We have six Trustees that make up our Board, 71% are women, and 41% have experience of breast cancer. Their experience and expertise are vital in guiding our charity and ensuring that our support is the best it can be.
Without this incredible group’s guidance, care and support, we could not do what we do!
Zoe Hill (Operations & previous beneficiary)
How long have you been a Trustee?
Since December 2022.
What experience do you bring to the board/role outside of Little Lifts?
I’m the Operations Director and Co-Owner of Paddy & Scott’s Cafes, a Suffolk-based business supplying wholesale coffee to the hospitality industry nationwide. Over the past 11 years, I’ve grown within the business from a customer service role through to Director and Co-Owner, giving me a deep understanding of business operations, efficiency, and leadership.
Alongside this, I bring a very personal perspective: in 2019, at the age of 34, I was diagnosed with DCIS ER positive Breast Cancer and received a Little Lifts Box myself. These experiences allows me to bring not only my business knowledge but also the voice of a breast cancer patient to the board.
Why is being a Trustee important to you?
It’s honestly such a privilege. Back in 2019, when I received my own Little Lifts Box, I remember being so touched that someone had thought so carefully about the little things that could make such a big difference. I knew I had to find out who was behind this amazing charity. To now be part of the board and help shape its future is something I never take for granted—I feel both proud and humbled to play even a small part in this journey.
What makes Little Lifts special?
For me, it’s the community. Breast cancer brings an incredibly tough chapter into people’s lives, whether you’re going through it yourself or supporting a loved one. Little Lifts doesn’t just provide thoughtful, practical support through the Boxes—it offers a sense of belonging, warmth, and understanding. It’s about showing people they aren’t alone, that there’s a hand to hold, and that even in the darkest of times, there is light and kindness to be found.
In your opinion, what’s the charity’s biggest achievement so far?
There have been so many moments to celebrate, but reaching the milestone of distributing 10,000 Boxes in February 2023 really stood out. It was a chance for everyone at Little Lifts to pause, reflect, and feel proud of the lives we’ve been able to touch in such a short space of time. It was also a reminder of the power of Oa’s vision—when she sets a target, the team come together to make it happen—and the incredible impact that determination has on people’s lives.
If you could send one message to all our supporters, what would it be?
From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Little Lifts only exists because of the generosity, kindness, and belief of people like you. Every single act of support—whether time, money, or spreading the word—helps us reach more people and remind them they are never alone. Together, you’re helping us bring light, comfort, and community to those facing breast cancer, and that is truly life-changing.
Per Hall (Medical Consultant)
How long have you been a Trustee?
Around 5 years.
What experience do you bring to the board/role outside of Little Lifts?
I am a Plastic and Reconstructive surgeon with a training in breast reconstructive and aesthetic surgery. I have had experience working with other charities at Trustee or Advisory Board roles (Changing Faces – a charity supporting people with facial difference and Operation Smile UK – a charity supporting surgery for Cleft Lip and Palate in low and Middle Income countries).
I ran a multidisciplinary team for patients born with Cleft Lip and Palate in East Anglia.
I bring a medical perspective to the board to help sense check plans to evolve the reach of Little Lifts.
Why is being a Trustee important to you?
I enjoy the interaction with the team at Little Lifts and the other board members who have very different and energising strengths. We share in joy of the continued success of the charity.
What makes Little Lifts special?
The charity is fabulous with its mission statement and energy to reach further beyond the geographical boundaries of East Anglia, where the organisation was born, whilst remaining determined to keep the persona of the charity friendly with a local feel.
In your opinion, what’s the charity’s biggest achievement so far?
The extending reach of the charity as word of mouth establishes new links via our “Little Kindness Fund” is growing exponentially. Clinicians can recommend patients to the Little Kindness Fund from as far afield as Manchester or Plymouth so our Boxes of delight, packed by our lovely volunteers who have been recipients of the same Box in the past, can reach out as a warm gesture of support to anyone eligible. Heading towards 8000 Little Kindness Fund Boxes this year, when we started it was 3 per week!
If you could send one message to all our supporters, what would it be?
Thank you for everything you do in whatever way you do it to help Little Lifts support patients going through the process of treatment for breast cancer.
Jill Ward (Legal & previous beneficiary)
How long have you been a Trustee?
I joined the board in 2020, during COVID, so certainly a challenge.
What experience do you bring to the board/role outside of Little Lifts?
I hope that my legal background offers a wide ranging experience which I can transfer to certain areas. Most importantly, I feel that having received my own Little Lifts box in 2018 during my chemotherapy treatment, I feel well placed to represent our beneficiaries.
Why is being a Trustee important to you?
I feel privileged to have the opportunity to work with our amazing board, especially at this time of development of Little Lifts. The charity is very close to my heart, and so it allows me to repay the kindness offered to me.
What makes Little Lifts special?
Little Lifts offers practical and emotional support at such a difficult time, it is so much more than the Box. The ethos of the circle of kindness resonates strongly with me, meeting our volunteers all with their own story, packing Boxes or fundraising is just so uplifting.
In your opinion, what’s the charity’s biggest achievement so far?
I am trying very hard to be impartial, and failing here, because I am a huge champion of our Little Kindness Fund, and so proud of our adaption, growth, and development in the last few years. We send Boxes all over the UK, offering thousands of Boxes to those who do not receive them via our hospital partnerships.
I must also mention having Little Lifts recognised as a cancer support charity, and thanked for our work by King Charles at Buckingham Palace earlier this year was one of my proudest moments, a huge honour for our small but mighty charity and all our supporters.
If you could send one message to all our supporters, what would it be?
However you support us, with fundraising, or with your time, we as a board cannot do what we do, without your help. Speaking personally, please never underestimate how important your support can be to the person who opens that Box.
Karyn Maier – Chair of Trustees
Ella A’Court – Marketing and Brand
Jon Hall – Treasurer (Finance)
A huge thank you to our amazing Trustees past and present, we could not do what we do without your incredible support.
If you would like to help us on our mission of supporting every person in the UK receiving treatment for breast cancer check out our get involved page and help make a difference.