About Us
Board of Trustees
Isobel Hall
Chair
Isobel was employed within the NHS for over 40 years in the roles of Nurse, Midwife and Health Visitor.
Prior to retiring in 2017, she held the role of Directorate Nurse for Children’s Services which encompassed leading nursing across all of the children’s health services within Hywel Dda Local Health Board, spanning hospital and community care for all ages.
During her professional career, she has also worked voluntarily within the Community Practitioner for Health Visiting Association as a local representative and also represented her profession at strategic and national levels. Within her personal life, she has volunteered as a Parent Governor for Greenhill School, Tenby between 1997 to 2004.
Isobel is widowed with three children and two grandchildren.
Anne Brown
Vice Chair
A Public Relations and Communications professional with more than 20 years’ experience, for the last six years Anne has been part of the fundraising team at Saint Francis Hospice in Romford, Essex, one of the UK’s largest adult hospices. She is currently responsible for more than £2 million annual income, focussing on major gifts and legacies.
A native of Pembroke Dock, Anne visits family in Pembrokeshire regularly and has been a Trustee of Sandy Bear Children’s Bereavement Charity for a year.
Andrea Farmer
Treasurer
Andrea began her career with Alliance & Leicester, progressing from teller to mortgage advisor whilst also gaining professional CMAP qualifications. After 26 years, she joined John Francis Estate Agent as their Mortgage Consultant and covered their 6 Pembrokeshire Offices before retiring in 2015.
Tragically, in 1983 Andrea’s son died of a cot death at the age of 10 weeks. Her husband, herself and young daughter were left bereft. The family was supported by their extended family and close network of friends who came together during this terrible time.
At that time in Pembrokeshire, the service to support children who had been bereaved was not available for her daughter. Andrea is passionate about ensuring that the support is in place for other families who experience the death of a child.
Andrea was born in Pembrokeshire and is married with two grown up children.
Nina Philpott
Trustee
Nina joined the Trustee Board as she and her family are past Sandy Bear service users following the tragic loss of her husband and father of their two sons.
Nina has been a longstanding campaigner for Sandy Bear, gaining 4,000 signatures in a petition when the service was decommissioned due to lack of funding. She was determined along with the other trustees, that children and families have access to the same level of support that she and her sons experienced during the most challenging of times.
Through her role at Sandy Bear, Nina shares her experience of being a mum with children who have been bereaved.
Samantha Evans-Browning
Trustee
Sam is married with two small children and is a specialised 1:1 Learning Support Assistant to a visually impaired child. She is also a qualified Braillist.
Sam’s passion for Sandy Bear began with volunteering 6 years ago, when she was studying counselling (Level 3) at Pembrokeshire College. Sam has volunteered in children and teenage bereavement support sessions with Sandy Bear. Sam has also worked with Karen in support of 2 Wish Upon A Star.
Sam was so immensely proud of the support that Sandy Bear deliver to children, young people and families that she ‘didn’t think twice’ about becoming a trustee.
Andrew Copson
Trustee
Andrew spent over 30 years in consulting and industry, latterly as a business leader with UK, European and Global roles in manufacturing businesses. He left in 2018 to pursue a Master’s degree in Psychology and take life in a different direction.
Andrew and his partner moved to beautiful Gower in 2019, where he is currently establishing a charity to support disadvantaged children and their families locally.
Andrew is an average musician, novice gardener, keen fell walker and enthusiastic traveller as well as proud father of two grown-up children.