating and hiking, and working towards an equal future for everyone.
Emma Nuttall | Youth Project and Policy Officer
Emma has been at FFT since 2000.
She has carried out a variety of roles including casework, media, group facilitation and policy work.
She currently works as Youth Project and Policy Officer, working with FFT's Youth Team.
Emma studied Social Anthropology, and enjoys reading and dancing.
Andy Hayes | Advocacy Caseworker
Andy joined FFT in 2025, working in the Service Delivery team.
Having achieved a Level 4 qualification in Physics, they kicked off a career in hospitality, achieving management status.
Seeking a career that aligned with Andy's values, they moved to FFT to support and deliver our casework offering.
Andy enjoys reading, video games, and music in their spare time.
Emma Bray | Health Promotion Worker
Emma Bray has been an integral part of the team since 2012.
She is a community advocate and organiser for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities; influenced by her experience of growing up and travelling roadside across UK and Europe.
Since birth, Emma has lived a nomadic life, and has no formal education. She is entirely self-taught, and is now a much sought after lecturer and keynote speaker.
Emma is also the driving force behind the Atchin tan space at Glastonbury festival, a focal point for a Traveller awareness campaign bringing together diverse travelling communities.
Maxine Lambert | Traveller Education Teacher
Maxine Lambert has worked with FFT as part of Brighton's Traveller Education Support Service for over 10 years.
She deliver's FFT's Homework Club across Sussex Gypsy and Traveller sites, supporting young Gypsy or Traveller children with access to education.
Maisie Lumsden | Advocacy Caseworker
Maisie is from the New Traveller community, and she joined FFT as a Caseworker in 2021.
Maisie's extremely passionate about widening support and access to education and health for Romany, Traveller and Roma communities.
She has deep experience of the UK's festival circuit, and enjoys wild swimming in her spare time.
Anna Young | Advocacy Caseworker
Anna joined Friends, Families and Travellers in early 2023, as a volunteer.
Before this she worked in an all-female supported housing charity, supporting young women and mothers with their babies.
Anna has also managed an after-school club and worked within nurseries. She likes taking photographs, singing and is attempting (for a year) to learn Spanish.
Hal King | Advocacy Caseworker (Digital)
Hal joined FFT in 2023 as a caseworker, after studying and working at the University of East Anglia as a research student in environmental philosophy and research intern in decolonising the humanities. The digital part of his role involves writing and editing FFT's advice pages. No, he is not the AI robot HAL!
He is driven by social and environmental justice, and has undertaken many years of volunteering and organising right to roam groups.
Access to land and waterways is something Hal is deeply passionate about and one of the reasons why he joined FFT — to help uphold and protect the nomadic way of life.
Amy McGourty | Advocacy Caseworker
Amy joined FFT in 2023 as a volunteer and started working as an advocacy caseworker in 2024.
She is a PhD candidate in Geography, working on Irish Travellers people's experiences of racialisation within public spaces and practices of anticolonial worldmaking.
Amy is a committed trade unionist and political educator, with a special interest in the Irish language. In her spare time she enjoys Olympic weightlifting, vegan cookery and reality TV.
Megan Archer | Advocacy Caseworker
Megan joined FFT’s casework team in 2024 as an Advocacy Caseworker.
They are a passionate advocate and campaigner for human rights, with a special interest in securing the welfare benefits that people are entitled to.
Megan holds a PhD in Critical Theory, with a professional background in education, casework and support work. They spend their spare time organising in various community groups such as the local Mutual Aid Vegan Foodbank, crafting and playing computer games.
Operations
Suzanna King | Finance and Project Manager
Suzanna joined FFT in 2007 as Admin and Finance Officer.
In 2012, Suzanna also oversaw the creation and development of our Crystal's Vardo project, and continues to lead on this.
Suzanna trained as an actor with a background in theatre. Prior to FFT, she worked for a women's safety charity.
In her spare time, Suzanna enjoys a range of activities from nightclubbing to gardening.
Lena Stokes | People and Office Manager
Lena started at FFT in 2020 within our Operations Team.
She worked in the circular economy private sector previously, and in Education before that.
