Our founders
Victoria Bacon – Co-founder and Trustee
Victoria is the Co-founder of ELoH, is a Trustee and manager of the charity.
Her skills are in writing and research. In addition to running the charity, she is a published author of two World War Two history books, recalling the personal memories of veterans who lived through the war. She previously worked in the Political Office at 10 Downing Street, and as a producer for the BBC News and the ‘Breakfast with Frost’ current affairs programme.
Victoria has run the London Marathon for ELoH twice, with Sarah in 2014 and on her own in 2016. In 2015, Victoria and Sarah received the Prime Minister’s Points of Light award for outstanding voluntary service.
Sarah Hope – Co-founder
Sarah is the Co-founder of ELoH, with Victoria.
Sarah has also done a lot of campaigning for amputees and victims of road victims. In 2016, she persuaded the Chancellor to announce a 1.5 million budget item on children’s running limbs, and the same year the Mayor of London launched the Sarah Hope Line, a helpline for victims of accidents in London’s transport network.
Sarah also became the Limbless Association’s Fundraiser of the Year in 2009. In 2016 she won the Hertfordshire Advertiser’s Parent in a Million award.
Our Trustees
Judy Moorhouse – Chair of Trustees
Judy worked with Victoria at Downing Street; they have been friends ever since the General Election was lost by the Tories in May 1997 – going together to the House of Commons. Judy became a Trustee of ELoH in 2017 and has been particularly wonderful with musical events, including the Carol Service.
Bronwen Hinton – Trustee
Bronwen assists with the planning and logistics of fundraising events hosted by ELoH.
Bronwen has wide-ranging experience in fundraising and event management and has previously worked for well-respected companies in the catering and party planning sector, organising diverse events from film premiers to fashion week parties. She has also worked for Breast Cancer Haven, where was responsible for running fundraising events.
Kathryn Beevor–Trustee
Kathryn has been a member of 3 Senior Management Teams as a Deputy Head Teacher, Assistant Head and an Induction Tutor where she was responsible for teacher training. She continued her professional development and gained a Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Studies in 2014. Kathryn is passionate about English and Drama and has a Licentiate with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She adjudicates Public Speaking Competitions and sings in her spare time.
Susanne Russell – Trustee / Treasurer
Susanne worked for many years in the banking sector manging high end client personal portfolios. She has been a keen supporter of charity all her life and in the past been involved with the collection of Toys and Tins for the Salvation Army, as well as raising money for a school building project in Africa. For the last 20 years she has been MD at Ulric Web Design LTD and more recently CFO for Polytrade Building Supplies LTD.
Ambassadors
Sean Allerton
Sean is a RAF veteran having served 11 years with the RAF Regiment. He joined the ELoH team as Ambassador in September 2016.
At the age of 28, Sean was injured in a motor cycle crash and broke his neck and leading to his four limbs being partially or totally paralysed. Yet, when many people would have given up hope Sean refused to be held back by his accident. In addition to his work for RAF, he is a civilian instructor at his local Air Training Corps squadron and mentor for the Flying Scholarships for Disabled People, he is undertaking higher education and has learnt to fly.
Sean has also started an impressive fundraiser called the Push 500 Wheelchair Challenge. Since 2012, he has pushed himself over more than 1800 miles to raise awareness and money for a number of charities.
Philippa Wilkinson and Charl Pienaar
Charl and Philippa are a married couple and both amputees. They joined the ELoH team in October 2016.
Charl lost both legs and sustained severe injuries to his arms while serving the army in Afghanistan. Almost 6 years on, he continues to undergo intensive rehabilitation and is making good progress on his prosthetic legs. Being South African, Charl loves rugby and the outdoors. He also enjoys horse riding and basketball.
Philippa lost her left leg below the knee in a road traffic accident in London. She met Pollyanna and the Hope family that same year. Philippa enjoys skiing, running, cooking and gardening.
Charl and Philippa say they are honoured to be a part of ELoH which “punches well above its weight”.
Our Patrons
Joanna Lumley
Joanna is a successful actress, voice-over artist and author, who is particularly well known for her role of Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous.
She has starred in several film, including The Wolf of Wall Street, and received the Special Recognition Award at The National Television Awards 2013.
She is a vocal advocate for a number of charities and has spoken out as a human right’s activist for Survival International.
Roland Rudd
Roland is the Founder and Chairman of Finsbury, recently named Best Global Financial Consultancy. Roland is also Chairman of Business for New Europe; Founding Chairman of Legacy10, and leads the campaign for corporate partnerships on dementia for the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Health.
He is also actively involved with many good causes, including the Great Ormond Street Hospital and the NSPCC.
Before founding Finsbury, Roland was a financial journalist and he is a former policy coordinator for Lord Owen. At Oxford University he read philosophy and theology, as well serving as President of the Union.
Brigadier Hugh Monro CBE
Brigadier Hugh Monro CBE took up the role of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland in June 2009 and retired in June 2013.
He served in the British Army for 36 years, serving in Northern Ireland, Germany, Hong Kong, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands. Serving in the Ministry of Defence, he led the policy change to ban the British Army’s use of anti-personnel landmines.
He was appointed MBE in 1988 and CBE in 2003.
Ian Whybrow
Ian is one of the country’s favourite children’s authors and his work is published and read all over the world. He has written well over a hundred books for children including the famous series about Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs.
He’s also Patron of The Shrewsbury Children’s Book Festival and of Megan Baker House, a charity providing free Conductive Education Services for children, teenagers and adults with special educational needs and physical disabilities.
In May 2014 he published Rory’s Piratical Leg, a book about a girl amputee inspired by Pollyanna Hope.
Simon Eccles
Simon is a cranio-plastic surgeon, based at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital.
He is also a Trustee of Facing The World, a charity that provides life changing facial reconstructive surgery in the UK for children with severe facial disfigurements who cannot be treated in their home countries.
Simon has acted as Pollyanna Hope’s surgeon since 2007.
Professor Timothy Briggs
Professor Briggs qualified from The Royal London Hospital in 1982 with honors in surgery and a number of prizes. After his senior registrar training he was appointed to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital as Consultant in 1992. His specialist interests are in orthopaedic oncology as well as surgery to the hip and knee. He was Medical Director at the RNOH for 15 years, ensuring a re-build and was President of the British Orthopaedic Association in 2014.
He was appointed as National Director for Clinical Quality and Efficiency for the NHS in September 2015 and has been asked to lead and roll out his GIRFT methodology, developed in orthopaedics, across all surgical and medical specialties within the provider network. Professor Briggs was made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List for services to the surgical profession.