Meet the Team
Sarah Harrison
Founder
Sarah was the inspirational founder of Sarah’s Star. Since her diagnosis with incurable breast cancer in 2019, she dedicated herself to supporting others facing illness with dignity, purpose, and hope. Although Sarah sadly passed away in December 2025, her vision endures. She dreamed of creating a charity rooted in community, safety, and wellbeing — a place where people could feel empowered, supported, and understood despite the challenges of their diagnosis. Her legacy lives on through her family and the work she inspired and the lives she touched.
Lucia Craven Athey
Grants & Communications Officer
Lucia, who joined us in April 2024, brings a warm commitment to community, safety, and wellbeing through her strong background in care, customer service, and social media. Her passion for supporting others, combined with her excellent communication and engagement skills, makes her a valuable and trusted member of our team. Her work helps us create a welcoming, supportive environment where people feel connected, informed, and cared for.
Clare Crossling
Volunteer Team Leader
Clare is an ACII-qualified Claims Executive with 17 years of corporate insurance experience. In her spare time, she volunteers with several local charities and has served as a trustee for both Cedarwood Trust and Sarah’s Star. She also founded a Facebook community group promoting charitable giving and volunteering, which in 2022 organised over 50 collections of clothing, money, and food for local causes.
Liam Milligan
Chair
Liam is Mission Director at North West Methodist Mission, a homeless charity supporting people in Derry/Londonderry. With over 25 years’ experience in the charity sector and a background in senior commercial and statutory roles, he has extensive expertise in community-based services, cross-border development, capacity building, reconciliation, training, and rural development. Liam has also contributed to trans-European and international exchange programmes and has worked as an Associate Lecturer at North West Regional College across a range of professional courses.
Joanne Dunn
Secretary
Joanne, Sarah’s sister, continues her vision for the charity by championing the core values of community, safety, and wellbeing. A Senior Project Manager in the Civil Service, she is qualified in PRINCE2, Benefits Management, and Change Management, and also holds a Level 5 Chartered Management Institute qualification. With over 20
years of experience, Joanne excels at building strong stakeholder relationships and genuinely enjoys connecting with people on a personal level, bringing both professionalism and compassion to the charity’s mission.
Sarah Trevena
Trustee
Sarah has taught maths in secondary schools across the Northeast for 18 years and now teaches in Tynemouth. As a former department lead, she has experience supporting and guiding teams, and she is also an educational author who creates resources for online learning. Sarah brings a strong sense of community and a commitment to wellbeing to everything she does, helping students and colleagues feel supported, confident, and connected.
Meet the Trustees
Brian Morrison
Trustee
Sarah’s brother, carries forward her vision for the charity by championing the values of community, safety, and wellbeing. He is the Service Delivery Platform Head of Technology Operations at Civica, with over twenty years’ experience in the computing services sector and extensive leadership in IT operations. Brian has delivered services for UK public sector organisations, including several charities, bringing a thoughtful, people‑focused approach that supports the charity’s mission.
Sharon Turnbull
Treasurer
Sharon is a Commercial Sales Manager at Siemens Energy and a qualified CIMA accountant with over 20 years’ experience in finance, accounting, and commercial management. She has also previously served as Treasurer for a Sports and Social Club.
Sharon brings a caring, community‑focused approach to her work, ensuring financial transparency, integrity, and safety in everything she oversees. Her experience with compliance and auditing helps support the charity’s safety‑centered mission with clarity and trust.
Nicky Thackray
Trustee
Nicky brings over 20 years of leadership experience and a strong commitment to community, wellbeing, and creating safe, supportive environments. As a Trustee for Sarah’s Star, she is proud to help the charity offer comfort, care, and connection to people with incurable illnesses and their families.
With a background in corporate leadership and coaching, Nicky is skilled in strategy and resilience-building, empowering others through life’s most challenging moments. As the Founder of My Zendays, she is dedicated to helping people live with greater happiness, balance, and fulfilment.
Joanne McGarrigle
Trustee
Joanne is an experienced complementary therapist and wellbeing trainer who supports charities and community organisations across the North West. As a Clinical Holistic Therapist with Action Cancer, she provides care for people affected by cancer, trauma, and long‑term conditions.
She brings strong expertise in holistic therapies, community wellbeing, safeguarding, and person‑centred care.
Angela Thorpe
Trustee
Angela is a seasoned senior leader with a strong record in operational excellence and strategic transformation across financial services and the power industry. She excels at turning strategy into action, leading multidisciplinary teams, and building high‑performing, supportive cultures.
With deep expertise in compliance, risk, and operational governance, Angela brings a focus on safety, community responsibility, and overall wellbeing while driving sustainable commercial results.