Sharron Spindler
CEO
In 2001, after a number of years working as a project manager in the private sector, I decided to move into the voluntary sector. In 2010, having spent almost 10 years working for two national charities: the ‘Terrence Higgins Trust’ and the ‘Royal National Institute for Blind People’ (RNIB), and then for a regional domestic abuse charity, I joined Dhiverse and came full circle back into the sexual health and HIV sector! At Dhiverse we’re all about inclusivity and equality and our aim is for everyone to have the opportunity to be equipped to make informed decisions around sexual health, healthy relationships and consent. I’m passionate about raising awareness of the importance of good sexual health and relationships and helping people to understand why taking care of our sexual health is as important as taking care of our physical and mental health. I want sexual health and HIV to be normalised, so that we all feel comfortable talking about them and sharing our experiences to help others. I’m very proud of what the Dhiverse team has achieved and will, no doubt, continue to achieve. I love my job and it really is a pleasure to part of such a dedicated and professional team.
Lisa Helm-Cowley
Counselling Manager
Originally from the Isle of Man I trained as a Nursery Nurse and was fortunate enough to use this qualification to travel as much as possible and moved to Bermuda in 1993 to work as a nanny. In 1999 I decided to stop working so I could bring up my own children and I returned to the UK in 2000. When my youngest child started school I decided to retrain as a Counsellor/Psychotherapist and I completed my qualification in 2012. It was around this time that I started volunteering for Dhiverse as a HIV counsellor; this soon led to an employed position. In 2018 we secured funding which allowed us to open up the counselling service to all areas of sexual health and sexual identity. I am now able to support many more people and I love the challenges my role brings on a daily basis. I feel very fortunate to be working with the most amazing clients.
Marisol Sanchez-Blesa
Education Manager
I have always been interested in Human Sexuality, but it was not until I was reading Sociology that this interest became a passion. I am a fully-trained Sexologist who believes that quality sex education is a key contributor to people’s happiness and healthy relationships.
I have a varied work background from social care, management, coaching, to sex counselling; my ultimate dream is to empower people to achieve their goals in different parts of their lives.
I believe sex education is a mission that should involve the family, the school, health professionals, the media, among others. Dhiverse gives me the opportunity to bring sex education closer to those who most need it.
Louisa Perry
Education Facilitator & Training Lead
I have come from a background of working with children and volunteers at Peterborough Youth Offending Service, where I have spent many years supporting volunteers in their work with young people on court orders. I have trained and supervised volunteers working with young people, many of whom come from difficult backgrounds and with a range of challenging circumstances.
The position at Dhiverse as Parents Outreach Coordinator came as an exciting new challenge, and I saw it as a new opportunity to use some of these skills to support young people in a different way; by engaging with parents to give information on Relationships and Sex Education, and facilitate discussions on a range of topics around sex and growing up that parents may wish to learn more about. My aim is to give parents the opportunity to have frank and open conversations around sexual health, enabling them to feel more knowledgeable and confident in talking to their child about these important areas of their development. I’m really excited to be part of the team at Dhiverse, and look forward to supporting young people to develop healthy and safe attitudes, and to form positive beliefs and values which they can carry with them into adulthood.
Clare Gockel
Education Facilitator
Prior to joining Dhiverse I worked as a Teaching Assistant at a special needs school in Peterborough. I was at the school for almost 6 years and I absolutely loved my time there but I was ready for a new challenge and a new role. When I saw the position advertised for ABC Facilitator and the aims and values of the project I knew I had to go for it!
I am incredibly passionate about supporting and empowering young people and adults with autism and learning disabilities and I’m lucky to be part of a team that shares that passion. I really enjoy my role at Dhiverse!
Esther Hiller
Counsellor
Originally from London I moved to Cambridgeshire many years ago. I have previously worked with young people as a youth worker and it was while doing that I decided to train as a Counsellor. I believe that counselling should be attainable for everyone that wants it and am happy to work at Dhiverse where we can offer it for free to our service users.
