New members can be co-opted at any time and will officially stand for election at our Annual Conference.

We’re always looking for new people to join the Committee. If you want to explore taking up a role on the Committee, please contact us for an informal chat.

Felicia Sabartinelli, Chairperson

Volunteer Services Manager

Cornhill Macmillan Centre, NHS Tayside Royal Perth Infirmary

For the past 18 years, Felicia has built a successful career in the charity sector, working in volunteer management, marketing, and fundraising. Twelve years ago, she left a career in the arts to take a chance in a completely different sector: hospice and palliative care. Currently she is the Volunteer Services Manager for Cornhill Macmillan Centre (NHS Tayside) in Perth, Scotland, and previously was the Regional Director of Community Engagement for a large nonprofit hospice in the US. Felicia holds two Volunteer Administration Certifications from the US and hopes to acquire similar certifications in the UK. 

 Felicia is passionate about supporting volunteers and advocating for volunteer managers/coordinators who often find themselves as the lone wolves of their offices or organizations. She is equally excited about creating volunteer roles based on one’s skill, passion, and purpose and loves to implement new and exciting ventures. Some of her favorite projects have been a hospice play, legacy projects, and granting ‘Last Wishes.’ Felicia hopes to increase support and education for HVMN members while creating a supportive, inclusive, and diverse community. 

Outside her hospice & palliative work, Felicia is a published writer, poet, and public speaker. In her spare time, she loves to perform, make art, and travel. She lives in Scotland with her husband. 

Steve Bond, Regional Development Forum Chair

Head of Volunteering

St Barnabas Hospice

Steve has had 3 career paths so far, including Supermarket Retail with the Co-op, ASDA and Sainsburys, policing with Lincolnshire Police as a response officer and in criminal investigation, and latterly in the charity sector.

Steve has worked for St. Barnabas Hospice in Lincolnshire since 2014.  Initially he was Assistant Volunteer Services Manager before completing his HR qualification and moving into a combined role of HR and Volunteer Services Manager. The roles were split again and Steve chose to return to a purely Volunteer Management role which now includes overseeing the Facilities Team too.
Steve said, “I became a member of the HVMN on day one with the Hospice and I have continued to be impressed with the amount we all get for our membership. The networking opportunities and conversations we have in regional meetings are so useful and the annual conference is thought provoking and reaffirming in equal measure. The conference alone could generate workstreams for 12 months!”

Steve became Regional Rep for the Midlands during 2020/21 and then decided to raise his hand above the parapet to join the Exec. He took on the role of Regional Development Forum Chair from the end of 2021.  “I have gotten so much out of the HVMN that its time for me to put something back and hopefully help the organisation develop over the next few years. I’d recommend anybody to get involved as an exec or regional rep.”

Jennifer Bird, Executive Team

Head of Major HR Projects & Volunteering

Thames Hospice

Jenn stumbled into the Volunteer Management profession during her time volunteering at Helen & Douglas House in Oxford whilst working in HR for a childcare company. She then started as the Volunteer Services Manager at St Luke’s Hospice in Harrow, two years later moving to Thames Hospice in Windsor where she has worked for the past nine years as the Head of Volunteering and later the Head of Major HR Projects & Volunteering.

Jenn joined the HVMN Exec team in 2016 as Regional Development Forum Chair supporting the Regional Reps but has since supported on projects for HVMN around the website, securing freelance support, rebranding and is currently part of the Conference sub committee. She has also been Regional Rep for the London & North West Thames region. 

Susan Freeman, Executive Team

Head of Volunteering                         

St Oswald’s Hospice

Susan has a career that has consistently centred around supporting and empowering volunteers. Susan’s journey began in 1988, aged 16, as a volunteer herself with Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter, before finding employment with Age Concern Newcastle, supporting a team of over 400 volunteers. She then contributed to the European Volunteering Service programme within Depaul UK, further deepening her understanding of volunteer engagement on an international scale. In 2013 Susan joined St Oswald’s Hospice as a Retail Operations Manager, where she worked closely with a large team of volunteers. In 2023, she transitioned into the Volunteering Department, as the Volunteering Manager, taking on responsibility for all volunteering activity across the organisation and in April 2025 became the Head of Volunteering.

Susan is deeply passionate about the essential role volunteers play within St Oswald’s Hospice and the wider voluntary sector. She prides herself on creating a supportive and inspiring environment for volunteers to thrive. Susans work is driven by genuine enthusiasm, a strong sense of purpose, and a deep respect for the contributions volunteers make every day. She is committed to ensuring volunteering remains at the heart of everything she doe

Maria Cuthbert, Executive Team

Voluntary Services Manager

Highland Hospice

Maria started with Highland Hospice over 20 years ago in the fundraising department, never having worked in the charity sector before. After a period of maternity leave moved into voluntary services as admin support and apart from another slightly longer maternity leave and then a move to Learning and Development has been there ever since. In 2019 she applied for and was successfully appointed to manager of the department.

She loves working with such a diverse and committed workforce. Ensuring the development and support of volunteers within the organisation is her priority as well as looking at ways of involving young volunteers, working with schools and local youth groups.

Having always been supported by the HVMN network in the years she has been a member she felt would like to contribute to this so has joined HVMN exec this year.

