Trustees have independent control over, and legal responsibility for, a charity’s management and administration. They play a very important yet unpaid role, in a sector that contributes significantly to the character and wellbeing of the country.
Freya Liiv (Chair)
Freya Liiv is the Chair of the Board of Trustees for Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide
Freya is a qualified management accountant who has held a variety of financial and management
roles in her professional career. She has a BSc in physical geography from Durham University.
She has recently moved away from strictly financial roles to become a Head of Purpose, this involves
the awarding of Girls In Football Team (GIFT) Grants which supports women’s and girls’ football
clubs. Promoting not only the wellbeing that can be achieved through playing but also the skills on
the pitch that help throughout life.
Freya was invited to join the board after getting in touch following a fundraising event after a
football teammate took their own life. Unfortunately, this was the second time Freya had lost a
friend to suicide. Seeing the support that SoBS had provided her teammates’ family and speaking to
volunteers she was drawn to help us help those who need us most.
In her spare time she likes to follow women’s football, walk her dogs, find and identify rare post
boxes and swim in as many lakes and rivers as she can find.
Linn Larsen (Vice Chair)
Linn Larson is the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees for Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide
Linn is Norwegian but has lived in London since 2013. She has an MSc in Nutrition and Dietetics and is a Registered Dietitian in Norway.
After moving to London her career focus changed, and is currently working for a financial data provider looking after different kinds of financial institutions. Prior to this she spent a few years at a digital consultancy adding value to CIO seat holders.
Linn’s motivation for joining the SoBS Board of Trustees was to make sure the organisation maintains its integrity, for the purpose of adding value to the end users. She lost her partner Harry to suicide in 2018 and the SoBS Helpline was her first port of call for support.
In her spare time Linn enjoys the outdoors and activities like kayaking and hiking. When she gets the chance, Linn likes to hit the slopes in winter.
James Bradshaw (Treasurer)
James Bradshaw is the Treasurer for Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide.
James is an auditor based in greater Manchester currently undertaking the ACA qualification specialising in small to medium-sized owner-managed clients.
SoBS have actively supported James’ bereavement and mental health journey since his partner took her own life in 2015 whilst he was at university. Having completed university and the professional accounting examination, he wanted to give something back to SoBS by volunteering to support the board. He has been participating on the board since January 2021 and was confirmed as a full board member in July 2021. His role on the board has been to provide support to the charity’s treasury function and share his experience from other charity board roles from two Manchester based charities as a treasurer and
general trustee.
In his spare time, he enjoys keeping fit by running half marathons and going to the gym. He also plays the flute, guitar, and piano and has performed at multiple charity concerts. He has combined both of these hobbies into his fundraising activities for SoBS, having undertaken a marathon challenge (5 half marathons and 1 full marathon) and hosted a musical recital with original compositions presented inspired by his bereavement by suicide journey.
Janet Taylor
Janet Taylor is on the Board of Trustees for Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide.
Janet left school at the age of 15 years and went to work in the factory with her mum, as it was expected. When she got married, she decided on a change of career and went on to work as a telegraphist for the Post Office. During this time, Janet and her Husband started a family and were blessed with 2 daughters and a son. She became a stay-at-home mum for a few years.
From 1981 to 1985 Janet worked in the leisure sector as a lifeguard with her friend. They were able to work on opposite shifts and share childcare. The turning point came when she applied to work in a care home for the elderly. She found it was a very rewarding role, and worked on the housewife’s shift. She worked in care homes from 1985 to 1998 as a Care Assistant and worked her way up to Care Supervisor.
Janet found the work was very rewarding and most enjoyable. Over time it became more like a business and she found it very disheartening. She applied for a FT Care Assistant post on the Eye unit at the Royal Bolton Hospital in 1998. The work was varied and interesting as it was a day unit with its own clinic and theatre and she continued there until she retired.
It was during this time that they lost their son in March 2000, it was difficult to find the support they needed. They attended their first SoBS meeting at the Lymm group in October of that year. Having had great support, Janet and her Husband opened the Bolton Group in August 2001.
In September 2015 Janet was pleased to be accepted onto the board of trustees.
In August 2021 the Bolton Group commemorated 20 years of supporting others.
Joy Heal
Joy Heal is on the Board of Trustees for Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide.
At the age of 16, Joy started to work for the Inland Revenue as an Administrative Assistant. She was given the opportunity to attend college and achieved ONC in Business Studies. At the age of 20, she gained employment with the Department of Work and Pensions initially as an Administrative Officer, then as an Executive Officer. Joy worked for DWP in Jobcentres for 36 years and during that time she held a wide variety of positions including Disablement Employment Advisor and Under 18 Specialist Advisor. Joy resigned from the DWP in April 2017.
After leaving the DWP, she worked as a community support worker for a few weeks before gaining employment with Central England Cooperative as a Funeral Administrator/Arranger. She retired from work in April 2020 to spend more time with her husband Phil.
Phil and Joy attended their first SoBS meeting at Ilkeston, just a few weeks after losing their son, Jonathan to suicide in May 2011. Along with Jonathan’s best friend, Jane, they started Uttoxeter SoBS Group in June 2013 and facilitated the group until May 2021
Since joining the board in 2015, Joy has contributed to many initiatives including the introduction of the Online Forum, the Barclay card system and centralisation of funds.
Nicholas Colbourne
Nicholas Colbourne is on the Board of Trustees for Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide.
Nick is a retired North Wales Police officer and lives just outside of Wrexham. Following his retirement, he became involved firstly in local politics as a County Councillor and then nationally, standing in both the General Election of 2010 and for the Wales Assembly in the following year. He has served as a Trustee on the Boards of:
- Crossroads Caring for Carers
- His local county voluntary organisation
- Firebrake Wales
- Shelter Cymru (2010 to 2019) – helping to ensure that an accessible service was delivered for every single person in a housing crisis across Wales.
He has sat on the Government’s National Road Safety Advisory Panel and the Reserve Armed Forces and Cadets Assn (Wales). He currently Chairs the Lay Visiting panel for the largest mental health provider in North Wales and has served his community as a JP since 2005.
Nick says that “He would like to see ‘officialdom’ develop a far more understanding attitude in its contacts with survivors, which is currently not always the case. There is a definite need to appreciate that what for some, may simply be a day at work, for others, is a moment of intense trauma that remains with them forever.”
Nick is married to Julie and they have two grown up daughters. Much to Julie’s annoyance, Nick spends many Saturdays’ travelling around the country following Millwall FC!
Becoming a Trustee:
Trusteeship can be rewarding for many reasons – from a sense of making a difference to the charitable cause, to new experiences and relationships. It’s also likely to be demanding of your time, skills, knowledge and abilities. Being aware of the duties and responsibilities of a trustee, will help you carry out your role in a way that not only serves your charity well but also gives you confidence that you will be complying with key requirements of the law and governance.
Read more about what it takes to be an effective trustee:
Since losing our son Jonathan to suicide in May 2011, we have done quite a lot of fundraising. We have held boot sales, stalls at fetes, skydives and many, many raffles.
In 2005 we tragically lost Fee – beloved wife and mother, when she took her own life. The shock and loss was enormous and it wasn’t until 2009 when we discovered Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide. This charity has helped all three of us, in different ways, in coming to terms with such a painful loss. It is a loss that you never get over, but their involvement in our lives has helped us to move on but not forget.