Lily Quantock
Education Facilitator
I have a life-long passion for studying sexuality and gender, and after I completed my Masters degree in Sexual Dissidence (specialising in pornography and taboo), I knew I wanted to use it to make a difference in the community. I began working with teenagers and quickly found my passion - working with young people who have additional needs or behavioural problems who can face additional barriers to PSHE and RSE.
Teaching young people how to negotiate personal and sexual relationships in safe, consent-aware and pleasurable ways can make life-long changes for them. Many educators feel under-equipped or embarrassed to tackle the questions that young people have while I really thrive delivering this to young people.
For more than a decade I have worked both in education and youth work settings and particularly enjoy working with teenagers. The SLIP programme is a unique and vital service where I can apply all my past experience and skills.
Miriam Lebon
Team Assistant & Volunteer Coordinator
I am passionate about ensuring young people have information, understanding and choice and I am proud to work for a charity that works towards this. It is inspiring to see how many young people and parents Dhiverse has supported and how, the organization continue to add to their support over time, including tailored education for young people with additional needs and their families.
I have always had an interest in learning and development. My background, supporting enrichment activities on child cancer wards, supporting homeless youth and sex workers in Eastern Europe and Russia. More recently in the UK, I've coordinated adult learning programs for lone parents and organizations that tackle homelessness and support employability.
I am excited to join Dhiverse and support the team's the work with parents and young people, increasing information and confidence, to grow into healthy, safe, and confident adults.
Gaby Clements
Secondary School Teacher
In May 2021, I was appointed to the role of Trustee at Dhiverse. As a Secondary School Teacher, I believe it is vitally important to educate the next generation of young adults to make responsible, safe and empowering personal choices surrounding their sexual health. I am therefore really passionate and excited to challenge stigma, raise awareness and incite change both in my classroom but in the wider community too.
Dr Andrew Carmichael
Chair of Trustees & NHS Consultant Physician
I have been on the DHIVERSE Board of Trustees since 2017. I am a consultant physician with an interest in Infectious Diseases at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge. I look after inpatients and outpatients who have a range of infections including HIV infection. I am the lead for the HIV service including our Regional HIV Network of consultants in sexual health in Bedford, Bury St.Edmunds and Huntingdon.
Dr Susan Walker
University Lecturer
I have been a trustee of Dhiverse since 2018. I was attracted to the role because I believe that everyone, and especially young people, have the right to accurate and inclusive information and support to help them look after their own sexual health and well-being. I am a university lecturer and researcher whose subject of interest is contraception and sexual health. Prior to becoming an academic, I worked as an NHS GP.
Professor Jeffrey Grierson
Retired Professor of Health and Social Care
Professor Grierson is a social psychologist who has researched in the area of HIV AIDS since 1993. He has an extensive track record of conducting large-scale social research with communities living with HIV. As PI on eight national studies of people with HIV (six Australian, two in New Zealand)(11) he has provided key data on the needs and experiences of people with HIV and directly informed government policy and community action. He was PI on cohort studies including Positive Health and FLUX. He has lead research initiatives that have investigated HIV and sexuality including social support, sexual health, sexual and social networks. He has worked in communities across the Asia Pacific Region and currently works on projects in the UK addressing HIV positivity, LGBTQ+ priorities and the social networks of young people with mental health challenges.
Rian Perry
Social Worker - Sexual Behaviour Service, Youth Justice Team
Rian is a South African trained social worker, with 15 years of experience in a number of settings ranging from child and family services, education, probation practice, youth justice and community development, across both the public and non-profit sectors, and he has worked in South Africa, Botswana, South Korea and England. His post-graduate training focused on criminal justice work, including doing specialist assessments and interventions with people in conflict with the law and he has been working in this field since 2017. His experience in recent years included consulting and project management for non-profit organisations specialising in victim support, violent behaviours and concerning sexual behaviours, where he worked with adults and children, providing individual support, group therapy and training to other professionals. Since October 2021 he has been overseeing the sexual behaviour service for Peterborough City Council, working with young people referred through the youth justice system and supporting colleagues in social care and educational settings across the council.