Su Bennett, Executive Team

Volunteer Development Manager

Florence Nightingale Hospice

Su has been working in the hospice sector since 2018, beginning her journey at The Hospice of St Francis. Her decision to join the hospice was deeply personal, inspired by the compassionate care her mum and family received there in 2016. She is now proud to be part of the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity team in Aylesbury.

Before transitioning into hospice care, Su built a successful career as an Executive Assistant with a multinational luxury retail clothing brand. During that time, she played a key role in organising corporate fundraising events and leading local social responsibility initiatives.

Su’s passion for volunteering began at just 16, when she helped in her local charity shop and supported Mencap holiday schemes. This early experience sparked a lifelong dedication to volunteering. Over the years, she has enjoyed volunteering her time to a range of organisations, including the NCT, Girlguiding, and the Scouts, as well as various informal community roles. Her connection with The Hospice of St Francis ultimately inspired her to change careers and move into volunteer management—a decision she has never regretted.

Su joined the HVMN Executive Team after attending one of its inspirational conferences. She values the incredible support the network offers to its members and is passionate about contributing to this vibrant community and has recently taken on the role of Secretary for the Executive Team.

Ian Turnbull, Executive Team

Head of Volunteering
Willowbrook Hospice

Ian is a returning member of the Executive Committee. He has been the Regional Rep. for the North West Group (stretching from Cumbria to Cheshire and across the sea to the Isle of Man!) for some time and, after a nostalgic experience at the HVMN Conference 2022, Ian decided he would gladly re-join the committee to support its continuing development for the membership.

Ian is the Volunteer Engagement Manager at Willowbrook Hospice, Merseyside.

Previously Ian worked for Nat West for 25 years in  the North West, Guernsey and Hereford before moving back to Liverpool and was given the opportunity as the Volunteer Manager at Bury Hospice in Greater Manchester. Ian has been at Willowbrook looking after volunteers for the past 14 years.

Ian is a volunteer himself as a Trustee at The Plaza, a local community cinema in Crosby and has been a National Trust volunteer in Herefordshire as well a volunteer Treasurer for ECHO – an independent charity and the leading provider of day services for people with a disability in Herefordshire.

Stacey Towler, Executive Team

Volunteer and Compassionate Communities Manager
St Clare Hospice

Stacey is the Volunteer and Compassionate Communities Manager at St Clare Hospice. Stacey initially came to the hospice world in 2017 to set up the Compassionate Neighbours project. During Covid Stacey was very lucky to receive a promotion which was to take on responsibility for the Volunteering across the whole hospice.

Over the last 3 years, Stacey’s focus has been strengthening our framework, introducing a strong Volunteer Vision and Strategy, we overhauled our volunteer training, set up recognition and long service events and improving communications with our volunteers just to name a few large projects!

Stacey’s aim for volunteering at St Clare in the future is to continue to grow a supported community engagement approach to our volunteering, with a light touch community-based support to reach more people.

Stacey joined the HVMN board in 2024 to learn from fellow colleagues from other hospices, to share practices and learn from the Exec process, after having found a great fun group of like-minded people that want to influence and help develop the hospice volunteering world.

Dan Smith, Executive Team

Volunteer Development Manager
Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice

Dan is Volunteering Development Manager at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice based in North London, and is also a Trustee of Dyspraxic Me, a small charity that supports young people with Dyspraxia.

Dan grew up in a family of volunteers who ran a local football team where he grew up and has worked in Volunteer Management for 6 years across various areas of the charity sector including education, tackling loneliness and children’s palliative care.  He is passionate about technology and its ability to empower volunteers, volunteer managers and voluntary organisations to enhance the positive impact on people’s lives and communities they can make.

Dan joined the Executive Team in 2025 with a focus on developing the HVMN resources library to help share best practice across the network and is committed to ensuring it remains practical, relevant and shaped by what members would like. 

Faith Hojeer, Executive Team

Head of Volunteering

Keech Hospice 

Faith began her career in IT training sales before transitioning into lifelong learning for young people. After starting a family and relocating to Hertfordshire, she began volunteering for a children’s charity—an experience that sparked a deep appreciation for the power of volunteering and its personal rewards. This passion led her to pursue a career in the charitable sector. Over the years she has volunteered with various organisations, including the local Scouts Group, School PTA and Home-Start.  Currently, she serves as a trustee for Hitchin Youth Trust, a small local charity, and has recently joined as a member of the Executive Team at HVMN.

With over 15 years of experience in volunteer engagement and development, Faith is now Head of Volunteering at Keech Hospice. She plays a pivotal role in empowering local people to make a meaningful impact—whether in one of Keech’s 38 retail stores or directly with the hospice.

Keech Hospice provides free, specialist palliative and end-of-life care for adults in Bedfordshire and children across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Milton Keynes. Volunteers are at the heart of this mission, and under Faith’s leadership, they are supported, celebrated, and inspired.

Faith’s approach is grounded in inclusion, community, and growth. She champions volunteering not only as a way to give back, but as a path to connection, learning, and personal fulfilment. Her strategic insight ensures that volunteering at Keech is accessible, impactful, and deeply rewarding—for everyone involved.