Team

Sue Brand (Ops Lead & Events, Fundraising and Media)

Sue was the Nurse Specialist for the South West of England until she decided to retire in August 2018. She co-founded It’s in the Bag and has been instrumental in its development, she’s gone way above and beyond the call of duty.

Sue and Bill are responsible for Fundraising, Events and Media, but do lots, lots more.

Michael Perry (Chair & Treasurer)

Michael is a Finance professional with many years of strategic and operational experience working in different roles, industries and countries. He loves building relationships and teams – and is looking forward to being part of a Trustee team that wants to make a real and tangible difference.  His family has been impacted by cancer and Michael wants to give his time and expertise to help fight it.  He is inspired by the work It’s in the Bag has already done – and is energised to help the Charity an even greater impact in the future.

Katie Gearing – (Trustee Legal Expertise & Vice Chair)

Katie has spent her career as a lawyer for the past 20 years in the private sector, She is now keen to volunteer in the charity sector and apply her skills in a different way to give something back.

Katie says: “This role leapt out at me – a fantastic local cause looking for a trustee with a legal background. It’s in the Bag, with its down-to-earth, no-nonsense approach really resonates and I am keen to work with a dynamic, upbeat team doing such valuable work”.

Richard Bullard (Trustee and Awareness Lead)

Diagnosed with Testicular Cancer November 2008

Richard says ‘It’s a bit of a shock being diagnosed with cancer, but I am strong believer in the power of positive thinking, which I believe got me through his treatment.

Bowled over by the care and compassion received from the Bristol team, Richard and fellow patient Mike Morgan came up with the idea of the Testicular Ball.

Richard is a retired Headteacher and a keen sportsman. He is a supporter of Bath Rugby and Plymouth Argyle, and a coach at City of Bath Hockey Club, a background that’s made him especially keen to get IITB’s message into schools and sports clubs.

Edd Smith (Trustee – Fundraising & Income Generation)

Jeremy Braybrooke (Trustee – Clinical Advisor)

Jeremy’s been involved in IITB since the very early days, so he’s been lucky enough to witness how its initiatives have transformed the Bristol Testicular Cancer Service (BTCS) which he leads.

Jeremy’s what they call a ‘Consultant Medical Oncologist’ – a cancer doctor and specialises in testicular and breast cancer treatments.

When he can get away from work, Jeremy loves to spend time with his family, and is slowly managing to restore their old house on the Mendips.

It’s in the Bag is both honoured and grateful to have Jeremy as part of the team and appreciate his commitment and expertise.

Susie Budd (Trustee Clinical Expertise)

Susie has worked for just over 30 years as cancer nurse, covering many aspects of cancer care. For the past 7 years I have worked at Penny Brohn Cancer Charity helping people to live well with cancer and beyond. Last year I took on the role as CNS for Germ Cell Cancer for a year and gained a great insight into the needs, both physical and psychological of this patient group. I am inspired by the work of It’s in the Bag and when a friend and colleague Sue Brand asked me it is hard to say no.

John Saunders (Trustee PR & Marketing Expertise)

John  is senior generalist marketing manager (MIDM) with over 15 years’ experience in marketing, digital, events and customer engagement in the Investments, Financial Services and Professional Services. We welcome him to our board of trustees.

John says:

I admire the work that It’s in the Bag charity does, and it is one of the reasons I wanted to be involved. I am passionate about using my expertise in giving back and helping others.  I am looking forward to being part of a great team of volunteers, helping the charity achieve its objectives and raise awareness about Testicular Cancer.

Hannah Warwick (Company Secretary)

Hannah has worked for First Rung as their company secretary and HR coordinator, so has plenty of experience in supporting a charity with operational needs and supporting board trustees with meetings and organisation. Hannah has also worked as a lecturer of business and am HR qualified so can offer further background in these areas of skill.

Hannah says:

I really value the work the charity does and admire its sense of humour and tone of voice. I want to use my skills and knowledge to support a great cause and help the charity achieve its strategy.

Stef Douganioti (Finance Assistant)

Stef has previous experience in Finance. She admires the support charities offer to those in need and the ethos of the people involved. She has volunteered many times both in the UK and abroad and she is always looking for an excuse to get involved when there is a good cause.

Thank you Stef welcome to the team and thank you for volunteering for It’s in the Bag.

Corina Hojan (Operational Secretary)

Corina has volunteered for many organisations, including WWF, UNICEF and AI. This is her way of giving back.

