About us

Who we are

Our small, dedicated staff team, are supported by around 70 volunteers, working with us in our Bristol office and at home to deliver our vital services. The majority of our Board of Trustees have had ME themselves, and most of the remainder have experienced it as carers.

Chief Executive

Sonya Chowdhury, pictured above, took over as Chief Executive of Action for ME in September 2012.

Following Sonya’s appointment, Action for ME carried out a full root and branch review of its activities, which precipitated publication of a bold and ambitious agenda for change. This led to increased transparency and clarity for the charity, which contributed to a shift to increased collaboration with stakeholders at every level. She says:

"People with ME are at the heart of everything we do. We provide support and care to meet need today, whilst taking action to create positive change for the future. We have identified a number of challenges that continue to exist for people affected by ME and everything we do is in service of the four 'pillar's of our strategy: improving lives through access to support and information, improving the health of people with ME, accelerating high-quality research, and working with the Government to produce, publish, and implement the National Delivery Plan on ME/CFS."

Prior to joining Action for ME, Sonya worked in senior management roles for leading children’s charity Barnardo’s where she was Head of Business Support for two days a week and National Lead for the Family Strategic Partnership for the remaining three. Sonya co-pioneered the ‘Innovating Futures’ programme which used a newly-created business generation model to help advance the practice of voluntary sector leaders.

Sonya chairs the Management and PPI Groups for DecodeME, the world's largest ME/CFS DNA study, which launched in June 2020.

Director of Fundraising and Development

Ruth Richardson joined Action for ME in July 2019.

Ruth has held senior leadership roles in the VCSE sector since 2010, including seven years working at Age UK Bristol where she managed a city-wide strategic programme to reduce loneliness and isolation in later life, securing £6 million of lottery funding and leading the dissemination of this funding to local community groups. Before joining Action for ME, Ruth was Deputy Chief Executive of a community interest company, working with underrepresented groups to increase their access to health and wellbeing activities, and for six years served on the Board of Trustees of a local women’s organisation.

Head of Healthcare Services

With over twenty years’ experience in healthcare, in both the NHS and private sector, her expertise lies in managing patient services and optimising the overall patient journey and experience.

Having been diagnosed with ME/CFS during her late teens, Rebecca has now made a full recovery.

With her unwavering enthusiasm and dedication to making a difference, her key role and main focus is to ensure that Action for ME’s Healthcare Services are delivered safely and are providing the best possible experience for all individuals impacted by ME/CFS.

Our staff team

Our staff care passionately about people affected by ME. We have daily contact with people with ME, carers, and professionals by phone, email, and online. We also host and take part in events, conferences and workshops across the UK.

Working at home across the UK and from our office in Keynsham, our staff work a range of full and part-time hours.

Information, support and advocacy

• Clare Ogden, Head of Support Services
• Imogen Ward, Information and Support Supervisor
• Juliet Gilchrist, Information and Support Officer
• Anna Pearce, Information and Support Officer
• Sally Ulph, Information and Support Officer
• Karen Hoather, Information and Support Officer
• Avril McLean, Projects & Participation Senior Practitioner
• Carina Fordham, Adult's Advocate
• Keely Amor, Family Support Officer
• Sam Agombar, Children and Young Person's Peer-Support Officer
• Lucy Cheesman, Communications and Engagement Officer

Healthcare Services

• Rebecca Davies, Head of Healthcare Services
• Helen Hall, Administrator, Healthcare Services
• Hannah Walbyoff, Young People's Counsellor
• Caroline Simm, Young People's Counsellor

Marketing, Communications & Public Affairs

• Josh Vince, Head of Marketing & Communications
• Lauren Tugwell, Marketing & Communications Officer
• Sian Leary, Head of Advocacy and Communications at the World ME Alliance

Research, policy and participation

• Ella Ponting, DecodeME Media and Content Support Worker

Fundraising

• Ruth Richardson, Director of Fundraising and Development
• Sarah Ritchie, Philanthropy Manager
• Lizzie Packham, Fundraising Operations Manager
• Helen Rowlands, Trusts Fundraising Manager
• Petra-Jurik (PJ) Dracovich, Trust Fundraising Officer
• Isabel Simpson, Fundraising Officer
• Michelle Smart, Data Administrator
• Leah Martindale, Fundraising and Membership Officer
• Nicola Jones, Community Fundraising Officer

Business Support

• Kate Dobson, Finance Manager
• Phoebe Dando, Finance Officer