Lena loves working at FFT because it is a cause that she fully supports, and the staff work so hard that it is a pleasure to be able to support them in some way!
Ngawang Dhargyal | Finance Officer
Ngawang joined FFT’s Operations Team in 2019 after holding a Finance Admin Assistant role at INTO University Partnership, Brighton. Before that, he studied accountancy and worked as Finance Administrator at Tibet Society, London.
Ngawang has a track record of defending the right of Tibetan Nomads to roam and campaigned against forced relocation of Tibetan Nomad communities. Previously, he co-founded Tibetan Youth UK, helping organise events and protests.
Ngawang enjoys English translation of Japanese Literature, protest poetry and cycling.
Associates
Dr Simon Ruston MRTPI | Planning Specialist
Dr Simon Ruston is a chartered town planner with over 15 years’ experience in Gypsy and Traveller cases.
He has assisted many private clients across the UK and is now primarily working with advocacy organisations and local planning authorities to increase high quality site provision, including authoring FFT's landmark report ‘Kicking the can down the road: The planning and provision of Gypsy and Traveller sites in England 1960-2023‘.
Chelsea Mac Donnchadha | Strategy Associate
Chelsea Mac Donnchadha joined FFT as an Associate in the summer of 2025, supporting organisational strategy development and community participation.
As a writer, researcher and organiser working across social justice, health and education, Chelsea's work is grounded in lived experience, and with a focus on amplifying Irish Traveller voices.
Her writing explores inequality, resistance and care, and has been published in outlets including Shado Mag, Travellers’ Times and The Metro.
A Local Hero in the 100 Faces campaign, Chelsea is also part of Write into Culture, a Gypsy, Roma and Traveller-led writing group, and has performed across the UK.
Alongside her writing, she leads community-led research, facilitates workshops and organises around healthcare justice.
Darren Ward | Architect and Community Consultant DipArch, PGDip, ARB, RIBA
Darren Ward is a chartered architect and member of the Irish Traveller community, with a background in the residential sector ranging from large-scale urban developments to one-off designs in sensitive contexts.
He has worked nationally and internationally and continues to collaborate with both private and public sector clients across the UK to deliver more inclusive and context-responsive Gypsy and Traveller accommodation.
He is also the lead author of the Modern Nomad Project, which explores new models for high-quality Gypsy and Traveller accommodation rooted in lived experience and community aspiration for application across the UK.
Darren has contributed to sector knowledge through publications including Roaming Britain and forthcoming special features, helping to advance understanding of Traveller culture and its relationship to the built environment.
Dr Alice Byram MD | Health Advisor
Dr Alice Byram MD joined FFT as an Associate Health Advisor in 2023, having previously worked with the organisation.
Alice is a multilingual and multicultural Emergency and Family Medicine (GP) physician with a special interest in the application of digital health and MedTech to real-life clinical medicine.
At FFT, Dr Alice Byram MD shares her expertise to help break down the exclusion of Gypsies and Travellers from modern healthcare provision.
Gemma Challenger | Illustrator
Gemma Challenger is an artist and illustrator with an interest in concepts of time, the seasons and the interrelationship and connections between humans and the natural world.
Gemma frequently collaborates with FFT to produce and illustrate a range of work, including reports and projects.
Chris Penfold Brown | Training Associate
Having joined FFT as an Associate since 2022, Romany poet Chris Penfold Brown helps deliver our Inclusive Services training programme.
Chris has dedicated over three decades to ensuring the voices of Gypsy and Traveller people are listened to, and spent over 15 years advising Sussex Police on Gypsy and Traveller issues.
Bridging the gap between communities and bringing people together from all walks of life through craft and storytelling workshops, Chris also keeps traditional Romany skills like flower making and step dancing alive and had a small poem and story book published in 2007.
Chris McDonagh | Expert by Experience
Chris McDonagh is an Irish Traveller and father who joined FFT in 2021, as a Campaigns Officer and is now an Associate.
Chris created the online group TravellersAgainstRacism in order to challenge online hate and racism and educate people on Irish Traveller communities, breaking down the stereotypes and challenging commonly held misconceptions.
Chris has written blogs for charities and groups and likes to spend his spare time learning new things.