Dave Jones and Sarah Roberts (Awareness Store Managers)

Dave says ‘I’m helping It’s in the Bag because the charity was really good to me and my family during my treatment’. Now, I can return the favour and help raise much-needed awareness and funds to keep the charity going from strength to strength’. Sarah says ‘Since meeting Dave I have loved everything about the charity and the work they do’.

We took on looking after the store because it’s like our little haven where we can make a difference. Whether it’s tidying it up or spending a couple of hours just making up fundraising packs ready for posting, it is all making a difference.

Andy Whitehead (Volunteer Facilitator)

Andy has been a part of It’s in the Bag for a while, running in the Bristol Half Marathon and attending awareness events. He is very organised, has IT skills, people management and people skills, which is why we asked him to be our Volunteer Facilitator. Andy was diagnosed with Testicular Cancer aged 19 years and knows first hand how helpful It’s in the Bag can be.

Thank you Andy for joining the team.

Sophie Mason (Volunteer for PR & Marketing)

Sophie used to be our trustee for PR and Marketing, but stepped down. However, she continues to help the team as a volunteer. She has a huge amount of knowledge and skills regarding communications. Thank you Sophie for staying on board.

Daniel Knight (Volunteer Administrator)

Daniel joined the team in early 2021 and is our volunteer team leader.

Daniel has always enjoyed the experience of helping people. Having recently lost his uncle to cancer he is aware of what a devastating illness it can be.

Daniel says: ‘Being able to give my time and expertise to help support those fighting the disease, particularly one that predominately affects the younger demographic would be a great privilege and a fitting way to remember my uncle and those charities that supported him during his illness’.

Rob Kay Volunteer Website and Tech

Rob is a great guy to have on board as he understands all the the ‘Techy’ Stuff. He helps with the website, landline and is even known to get on a bike and cycle 300 miles in 3 days!

Bill Brand (Events & Fundraising)

Bill initially came along to meetings as Sue had no way of getting home without him! Soon became the ‘ideas man’ of the team and has generously provided help and support for It’s in the Bag for many years.

Tim Snary (Support Facilitator)

Date of TC diagnosis: March 2009

It was a massive shock being diagnosed with cancer but after amazing treatment in Bristol I’ve come out the other end. This has given me the amazing opportunity to give back by volunteering in the Testicular Cancer clinic on a Friday morning. With the support of Sue Brand, I have learnt to nurture awareness and get the guys talking and now integral to the Survivorship Toolkit Days and Personal Development Weekends.

It’s a privilege to be part of IITB.

Tim is a keen cyclist in any spare time he has, which isn’t much but enjoys chilling and living well after cancer as taught to him at the amazing Penny Brohn Centre.

Alex Parsons (Support Facilitator)

Spencer Cartwright (Support Facilitator)

Jason Lloyd (Support Facilitator)

Jonathan Willder (Awareness Ambassador)

Jonathan joined the team a couple of months back to help us with our new campaign with Cookly Bookly. As a company founder and CEO of a number of businesses he has covered pretty much all areas of building and running a business. Jonathan sees an opportunity to build a profile and conversation with a broad target audience and to run campaigns using the publishing capability and Social Media interface of the Cookly Bookly platform, to complement IITB’s existing social media presence.

Jane Short (Awareness Ambassador)

My son Lewis was diagnosed with testicular cancer in February 2013. It had spread to other organs in his body and he was very poorly. Sue and the IITB team were a tower of strength to me, Lewis and our family during the early weeks of treatment. Other patients in Oncology were quite envious of the charity and the support we as a family were given. Nothing was too much trouble – an explanation of treatment and a shoulder to cry on were given freely. I now want to give something back. It’s a very lonely and frightening experience as a parent. I have a very positive story to share with others to give strength and hope. I have helped out with quite a few awareness and fundraising events, but my favourite was “Splosh for Dosh”, as I’m a swimming teacher and I enjoyed using my skill at a sport to raise money.

Sarah Cain-Leeks (Awareness Ambassador)

Nuts (Mascot)

Nuts is a monkey who loves a bit of mischief. He can always been found in his trademark It’s in the Bag pants and t-shirt looking for people to play with! Nuts enjoys all the activities that It’s in the Bag get up to. Recently he’s been seen playing 5-a-side football, rocking out at The Wrecking Ball 2 and, of course, raising awareness out and about with the general public. If you ever see Nuts feel free to come and say hello, give him a hug or even take a quick photo. He’s a very friendly monkey!