Our team
Our volunteers are - and always have been - the lifeblood of our organisation. We rely heavily on our team of nearly 100 talented volunteers, who come from all walks of life and bring diverse skills and experience.
Since 2022 we have built a small staff team to support and underpin the work of our volunteers, most of whom work part-time. They are guided by a strong and committed trustee board.
Our staff team
Co-director
Jeannie Tweedie
Jeannie co-founded Elmbridge CAN in 2016 in response to the Syrian refugee crisis. Her goal was to bring local people together to help - based on common humanity. Elmbridge CAN has since grown exponentially. Jeannie is driven and energised by the support she and the team have offered to displaced people and by the feeling that the Elmbridge CAN is making a tangible difference to real lives.
Before starting Elmbridge CAN, Jeannie worked in project management, administration and events, and as a pre-school teacher. She holds a degree in History and Politics and a Masters in Refugee Care.
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Service Delivery Manager
Florendia Buckingham
Florendia has a diverse professional background, including 13 years as an IT project manager at PwC, followed by roles as a photographer and videographer, and as a trauma-informed yoga teacher. As a child, Florendia experienced first-hand the Cyprus/Turkey conflict, which led her to volunteer in Calais, following which she joined Elmbridge CAN as a volunteer in 2020. Her role expanded significantly to support operations and activities during the influx of Afghan and Ukrainian arrivals and she has helped to build a sustainable infrastructure for our fast-growing charity.
Florendia is passionate about promoting wellbeing and fostering healthy conversations about displaced people within the community.
Volunteer Co-ordinator / Administrator
Sarah Nuttall
Sarah is our Volunteers Coordinator, arranging screening and training for new volunteers and staff, and making sure we remain up-to-date with DBS checks and crucial training, for example in safeguarding. Sarah also supports the directors and staff team with general administrative tasks and coordinates our activities around donations of material items such as furniture and helping clients move to new homes.
Sarah had a successful career in project and contract management with London Underground before switching to the community and charity sector, working for the Co-op before joining Elmbridge CAN in 2022.
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Ukrainian Integration Worker
Olga Gaieva
Olga is а Ukrainian citizen who relocated to the UK from Kyiv at the start of the war. Before working at Elmbridge CAN she volunteered at The Lighthouse in Woking as a member of the Ukrainian Welcome team, and at Wandsworth Food Bank. Olga is also an administrator at St Mary's Ukrainian School in Woking. She has wealth of experience in running her own craft business which she started in Ukraine, and continues developing in the UK.
Olga is deeply inspired by the possibilities and importance relating to the integration of Ukrainians into our local community, and dedicates herself to supporting individuals and families on this journey.
Co-director
Melissa Day
Melissa holds a degree in Modern Languages and is qualified as a solicitor, having trained and practised in a large City law firm, specialising in Family Law. She took a career break following the birth of her second child which included living in Spain for five years.
Melissa is passionate about volunteering in the community and joined Elmbridge CAN as a volunteer in its early days, became a trustee in 2020, and finally took up her current role as co-director (in a job share with Jeannie) in September 2022. Melissa previously volunteered as a trustee at Citizens Advice.
Programme Co-ordinator
Charlotte Takla
As Programme Coordinator, Charlotte works closely with our community partners to meet the education and employment needs of our supported families. She previously supported Elmbridge CAN for two years as a volunteer, having been introduced by a Homes for Ukraine host who had benefited from the charity's support.
Since leaving a corporate career in Telecoms to bring up her family, Charlotte has volunteered for local children's charities and schools with an emphasis on fundraising and education initiatives.
Arabic-speaking Integration Worker
Huda Farran
Huda is a Saudi citizen who was born and raised in Jeddah. A native Arabic speaker, she began volunteering at Elmbridge CAN with families who had arrived on the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (which closed to new arrivals in 2020). Since 2022 Huda has been employed by the charity as our Arabic-speaking integration worker, initially in a role funded by Elmbridge Borough Council to support the Syrian families on their path to becoming fully integrated and independent. More recently, Huda’s responsibilities have expanded and she has used her experience to help clients of various other nationalities, especially but not limited to Arabic speakers.
Ukrainian Integration Worker
Olena Dykalo
Olena arrived to live in the UK shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and has since devoted herself to supporting other Ukrainians in need. Since autumn 2024, Olena has worked full-time at Elmbridge CAN, where her strong communication and interpersonal skills - as well as her commitment and determination - are highly valued, enabling her to provide fast and effective assistance for Ukrainian families and individuals.
Olena is a Master of Sports in fencing with over a decade of experience as a children's fencing coach in Ukraine.
Our trustees
Chair of Trustees
Suzy Mellor
Suzy combines her role as Chair of Elmbridge CAN with active volunteering projects. She has been a volunteer since 2020 and our Chair since 2023. Suzy is motivated by the strength and resilience of displaced people and their contributions to our local community. In particular, she loves working with the children of the families we support.
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As a leadership and management consultant, Suzy brings experience in team development. Throughout her career, she has worked as a senior manager in the technology sector in Europe and the Asia Pacific. She holds an MSc in Human Resource Management and Organisations from the London School of Economics. Suzy lives in Elmbridge with her husband and two teenage children.​​​​
Trustee
Hannah Addison
Hannah has been involved with Elmbridge CAN since 2020 as an ESOL volunteer and joined the trustee board in 2022. She has a Postgraduate Diploma in Youth and Community Work and a background in the charity and public sectors setting up community projects and working with communities, families and young people. Hannah is a qualified ESOL teacher and enjoys teaching English to the families supported by Elmbridge CAN.
Hannah works as a Pilates teacher and is co-director of a local studio, specialising in movement and strength work for women aged 40 and over.
Trustee
Tom Citroen
Tom has been a professional fundraiser for 16 years, beginning his career as a face-to-face fundraiser for Greenpeace. He has since held roles at charities including Friends of the Earth, the Disasters Emergency Committee, and Barts Charity. Specialising in major gifts fundraising, Tom currently works as a Senior Philanthropy Manager at Save the Children.
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A resident of Elmbridge for the past six years, Tom became involved with Elmbridge CAN in 2021, inspired by the charity’s work with local families evacuated from Afghanistan. He is passionate about helping secure the funding needed to support Elmbridge CAN’s work and feels privileged to be part of such an inspirational team.
Deputy Chair of Trustees
Stephanie de Sarandy
Stephanie has run her own leadership consultancy for 15 years and prior to that worked in numerous HR roles in the tech and finance sectors . She is a qualified executive coach and has worked with several charities including Save the Children , Water Aid and the Kings Fund . She brings all this experience together with a passion for equality, human rights and a fairer world to the trustee role.
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Trustee
Jon Carr
Bio coming soon.
Trustee
Nurettin Sevi
Nurettin has been an active volunteer of Elmbridge CAN since 2017. Having personally navigated the asylum seeker and refugee processes, Nurettin brings valuable insights and experiences that deeply inform his advocacy work.
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With over 20 years of project management experience in defence operations and IT, Nurettin possesses strong skills in leading cross-functional teams, managing complex projects, and optimising processes. He combines this professional expertise with a personal understanding of the challenges faced by displaced people. Nurettin holds Masters degrees in Management & Leadership and National & International Security Strategy, equipping him to help drive impactful initiatives at Elmbridge CAN.